Chapter 9
Assessment for Distance Education
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., and Zvacek, S. (2014). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education, 6th Edition. (p. 225-255) Charlotte, NC. Information Age Publishing
Why Assess?
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Demonstrate
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Mastery
Mastery Learning could discuss Bloom Time and Learning (1974)
Stated most learners could learn most task given time.
Human variation in learning means that bottom 5% of learners need about five times the time to learn a task as the top 5% of learners, but given time to master the task early, they will learn to learn and often take about the same time to learn the subsequent related task.
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Reflections
These chapters of education text are frequently depressing for me. Not because of content related to assessment and methods, but rather because they inevitably turn to academic dishonesty. The issues of cheating and plagiarism and paper mills fall into my question of Why?
I was a poor student when I attended college in the early 80's too many distractions and freedom for a young man … resulting in joining the military and waiting until 1996 before I finally graduated. What I can say with all honesty is that I earned those poor marks. I was not the end of the world. When I returned to college a decade later I had the discipline of a good student and competed for the requirements and earned those marks well. When I worked on the railroad from 2005-2009 conductors and engineers were caught cheating on certain mandatory rules test and signals test. My life depended on these people being competent at their job. So when I read about the organized cheating it depresses me as a trainer and as a learner. It takes time to learn, either you want to learn or move on.
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