Master of Education in Open, Digital, and Distance Education (MDDE) 662

Overview

This course explores the dynamic field of alternative assessment in blended and online education, focusing on the theoretical and philosophical foundations that underscore its necessity and impact. Students will engage with a variety of assessment practices across different disciplines, learning to identify, analyze, and evaluate their effectiveness.

Key Topics Include:

• Theoretical and Philosophical Foundations: Understand the need for alternative assessments and their impact on educational practices.
• Evaluation of Assessment Practices: Critically examine and assess alternative methods used in various educational contexts.
• Assessment Design: Understand the relationship between key concepts such as validity, reliability, accountability, bias, and plagiarism, and their application in alternative assessment methods.
• Influence of Societal and Technological Changes: Investigate how changes in society and technology affect the design and implementation of assessments in open, digital, and distance education learning spaces.
• Research in Assessment: Identify gaps in current research and develop research questions to further explore these areas.

By the end of this course, students will be prepared to contribute to the field by identifying research gaps and formulating relevant research questions to advance the study of alternative assessment practices.

Outline

This course is divided into the following units:

• Unit 1: Terminology, elements, and the role of assessment in higher education.
• Unit 2: Learning theories and current research findings related to assessment practices.
• Unit 3: Historical and philosophical understanding of alternative assessments, including the impact of recent societal and technological changes (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic and GenAI) on assessment design.
• Unit 4: Foundational principles of assessment and their relation to alternative assessment: reliability, validity, fairness, bias, security, and integrity.
• Unit 5: Educational assessment as a crucial component of reconciliation and decolonizing teaching practices.
• Unit 6: Reimagining assessment strategies in online classrooms.
• Unit 7: Closing the loop: using assessment data.

Learning outcomes

Students will:

• Use theoretical and philosophical lenses to understand the need for and impact of alternative assessments.
• Identify, analyze, and evaluate alternative assessment practices across different disciplines.
• Be familiar with key concepts and issues in assessment design, such as validity, reliability, accountability, bias, and plagiarism.
• Understand the impact of societal and technological changes on assessment design.
• Recognize gaps in research related to assessment and formulate relevant research questions.

Evaluation

Materials

All learning resources are provided online.

Important links

• Course schedule