Martin Owen (t.m.owen@bangor.ac.uk)
Wed, 4 Nov 1998 18:41:04 +0000
Date: Wed, 4 Nov 1998 18:41:04 +0000 From: Martin Owen <t.m.owen@bangor.ac.uk> Subject: Re: [ifets] assessment in distance learning
>Alfred Bork wrote:
>>
>> Several recent articles have raised the question of assessment in
>> distance learning, worrying about the problem of cheating....
>--------------------------------------------------
Tom Ables replies
>This raises the real questions:
>
>1) why do we really care about testing in the first place? it doesn't
>seem as straight forward as it used to be since so many persons who have
>been tested in universities and have degrees are showing up with less
>than anticipated competence in the work place
We are developing an intial post grad teacher education programme through
telematic based distance education, with the teacher in training based in
the secondary school. The UK Govt. agency responsible has a long list of
entry criteria for the profession. The teacher in training has to satisfy
these criteria based on evidence (eg observed reports on their practice,
resources thay have produced etc, reflective dialogues in which they have
participated etc.)
We are developing a tool which will help the trainees develop their
collection of evidence from the on-line environment in which they are
working. This may include correspondence between themselves and their
tutors and school based mentors, their (computer) files and so on It is
this collection of pointers to evidence that will be the "final exam": that
which I will accept as an examiner.
There are checks and balances here. It will be trusted others who will
furbish some of the evidence. There is also a negotiation of "what counts
as evidence?" involved. This evidence based form of assessment is less
likely to suffer from cheating as there is a clear need for coroberration
(are there two r's???) . As it is based on work processes and work process
knowledge I hope Tom's criticism is met.
There are important principals at stake: learning is a social and
negotiated process; learning is situated in a context; learning is about
engaging in and reflecting on real activities. I worry about "on-line
learning" where there is an assumption that all these things can be
automated. It may be ok for the airline pilot to learn in a simulator
because the actions of the simulator are close enough to the real thing. I
am not so sure about testing teachers in virtual classrooms.... unless of
course...
Martin
Martin Owen
T.M.Owen@bangor.ac.uk
Director, Project REM
School of Education Yr Ysgol Addysg
University of Wales, Bangor Prifysgol Cymru, Bangor
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Bangor Bangor
Gwynedd
LL57 2PX
Voice/Llais +44 1248 382 943
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URL: http://weblife.bangor.ac.uk/rem/rem.html
REM is a EC DGXIII Telematics Education and Training Project
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"Technology is nothing more or less than a natural phase of the creative
process which engaged man from the moment he forged his first tool and
began to transform the world for its humanization"
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