Informal Assessment

Here is a checklist to help you evaluate your own course from the School of Professional Studies:

Evolve: evaluate, review, and revise your online course

Evaluate your course  

Once you have taught your course, you will be expected to review, evaluate, and ultimately to revise your course as the last step in your Course Development Process.

For the purpose of assessing your course you should consider:

  • What worked?
  • What didn’t? why?
  • What could be improved? How?

Once you conclude the delivery phase you can use this information to review, evaluate, and document the revisions you want to make to your course in anticipation of the next time you teach it.

Things to think about when ending an online course

  • How will you end the course?
  • Will you send a group “good-by” email or post something in your course?
  • Will you send students their final grades via email? Is there an online mechanism for this built in to your course? Will the students get their grades from your institution via some other mechanism?
  • What is the end date for your course?
  • How will you deal with students who do not complete the course on time?
  • Do you want to survey your students for feedback?
  • Does your institution require and implement a course evaluation?
  • Have you made/kept an copy of your course for yourself?

Evaluate your course

This is the last step in your online course development process. Once you conclude the teaching phase of your course, you should evaluate the course and your experience. Review any notes you made to yourself as you taught and review student feedback to assess the necessary improvements and revisions to the structure or activities in your course.

You may want to think about:

  • What worked?
  • What didn’t? Why?
  • What could be improved? How?
  • Were your discussions successful?
  • Were your assignments and other activities successful?
  • Did you get through all the modules in the course?
  • Did most students complete the course?
  • How was the workload for you and for your students? Were you able to keep up?
  • Was there anything missing?
  • Were there any points in the course where you noticed that students did not do an activity, or did not understand the activity?

If you conducted a culminating activity in your course as recommended, or a midterm feedback forum, review these student comments as part of the evaluation and revision planning process for your course. In addition, look at the types of questions your students had and where they had them. Activities, assignments, and areas in your course that did not go as expected or intended may indicate a need for revision. If there was any apparent confusion or a bunch of questions about the same thing, that most likely indicates that more instructions, clearer instructions, or details are necessary.

 

 

Articles About Informal Assessment

  • Is there a fine line between cheating and learning?

    May 22, 2013Alyson Vogel
    Peter Nonacs, professor of Game Theory believes that ‘much of evolution and natural selection can be summarized in three short words: “Life is games.” ‘ The object of any game he knows, is to win—whether it’s “getting the best grade on a midterm, or successfully inculcating critical thinking into your students.’ Find out the tips and tricks he uses to get his students to learn, beginning with letting them ‘cheat’ to win.  We all agree that a successful teacher is measured by the success of his or her students, and that students generally measure their success by their grade, earned or otherwise. Nunacs says that if testing “is really just measures of how the Education Game is proceeding” then  both the professor and the students’ goals can “be maximized simultaneously when students are given ‘permission’ to call the shots in the test taking game, to dive right in and cheat- cliff notes, sharing guesses and all. Why I Let My Students Cheat on their Exam  
  • Evolve: evaluate, review, and revise your online course

    July 6, 2012Karen Lundstrem
    Evolve: evaluate, review, and revise your online course From the School of Professional Studies  Evaluate your course    Once you have taught your course, you will be expected to review, evaluate, and ultimately to revise your course as the last step in your Course Development Process.   For the purpose of assessing your course you should consider:          What worked?          What didn’t? why?          What could be improved? How?  Once you conclude the delivery phase you can use this information to review, evaluate, and document the revisions you want to make to your course in anticipation of the next time you teach it.  Things to think about when ending an online course          How will you end the course?          Will you send a group “good-by” email or post something in your course?          Will you send students their final grades via email? Is there an online mechanism for this built in to your course? Will the students get their grades from your institution via some other mechanism?          What is the end date for your course?          How will you deal with students who do not complete the course on time?          Do you want to survey your students for feedback?          Does your institution require and implement a course evaluation?          Have you made/kept an copy of your course for yourself?  Evaluate your course This is the last step in your online course development process. Once you conclude the teaching phase of your course, you should evaluate the course and your experience. Review any notes you made to yourself as you taught and review student feedback to assess the necessary improvements and revisions to the structure or activities in your course.   You may want to think about:          What worked?          What didn’t? Why?          What could be improved? How?          Were your discussions successful?          Were your assignments and other activities successful?          Did you get through all the modules in the course?          Did most students complete the course?          How was the workload for you and for your students? Were you able to keep up?          Was there anything missing?          Were there any points in the course where you noticed that students did not do an activity, or did not understand the activity?  You may want to ask a colleague or instructional designer to do a review of your course after it has concluded.  If you conducted a culminating activity in your course as recommended, or a midterm feedback forum, review these student comments as part of the evaluation and revision planning process for your course. In addition, look at the types of questions your students had and where they had them. Activities, assignments, and areas in your course that did not go as expected or intended may indicate a need for revision. If there was any apparent confusion or a bunch of questions about the same thing, that most likely indicates that more instructions, clearer instructions, or details are necessary.
  • Assessment model from NYCCT Business Department

    July 6, 2012Karen Lundstrem
    Professor Lucas Bernard from New York City College of Technology took part in the CUNY Hybrid Initiative. Along with Professor Tim Reinig, he evaluated courses in the business department. The following is a summary of the findings:  Status of The CUNY Hybrid Initiative Grant II
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