To ensure students have integrated the desired knowledge, it is useful to assess their learning. This can be done either on- or off-line, through objective or subjective tests, or through development of products or portfolios.
On-line testing can be constructed with CGI scripts similar to those described for guidance and feedback in which information is gathered from students, compared with established criteria in text or database files, and assigning grades and/or providing students with feedback. This can be automated for objective tests, or saved in files for instructor critique if more open-ended questions are used.
Developing learning artifacts can also be done on-line if students are provided with the capabilities of constructing their own Web pages. For example, they could be required to create a WebQuest (Dodge, 1995). WebQuests are inquiry-oriented activities in which players, constrained by specific tasks, access the Web to acquire, integrate, extend, or refine their knowledge. The WebQuest itself usually includes an introduction that sets the stage and provides background information, a task that players find doable and interesting, relevant information sources accessed through Web links, a description of how to accomplish the task, guidance in how to organize the information, and a conclusion to bring closure to their tasks.
Providing enrichment and remediation
The final step in many instructional programs provides learners with either remediation (in areas where comprehension is lacking), or enrichment (featuring associated information which extends or applies their knowledge). If on-line forms are completed, CGI scripts can be coded to provide this additional information to the learner directly or via links to additional sources. Because these scripts can be used to analyze users' levels of comprehension, enrichment and remediation can be formulated for specific individuals. This process should help ensure that learners receive relevant, specific information to match their ability.
The emergence of the World Wide Web, with its easy-to-use graphical interface, has drastically altered the way in which people access information and think about computers. Methods in which we deliver and receive instruction may also be on the brink of a new dimension. Venturing into this new dimension, however, will require thoughtful analysis and investigation of how to use the Web's potential in concert with instructional design principles. If these two forces can be integrated, it may produce a distributed, instructional medium with characteristics unlike previous methods of distance learning.
San Diego State University
CSU Instructional Technology Initiatives
Office of the Chancellor
The California State University
page authors:
Donn C. Ritchie
Bob Hoffman
Respond to forum: DCDPBL Faculty Develpoment Institute Forum
All contents copyright (C) 1996, SDSU. All rights reserved.
Revised: March 9,1996 by D Lewis
URL:
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/clrit/WWWInstrdesign/Testing-Summary.html