This document analyzes and summarizes the pros and cons of two online assessment tools - one for vocabulary and one for grammar. For the vocabulary website, pros included various topics, dynamic exercises with pictures, clear instructions, and being free and not time-consuming. Cons were lack of detailed feedback and ambiguous instructions. For the grammar website, pros were explanations, many exercise types for different tenses, and detailed feedback. Cons included not showing item weights until the end of the test. Overall, the tools provide practice for students but are not recommended for summative assessment due to transparency and security issues.
The Evaluation Of Teaching Has Become A Widely Accepted Practicenoblex1
In the last ten years the evaluation of teaching has become a widely accepted practice in higher education, but methods vary widely from school to school and from department to department. Recent national interest in the quality of teaching in higher education has spawned a movement to include teaching effectiveness in the criteria for promotion and tenure decisions, even in some research universities.
Source: https://ebookscheaper.com/2022/03/07/the-evaluation-of-teaching-has-become-a-widely-accepted-practice/
An app idea to facilitate feedback and improve student learningEldon Prince
This is an app idea I came up with to improve student learning.
What is the motivation for this app?
Students, who are the customers of education, have little input. Teachers, who heavily influence student learning, lack the data to improve teaching. Administrators, who can promote change, have little information.
The auris app is designed to facilitate feedback and serve as a powerful tool to empower students, enable teachers, and inform administrators.
What do you think?
Name:
Statement of Focus (100 points)
.
1. What area of ESE or Education do you feel YOU can change or improve? Please think of this in light of your proposed action research focus this term.
I would like to focus on increasing on-task behavior during distance learning time in gifted students diagnosed with ADHD at elementary level.
2. Why is this change particularly meaningful to YOU as an educator?
This change is particularly meaningful to me because, as an educator, I want my students to successfully engaged in academic learning time outside of the classroom setting.
3. What do other educators or professionals tell you when YOU discuss this topic with them?
Other educators agree that the classroom setting is the most successful one when it comes to knowledge acquisition because in this setting, students have less distractions than at home. Another concern that educators have in relation to this matter is that at home setting there is no scholar schedule and/or structure as in schools and also caregivers are not trained on teaching skills and most of the time responses to exercises/test can be biased by their help and/or other distractors environment related.
4. How is the desired outcome a part of YOUR educational philosophy?
The School is the ideal setting for learning acquisition for gifted students, but they can also learn in home setting if they have the appropriate resources. Applying behavioral intervention programs to keep them focused and engaged on tasks can be a method to successfully increase their academic learning time.
5. Describe the situation with your student/group of students that you want to change by implicitly focusing on: (What is the problem you would like to improve)
Who? What? When? Where? How?
I would like to increase the on-task behavior during distance learning time for gifted students at elementary level, at home setting. I will apply a behavioral intervention plan, based on the results of a preference assessment previously done according to functions of the behaviors observed.
International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning
Volume 18, Number 2
April – 2017
Analysis of Time-on-Task, Behavior Experiences, and
Performance in Two Online Courses with Different
Authentic Learning Tasks
Sanghoon Park
University of South Florida
Abstract
This paper reports the findings of a comparative analysis of online learner behavioral interactions, time-
on-task, attendance, and performance at different points throughout a semester (beginning, during, and
end) based on two online courses: one course offering authentic discussion-based learning activities and
the other course offering authentic design/development-based learning activities. Web log data were
collected to determine the number of learner behavioral interactions wit.
How to Assess Students in the New Normal: Tackle All HurdlesKavika Roy
https://prepai.in/blog/how-to-assess-students-in-the-new-normal/
Teaching and assessing students remotely has been a cause of concern during the last two years. The Covid-19 pandemic has hastened digitalization in education, even when schools weren't ready. Various AI-based companies stepped up to provide platforms to help with online teaching and assessment.
The Evaluation Of Teaching Has Become A Widely Accepted Practicenoblex1
In the last ten years the evaluation of teaching has become a widely accepted practice in higher education, but methods vary widely from school to school and from department to department. Recent national interest in the quality of teaching in higher education has spawned a movement to include teaching effectiveness in the criteria for promotion and tenure decisions, even in some research universities.
Source: https://ebookscheaper.com/2022/03/07/the-evaluation-of-teaching-has-become-a-widely-accepted-practice/
An app idea to facilitate feedback and improve student learningEldon Prince
This is an app idea I came up with to improve student learning.
What is the motivation for this app?
Students, who are the customers of education, have little input. Teachers, who heavily influence student learning, lack the data to improve teaching. Administrators, who can promote change, have little information.
The auris app is designed to facilitate feedback and serve as a powerful tool to empower students, enable teachers, and inform administrators.
What do you think?
Name:
Statement of Focus (100 points)
.
1. What area of ESE or Education do you feel YOU can change or improve? Please think of this in light of your proposed action research focus this term.
I would like to focus on increasing on-task behavior during distance learning time in gifted students diagnosed with ADHD at elementary level.
2. Why is this change particularly meaningful to YOU as an educator?
This change is particularly meaningful to me because, as an educator, I want my students to successfully engaged in academic learning time outside of the classroom setting.
3. What do other educators or professionals tell you when YOU discuss this topic with them?
Other educators agree that the classroom setting is the most successful one when it comes to knowledge acquisition because in this setting, students have less distractions than at home. Another concern that educators have in relation to this matter is that at home setting there is no scholar schedule and/or structure as in schools and also caregivers are not trained on teaching skills and most of the time responses to exercises/test can be biased by their help and/or other distractors environment related.
4. How is the desired outcome a part of YOUR educational philosophy?
The School is the ideal setting for learning acquisition for gifted students, but they can also learn in home setting if they have the appropriate resources. Applying behavioral intervention programs to keep them focused and engaged on tasks can be a method to successfully increase their academic learning time.
5. Describe the situation with your student/group of students that you want to change by implicitly focusing on: (What is the problem you would like to improve)
Who? What? When? Where? How?
I would like to increase the on-task behavior during distance learning time for gifted students at elementary level, at home setting. I will apply a behavioral intervention plan, based on the results of a preference assessment previously done according to functions of the behaviors observed.
International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning
Volume 18, Number 2
April – 2017
Analysis of Time-on-Task, Behavior Experiences, and
Performance in Two Online Courses with Different
Authentic Learning Tasks
Sanghoon Park
University of South Florida
Abstract
This paper reports the findings of a comparative analysis of online learner behavioral interactions, time-
on-task, attendance, and performance at different points throughout a semester (beginning, during, and
end) based on two online courses: one course offering authentic discussion-based learning activities and
the other course offering authentic design/development-based learning activities. Web log data were
collected to determine the number of learner behavioral interactions wit.
How to Assess Students in the New Normal: Tackle All HurdlesKavika Roy
https://prepai.in/blog/how-to-assess-students-in-the-new-normal/
Teaching and assessing students remotely has been a cause of concern during the last two years. The Covid-19 pandemic has hastened digitalization in education, even when schools weren't ready. Various AI-based companies stepped up to provide platforms to help with online teaching and assessment.
The phrase "teaching to the test" commonly means the practice of using a state-mandated test as a guide in deciding what to teach and how to teach it. However, this simple definition understates the complexity of the issue. On one hand, teaching to the test can be a case of the tail wagging the dog, where the needs of the test becomes more important than the teaching. It can even indicate an attempt to subvert the testing process, to beat the system. But seen in a positive light, teaching to the test can describe purposeful efforts to teach students knowledge and skills that have been established as important and included in mandated standards and assessments.
Why has this become an important issue?
Almost every state now has mandated tests for students. More and more, test scores are used for accountability-to make decisions about school accreditation, staff job security or pay, and student promotion and graduation. As the tests have became more high-stakes, the practice of teaching to the test has also increased dramatically. School personnel want their students to succeed and show what they know on the tests, and they often feel pressure to use any means available to raise scores. However, while families and the general public are demanding higher standards and higher scores, there is increasing concern, sometimes very vocally expressed, that the time and effort spent teaching to the test is educationally shortchanging students.
What's wrong with teaching to tests?
There's nothing wrong with teaching the general content and skills included on a test, as long as the test is assessing the "right" things and asking students to demonstrate their knowledge in ways that parallel real-world applications. The problem often develops when a test does not match standards for what students should know and be able to do, covers a very narrow set of objectives from the broader base of knowledge and skills included in standards, or includes mostly items that focus on recall of isolated facts. In cases such as these, both experts and practicing educators fear that teaching to the test may:
- narrow or distort the curriculum;
- emphasize use of short-term over long-term memory;
- discourage creative thinking;
When is teaching to the test appropriate?
In general, the better the test, the more it can be used as a guide for good instruction. There is much less controversy about teaching to the test when the test itself:
- reflects solid content standards;
- assesses a broad range of knowledge and skills;
How can we teach to the test the right way?
- Legitimate teaching to the test is not instruction targeted at specific items that will appear on the test, or that appeared on last year's version. Instruction can, however, appropriately be targeted to the general content and skills that will be assessed.
Source: https://ebookschoice.com/teaching-to-the-test/
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxPavel ( NSTU)
Synthetic fiber production is a fascinating and complex field that blends chemistry, engineering, and environmental science. By understanding these aspects, students can gain a comprehensive view of synthetic fiber production, its impact on society and the environment, and the potential for future innovations. Synthetic fibers play a crucial role in modern society, impacting various aspects of daily life, industry, and the environment. ynthetic fibers are integral to modern life, offering a range of benefits from cost-effectiveness and versatility to innovative applications and performance characteristics. While they pose environmental challenges, ongoing research and development aim to create more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Understanding the importance of synthetic fibers helps in appreciating their role in the economy, industry, and daily life, while also emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and innovation.
Honest Reviews of Tim Han LMA Course Program.pptxtimhan337
Personal development courses are widely available today, with each one promising life-changing outcomes. Tim Han’s Life Mastery Achievers (LMA) Course has drawn a lot of interest. In addition to offering my frank assessment of Success Insider’s LMA Course, this piece examines the course’s effects via a variety of Tim Han LMA course reviews and Success Insider comments.
Macroeconomics- Movie Location
This will be used as part of your Personal Professional Portfolio once graded.
Objective:
Prepare a presentation or a paper using research, basic comparative analysis, data organization and application of economic information. You will make an informed assessment of an economic climate outside of the United States to accomplish an entertainment industry objective.
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
A Strategic Approach: GenAI in EducationPeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
1. UNIVERSIDAD CATÓLICA DE LA SANTÍSIMA CONCEPCIÓN
Assessment 4
“Online performance-based assessment
instruments”
Melissa Arévalo Gatica, María Francisca Rojas
29/06/2013
2. System of the language: Vocabulary
Website http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=6165
This vocabulary game/exercise was taken from:
http://www.englishexercises.org/exercise.asp?id=6165#a
This website presents different options for students to be assessed such as: grammar,
vocabulary, listening comprehension and writing. But the section that we will be
focusing on is vocabulary. In the following lines we are going to discuss the pros and
the cons of this website by basing us in the principles provided by Brown D.,
Coombe,Ch. et al. and Bachman,L & Palmer,A.
PROS:
The website contains different topics regarding vocabulary such as: friends, food,
family, animals, jobs, music, etc. Students can find dynamic exercises with colours and
pictures in which he or she can associate the picture with the word (new vocabulary).
And also complete sentences that help to understand the meaning of the word.
In terms of the principles of the language assessment, this website is reliable, because
the instructions are clear and the answers do not allow deviation, so scores should not
be affected because of bad instructions or the presence of a clock ticking away. This
website is created for students to exercise and hopefully improve their English, so the
pressure for finishing the exercise at a certain time should not be present.
When it comes to practicality, this website is very practical, since it is free for people to
use it; everyone that has internet connection has the opportunity to practice and learn
new vocabulary through this website; also, it is not time consuming since the exercises
provided by the webpage are short, dynamic, and include few items per tests.
It is also reliable in the sense that the page provides the student with a qualitative score,
so the student can know the quality of his/her work. Student-related reliability and Rater
reliability should not be affected since students are able to do the test from their houses
or the place they find more comfortable to work and subjectivity or bias do not enter
3. into the scoring process because the answers in this types of tests are closed and the
answers are checked by a computer.
The test is also valid, because it measures the target vocabulary; this means that it is
appropriate, meaningful and useful. It presents content validity because, taking into
account that the aim for students is to learn new vocabulary and to practice it; the
webpage presents appropriate exercises to measure that. For example, in the topic
“places in town” the test consists on selecting the name of the place for each image.
Then, to match the definition with the number of the image of the previous part and,
later on, to write the correct number for the images above with its corresponding names
and finally to write the name of the place that corresponds to each picture. In this way,
the test is measuring the target vocabulary by making the student to relate the
vocabulary with images and then, to write the corresponding word.
Regarding authenticity, the website presents contextualized items, such as in the case of
the name “Toy Store” and the context of the usage of that word is provided in a
sentence and in a picture. However, some of the items are isolated, but only because
they are aimed for the student to recognize the picture with its corresponding word such
as in the case of the topic “places in town”.
Regarding usefulness, the website presents the level and age for which the test aims, in
this case we can find tests for elementary and intermediate students that want to either
learn new vocabulary or practice what they are learning at schools. Even though it does
not state a clear purpose, but the specific language to be tested is stated.
CONS:
In terms of washback, the website does not provide a detailed feedback on the student’s
performance; it only gives the student a qualitative score (fail-average-very good-
excellent). This is not fair for students that want to know in which items they did it
better or worse, so the only choice here is to get everything right because specified
feedback is not present at the end of the test.
Regarding transparency, the information provided by the web page does not specify
when giving instructions, for example, the first item only commands students to
4. “choose the correct option” and this may be ambiguous for some students that need
further information in order to complete the task and get a good score; also, it does not
provide student neither with the weighing for each section nor the final mark, because,
as we said before, it evaluates quality, not quantity, so the student cannot know his/her
results as a concrete mark.
Moreover, this webpage presents impact only at the level of the student (micro-level)
since it aims to help him/her to learn and practice what it has been taught in his/her
schools. The impact is very little since students are the only ones that see their work;
besides, they can re-check their answers as much as they want until they get the higher
score.
Furthermore, the principle of interactiveness it is not present since these tests are
directed to all students by equal, this means that the test tasks makes no distinction
among students: there is no deviation neither in topics nor themes. Hence, they are not
adjust into students’ needs, they are uniform for everyone.
Finally, since we are dealing with an online website, this means that everyone has
access to it: teachers and students. In here, the principle of security is affected, because
if a teacher wants students to answer a quiz using this page, students might be tempted
to look for the answers online. For this reason, we do not recommend that teachers use
this page as part of a summative assessment; instead, this website is useful for students
to practice their vocabulary and to learn new words.
5. System of the language: Grammar
Website: http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/complex_tests/simple_present1/index.php
This grammar exercises were taken from:
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en
This website presents different features of English, like grammar and vocabulary
exercises, literature books, games, daily lessons, etc.
The following analysis is based on a specific feature of the website, grammar exercises.
The webpage presents a variety of aspects of grammar to be assessed, such as articles,
adverbs, tenses, etc. It presents explanations, exercises and tests for students to
complete. The following analysis is based on the present simple tense. In the following
lines we are going to discuss the pros and the cons of this website by basing us in the
principles provided by Brown D., Coombe,Ch. et al. and Bachman,L & Palmer,A.
PROS:
The website contains different alternatives regarding a variety of grammatical features:
articles, sentence patterns, adverbs, etc. When it comes to tenses, the website presents a
full review of all the tenses with exercises, explanations and tests, which makes it very
complete.
In terms of the principles of the language assessment this website is very reliable,
because it allows no deviation in terms of giving an answer to an exercise; this means
that answers are precise and closed, and it does not lead to subjectivity. It also presents
a lot of items for students to practice within the test; in this sense, and as we have
reviewed it throughout the course: the more items a test have, the more reliable it is
because teachers have more samples of students’ language ability.
Regarding practicality, this website is free for any student that has an internet
connection and it is not time consuming since students have the possibility to choose
how many items he/she will answer. The score is also provided immediately which
helps to fulfil this principle.
6. This website is also valid because it measures what has been previously explained (the
explanation refers to the present simple tense and the exercises and the test measure and
asses that specific tense). In this sense, content validity is present since test takers are
going to be assessed on what they have been practicing before taking the test.
When it comes to the principle of authenticity, the exercises presented on the website
are based on contextualized situations which the learner can encounter in real life (i.e.
daily routines expressed in simple present). This is very important because authenticity
makes the test more meaningful and motivating for students to use the learning
outcomes in real life.
In terms of washback the website provides a detailed feedback, because when you press
the button that says “check answers” smiley and sad faces appear on the answers in
order to indicate if you got it right or wrong; additionally, grammatical explanations to
the students’ mistakes are presented. This is very useful for students that have problems
with grammar, by entering in this website they can exactly know what went wrong and
fix it by learning from the feedback provided and extra exercises for the student’s level.
Regarding usefulness, the website presents the years that the student or the test taker has
been dealing with the language, so that the person who is taking the test chooses the
option that fits best for his/her situation. This makes the website very complete because
it provides from the easiest exercises (for elementary students) to the most difficult ones
(upper intermediate or advanced).
CONS:
In terms of transparency, the website does not provide the students with the weighting
of each item until they check the whole test; however, weightings are presented at the
end of the test so that students can see what went wrong and take the test again until
they get it right. Finally, it is not recommendable for teachers to use this website for
classroom quizzes (summative assessment) because, considering the fact that this is a
public website and that it requires internet connection, students might look for the
answer in advanced and cheat, so the system of security will be affected.
7. When it comes to interactiveness, this website does not fulfil the principle, because it is
directed to all students by equal, which means that personal motivations of the students,
or his/her own personal context is not taken into consideration,
Regarding impact, the website only aims to help in the learning process of the student as
an individual; it does not have an impact on the School community/Environment.
8. References:
-Bachman, L. F. & Palmer, A. (1996). Language testing in practice: designing and
developing useful language tests. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press
-Brown, H. D. (2004). Language assessment principles and classroom practices.New
York: Pearson Education
-Coombe, C., Folse, K. Hubley, N. (2007). A practical guide to assessing English
language learners. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press.