Assessment Strategies in EDCI 335
Several assessment strategies are being used in this course to evaluate student performance. The key assessments include:
- Blueprint Assignment: This is probably a formative assessment where students design a blueprint for a learning environment. This kind of assessment is in line with constructivist theory, which encourages students to use what they have learned to make a structured plan.
- Interactive Learning Resource: Students must create an interactive learning environment using a variety of technologies for this major project. This assessment is both formative and summative, allowing for the application of knowledge in a practical, real-world task. It emphasizes interactive creativity and networked learning, making connections to constructivist and connectivist theories.
- Contributions to the Community: This includes blog posts, comments, and a peer review of an interactive learning resource. These activities encourage continuous engagement and reflection, aligning with social constructivist theory by fostering collaboration and dialogue among peers.
Assessment Strategies Not Used
This course doesn’t have traditional exams or quizzes, which are often associated with behaviorist theories focusing on reinforcement and memorization of factual knowledge. Instead of rote learning and in favour of engaging and practical assessment techniques, the focus is now on projects, peer interaction, and practical applications of learning.
Connection to Learning Theories
- Behaviorism: While behaviorist strategies like repetitive drills and feedback loops are not explicitly mentioned, elements of behaviorism could still be present in the iterative process of feedback and revisions for projects.
- Cognitivism: Through structured assignments requiring the organization and synthesis of knowledge, the course integrates cognitivist approaches. For instance, students must systematically develop and arrange their thoughts for the blueprint assignment.
- Constructivism: Constructivist theories are largely incorporated into this course. Learning is emphasized as an active, constructive process where students build knowledge via experience and reflection in the major projects and peer interactions.
Comparison to Other Courses
EDCI 335 stands out in its use of authentic assessment strategies, compared to the other courses I have taken. Exams and quizzes are frequently the only forms of assessment used in many traditional courses. For example, a health education course I took relied heavily on multiple-choice exams to assess understanding, which primarily engaged behaviorist principles. In contrast, EDCI 335’s approach is more holistic and reflective of real-world tasks, encouraging deeper engagement and practical application of knowledge.
Conclusion
EDCI 335 effectively integrates various assessment strategies aligned with contemporary learning theories, particularly constructivism and connectivism. By focusing on projects, peer interactions, and practical applications, the course encourages a more in-depth and involved learning process. This method offers a more genuine and reflective learning experience than typical courses that mostly depend on tests and quizzes.
References
Assessing Learning – EDCI 335. https://edtechuvic.ca/edci335/assessing-learning/
Conrad, D., & Openo, J. (2018). Assessment strategies for online learning: Engagement and authenticity. https://www.aupress.ca/books/120279-assessment-strategies-for-online-learning/
Learning Theories – EDCI 335. https://edtechuvic.ca/edci335/learning-theories/
2 Responses to “Blog #1: Assessment Strategies and Learning Theories in EDCI 335”
Hi Mohammad,
Great post! Your are right- this course does not use traditional assessments for exams. I had a similar experience with you as most of my science classes where very exam heavy. Tests are my least favourite part of classes. So it’s nice to display my knowledge though other forms such as blog post and projects.
Great post, Mohammed! I think you did an excellent job in outlining the assessment strategies used for this course and how they are connected to the learning theories. I have had a similar experience to you and Nina with assessment in the courses I have taken. They have heavily relied on quizzes and exams to represent my learning. I understand that this might be a practical assessment strategy for Math and Science courses. However, I often find myself worrying more about memorizing information and procedures to do well on the test, rather than the process of learning and fully understanding the material. Up until I started the education program at UVic this was the case. I agree that this course relies on assessment strategies that are meaningful and can allow us to make connections to real-life scenarios. This has increased my understanding of the content and my motivation to learn.