How should participation in a collaborative learning community be assessed?
The educator should utilize varies tools. Both the video by George Siemens and the book Collaboration Online states assessing students on line is a challenge and the task should not be solely completed by the educator. According to George Siemens (2010) there are a couple of ways participation can be assessed in a collaborative learning community. One way is peer assessment. This is the process of allowing students to assess each other. Another way to assess participation is by having students participate in online communities. This allows students to form different relationships with other experts and receive feedback and comments (Siemens, 2010). Palloff & Pratt suggest using a rubric to assess participation(Pallof &Pratt ,2005). In closing, there is not one perfect way to assess participation in a collaborative learning community. Therefore, it is important for the instructor to have multiple tools already in place to assess the participation.
The varying levels of skill and knowledge students bring to a course affect the instructor's "fair and equitable assessment" of learning because it pushes the instructor to be flexible when determining what is a valid indication of competence (Siemens, 2010).
When working with a student that does not want to network or collaborate in a learning community the instructor’s role, as the authors Pallof &Pratt (2005) stated should be that of a “playground monitor.” The instructor should monitor the progress and step in when he/she sees fit and assess each student accordingly. Next it is important to understand and respect the feelings of that member. As George Siemens stated in the video, many people during their academic learning have been solely dependent upon themselves now they are having to make an adjustment and work with others. This may not be an easy transition (Siemens, 2010). One thing, I think would be important for the students to do is try to build trust with the reluctant participant. In the video, George (2010) states that in order for people to work together there have to be a high level of trust. The members could continue on with the task and allow the student to join in when he/she reaches a level of comfort.
Reference:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Distance Education: Learning communities featuring Dr. George Siemens [DVD]. United States: Walden University.
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating online: Learning together in community. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
LaTonya,
ReplyDeleteI am all for peer assessment, but I think that it’s a model that one would have to get use to. I remember in my first course at Walden, I had a fellow classmate tear my discussions apart. I would get so angry and say, “Who does he think he is the instructor?” But over time I have learned a few things from that experience. The most important thing is when providing feedback to a peer, you should never come across harsh. The best approach is to provide suggestions instead of telling someone that they messed up the assignment or did not do it correctly. Great information!!!