FLO Micro Course: Authentic and Alternative Assessment Handbook

1. Introduction to the FLO Micro Course

I love thinking about, designing and teaching on the topic of assessment and evaluation, and I can't wait to share this enthusiasm with you. Learning anything new is fun, and if you think about it, we are all constantly learning something, generally without any scored and graded assessment imposed upon us. Case in point, this FLO Micro Course.  But in education settings, assessment has a pervasive influence on the experience of students, sometimes to the detriment, and sometimes to the benefit of learning, but never neutral. This is why I get so passionate about this topic. 

I have always been interested in assessment and evaluation. My Masters of Education thesis was focused in this area, and I have since taught courses on it for K-12 and higher education. Now, I get to combine that interest with my other research area - online learning - to identify best practices for doing assessment and evaluation at a distance. I love to analyze practices, ask hard questions, and ultimately find ways to use assessment and evaluation to improve learning for all students and the quality of education. 

During this FLO Micro Course, you will get to look at assessment with fresh eyes and walk away with some practical ideas for using authentic and alternative assessment that is valid, reliable, fair, and most importantly, promotes learning. 

Olaolu Adeleye (my co-facilitator) and I can't wait to engage with you through this course. 

2. Participation

The course officially goes for one week, but you'll be able to access the resources beyond the completion of the course. You can expect to spend at least 90 minutes per day over the five days; however, you are welcome to invest more time if you want to work on your own assessment design as you make your way through the course. Active participation will make a richer experience for all participants.

There will be two recorded synchronous sessions:

Tuesday 8th March 2022, 9.00 am PST

Friday 11th March 2022, 9.00 am PST

Learning forum subscriptions are set to "optional", meaning you need to subscribe if you would like to receive forum posts via email. You may also adjust how to receive email (digest, individual posts, etc), subscribe to RRS feeds, and modify tracking for unread posts on the forums settings by setting your profile preferences.

Finally, if you are interested in receiving the badge, you have until midnight Sunday 13th March, 2022 to complete the three posting requirements:

• Meet and Greet
• The Coolest Assignment
• If This, Now What? Final Forum

3. Navigating the Course Content

Each day represents a different topic and while each one stands alone and can be done independently of the other, it is recommended that you follow in sequential order. 

There is a list of suggested to-dos for each day. You are welcome to complete as little or as much of it as you wish. 

Things to note:

• Meet & Greet Forum - Use this to introduce yourself and get to know the people in your FLO cohort. (Participation required for badge
• Daily Conversation Forum - Use this to open and/or join a conversation about the course topics.  (Participation required for badge - minimum one contribution over the week)
• BOOKS - You will find the content organized into books and chapters. 
• STOP & THINK - As you make your way through the content in the books, there are places to pause and consider how this information connects to your practice. There will be a question posed for you to think about. Feel free to use these prompts to open a conversation in the forum. 
• TRY THIS - On day 2, there is an opportunity for you to complete an activity to interrogate a course outcome in order to design a valid, reliable, and fair assessment. 
• Synchronous Sessions - There are two synchronous sessions available for you to join live (Tuesday and Friday @9 am PST). These will be recorded for those who cannot make it.
• If This, Now What? Final Forum - A place to reflect upon the biggest takeaways and identify the commitments you'll make to apply what was learned to your practice. (Participation required for badge)
• Collaborative Resource Padlet - a place to upload links, resources, tip...etc. for everyone to see.