Assessing Participation

Why is there such a focus on encouraging, monitoring and assessing participation in online learning? We know that students learn more effectively when they are engaged with the subject matter and with their fellow learners. So, how do we ensure that students visit the online course environment, read or view the materials and participate in activities and discussions that will enable them to deepen their understanding and think critically about core topics? How can we, as online facilitators, encourage participation and evaluate fairly without being overwhelmed with a system of assessment that is too rigorous and overly detailed.

The readings for this week illuminate these issues and suggest solutions or discuss related issues. You should also reflect on your weekly self-assessment of your participation in the ISWo. What was your experience of the assessment method you chose and the challenge of assessing participation consistently? 

You will be asked to explore a specific problem:  how/can participation be graded online in a way that is fair, effective, and does not overburden the instructor?  (Note: "fair" and "effective" are both loaded terms that need some consideration)

Your facilitators will provide more detailed instructions at the beginning of the week. .