Rethinking Assessment Strategies for Online Learning : A short course for post-secondary educators

Abstract

Online assessment comes with many challenges. How do we assess learners in our online courses in ways that promote student success? How do we ensure academic integrity in online assessment? How do we respect privacy, recognize diversity, and establish equity in our online assessment and feedback practices? Moreover, how do we accomplish this within the limitations of time and available teaching resources?

Rethinking Assessment Strategies for Online Learning: a short course for post-secondary educators is a response to the online assessment concerns of faculty, instructors, teaching assistants, and students. The widespread offering of micro-credentials, HyFlex, hybrid, and fully online learning opportunities has shifted the post-secondary educational landscape and refocused considerable attention on assessment strategies. We believe the time has come to re-examine how we evaluate and provide feedback to our learners.

Seneca College, Durham College, Algonquin College, and the University of Ottawa have partnered to create this engaging four-module short course designed to: challenge educators to rethink traditional approaches to testing and grading, and consider whether these traditional approaches benefit today’s students, graduates, and prospective employers equip educators with the resources, skills, and confidence to adapt their traditional assessment methods to meet evolving sector needs.

Through interactive reflections, scenarios, and activities, course participants learn how to design, implement, and evaluate authentic and alternative digital assessments through a lens of equity, inclusion, and student success. Examples, templates, and worksheets accompany the lessons giving educators the tools they need to develop their online authentic and alternative assessments.

This course is accompanied by the Rethinking Assessment Strategies for Online Learning – Exemplar Collection – a compilation of authentic and alternative assignments shared by instructors from institutions across Ontario.