| Conference Registration Edit Registration WebCT Homepage | |
|
|
|
| Friday, 22 July 2005: 8:30 AM-9:30 AM | |||
| Yerba Buena Salon 12 (San Francisco Marriott) | |||
| L-12: Rethinking Professional Development in Electronic Assessment of Student Learning | |||
| Detailed Description: | This paper focuses on the design, development, and implementation of a professional development program in electronic assessment presented at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. The aim is to move beyond copying and pasting of course content to the electronic learning environment (WebCT), and to enable lecturers to exploit the qualities of available electronic tools in order to contribute positively to the overall quality of teaching, and in particular, assessment practices. | ||
| Presentation Format: | Paper | ||
| Topic: | Empowering educators: Professional development models and methods | ||
| Target Audience: | Academic Technology Directors, Course Designers, E-learning Managers, Faculty and Other Instructors, Institutional Research and Assessment Staff | ||
| Appropriate Audience Level: | Beginning or new users of WebCT, Experienced WebCT users | ||
| Abstract Text: | Triggered by international trends in Higher Education to make use of developments in technology, the University of Johannesburg (South Africa) adopted a multimodal, or blended teaching and learning strategy in 2002. The Centre for Teaching, Learning and Assessment (CTLA) was launched to assist lecturers with the implementation of the strategy. Researchers agree that professional development plays a crucial role in the adoption of new technology. Educational technology is a tool and - like any other tool - its effectiveness depends on the knowledge and skills of the user. Based on feedback from lecturers and literature consulted, the need for an adapted professional development programme for facilitators of multimodal courses was identified. The new programme moves away from a decontextualised workshop model directed at the individual. Lecturers now enroll for a seven week programme and assume the role of co-learners. Participants are required to attend three contact sessions, while continuous lecturer-student and student-student interaction as well as course related activities are facilitated in WebCT. The primary driver of the programme is assessment. The aim is to encourage lecturers to regard assessment as an integral part of learning, and to demonstrate how electronic tools may assist in facing the rigorous demands set by regulating and quality assurance bodies to create fair, valid and reliable assessment opportunities, and provide feedback to growing and increasingly diverse student groups. The professional development programme is part of a formal research project. This paper will report on the critical success factors in the design and implementation of a professional development programme in a multimodal environment. It will also address the perceived usefulness of WebCT tools for assessment, and strategies for the use of these tools. Finally the paper will reflect on the experience of the participants from the perspective of the course facilitator and lecturers as co-learners. | ||
| Session Leader: | Francilene C. Greyling University of Johannesburg | ||
See more of The 7th Annual WebCT User Conference