Propero online assessment

Main idea

When there is no instructor leading the course, an ad hoc strategy is necessary. This strategy follows best practices outlined in the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA, APA, & NCME, 1999). First, subject-matter experts develop course-level learning outcomes. Then, lesson-level learning objectives are written. Finally, assessment items are developed.
The Quiz Practice can be taken multiple times and students receive immediate feedback on each item. Students are required to attain a minimum score in order to take the Lesson Quiz, which is a graded assessment.

Main objectives

Formative material to keep students engaged in the course and motivated to finish while also providing summative measures of student learning.
Large item pools to allow students formative opportunities to test their knowledge without compromising the pools used for summative assessment purposes.
No-stakes opportunity for the student to determine knowledge of the material prior to taking higher-stakes, summative assessments.
To give students immediate item-level feedback on all assessments.

How is it used? (environment, target groups, premises, facilities, etc)

The measures used in Propero courses consist of items that are created to specifically measure either the lesson objectives or the course outcomes. Even though the items used in Propero are multiple-choice, items are developed using scenarios, showing graphs or charts, or using other situations that encourage students to apply the knowledge they have learned to the assessment item rather than just recalling facts. Item development is driven by the course outcomes and the lesson objectives, and students receive immediate item-level feedback on all assessment items within a Propero course. Student success on the measures in Propero indicates that students do in fact know what they are supposed to know, as outlined in the course description and outcomes. The assessment strategy for Propero includes practice measures with unlimited attempts, quizzes, tests, and a final exam, each designed to specifically measure the lesson objectives or the course outcomes.
This self-paced online learning program and his assessment strategy are attractive to students, since they are able to start a course on demand, learn in any setting with an Internet connection, and work at their own pace to complete the course.

When, where and by whom was it created?

Propero is a self-paced course, which was developed at Pearson. It was develop by expanding upon an existing instructor-led online course model. It was designed to be a self-paced version of an already successful, award-winning online course model, CourseConnect. The structure of the self-paced online course is essentially the same as the instructor-led version, with a few exceptions. One of them is the assessment strategy.

References

  • Koç, S., Liu, X., & Wachira, P. (Eds.). (2015). Assessment in online and blended learning environments. IAP.
  • Moore, M. G. (Ed.) (2013). Handbook of Distance Education. Routledge: New York.
  • Ruhe, V, &Zumbo, B. D. (2009). Evaluation in Distance Education and E-Learning. The unfolding model.The Guilford Press: New York.