Assessment聽Structure.聽 In聽order聽to聽assess聽student聽participation聽in聽the聽production聽of聽the course鈥檚 digital commons, I plan to incorporate that participation into the assessment structure of the course. At the start of the semester students will be assigned groups, and each group will be assigned聽to a particular course text.聽 Each聽 group聽will then聽be聽responsible for building, maintaining,聽and聽presenting聽a聽site for their聽 assigned聽text.聽 The聽graded聽components聽of聽this assignment will have three parts (each designed聽to assess聽a different component of the problem).
- In聽order聽to assess聽individual聽students'聽active engagement聽in establishing聽an environmental聽context聽for聽the聽course,聽each聽individual student聽will聽be responsible聽for uploading and/or linking to a designated number of sources (1颅3?). Students will also be responsible for annotating and/or presenting these sources on their site.
- In order to assess students collaborative responsibility in maintaining an environmental context,聽each聽 student group聽will聽be required聽to聽present their聽site聽to聽the聽entire聽class during聽a聽designated class session.聽 Ideally, these presentations will occur before the class sessions dedicated to a particular text.
- In order to assess individual聽 students ability to use the聽 contexts they have generated, each聽individual聽 student will be required to draw聽on the course鈥檚 鈥渄igital commons鈥澛爐o produce a final inquiry-颅based paper or project for the course.
Indicators. In order to assess whether or not the above problem has been addressed by my implementation of聽technology,聽I聽will need聽to聽work out a way of measuring聽students鈥櫬燼ctive engagement聽in and聽collaborative聽responsibility聽for establishing,聽 maintaining,聽and聽using the environmental contexts for the course. In order to do so, I will need to:
- Monitor and assess students searching, compiling, and curating of information related to course texts/media.
- Monitor and assess students collaboration and interaction with each other in relation to the compilation and curation of information related to course texts/media.
- Monitor and assess聽students' use of聽compiled and聽curated information in both in 颅class conversations and out颅-of颅-class inquiry颅-based projects.
Overall, then, I will need to find ways of measuring and assessing the development of students鈥 dispositions聽towards聽and聽capacities聽to聽generate聽the聽environmental contexts for texts and media.