Online Collaborative Learning and Assessment (OCLA)

The major educational and learning theories that underpin the development and the educational value of online learning and teaching have been examined quite extensively in the literature (Parry & Dunn, 2000; Chang, 2001a, 2001b, 2003; Wong et al., 2001; Jones & Harmon, 2002; Beatty & Nunan, 2004). The theories are namely, constructivist learning theory and situational cognition. According to Chang (2001a, 2001b), constructivist learning theory (Dewey, 1916; Jonassen, 1991) maintains that knowledge should be actively constructed by cognition. The teacher plays two major roles: first as a facilitator and an adviser of instruction to help learners to create a knowledge construction environment and second as somebody to give guidance and support to help learners become actively involved in the learning process and construct their own knowledge. The theory of situational cognition states that learning should be applied to real-life situations and should emphasize students' involvement and understanding in the learning process (Bandura, 1977; Lave & Wenger, 1991).

Apart from learning theories, theories of assessments also make important contributions to online learning and teaching. Authentic and portfolio assessment, which represent new directions in assessment, have become appropriate constructivist approaches to assessment, and have been effectively incorporated into real world, classroom, or virtual contexts (Reeves & Okey, 1996; Birenbaum, 2003; Gardner et al., 2002; Wagner, 2001), with an emphasis on co-operation between instruction and assessment. The former, authentic assessment, can show students' learning processes and the assessor can monitor their growth. The latter, portfolio assessment, involves learners submitting a portfolio for assessment purposes. A portfolio is a systematic, multidimensional and organized collection of evidence to monitor students' knowledge, skills and attitudes (Vavrus, 1990; Chang, 2001a, 2001b, 2003), a storage mechanism for student's work (Herman et al., 1992), a collection of a learner's work assembled over time (Feuer & Fulton, 1993), and focuses on process as well as product (Reeves & Okey, 1996). According to Chang (2001a, 2001b), portfolio assessment helps teachers to understand the learning that is taking place and the changes in learners, stimulates involvement and self-assessment in learners through the interaction with the teacher which involves discussion of the portfolio, and provides true and rich information for reflecting and assessing the performance and achievement of learners. In a nutshell, portfolio assessment is considered an effective means of measuring the changes in students' cognition and learning process, involvement and interaction, and assessing higher-order cognition abilities and affective attributes.

The benefits of OCLA have been discussed by many teachers and educators (Curtis & Lawson, 2001; Roberts, 2004) and include changing the way students learn and how well they learn, changing the learning experience for students, making it student-driven and student centered, it provides a new focus on the effectiveness of education, so that education becomes less impersonal. With OCLA there is also increased support for mentoring and guidance. With the building of a sense of community within the class, there is a feeling of inclusivity in the educational experience, building community within the class. IT becomes essential infrastructure costs are reduced, and so on. These values and benefits of OCLA were the motivating factors for the design and implementation of the learning and teaching of the subjects described in this study.

اخر الاخبار

اخبار العتبة العباسية المقدسة

جولة تفقدية لمتابعة خطة تنظيم مداخل المعزّين المشاركين في عزاء ركضة طويريج

لتعزيز التعاون الأكاديمي والبحثي.. جامعة الكفيل توقع اتفاقيتي توأمة مع جامعتين عراقيتين

المجمَع العلميّ يواصل إقامة مجلسه العزائي بذكرى شهادة الإمام الحسين (عليه السلام) في النجف الأشرف

قسم حفظ النظام يواصل تنفيذ خطته لتنظيم سير المواكب والزائرين في شهر المحرم

المزيد

الآخبار الصحية

لهذا السبب.. إغلاق 25 مركزًا لعلاج الإدمان في مصر ؟

خلافا للاعتقاد الشائع.. علماء يكشفون أسرار بذور البطيخ ؟!

هذا ما يحدث لجسمك عند تناولك الطماطم بانتظام !

تعرف على أطعمة تسرّع "تعافي الجسم" من حروق الشمس

المزيد

الآخبار التكنلوجية

الثلوج تغطي الصحراء الأكثر جفافا في العالم!

بتلسكوب "ألما".. التقاط صورا غير مسبوقة لبدايات الكون !

هل هاتفك مراقب؟.. 5 علامات خطيرة تكشف التجسس عليك

دبي تطلق أول رحلة تجريبية للتاكسي الجوي

المزيد

مواضيع ذات صلة

Online Collaborative Learning and Assessment Rationale, aim and method of study

Mapping Self-Assessment to Achievement Conclusion

Results, Analysis and Discussion

Stage 4: Determine the predictive validity of the ILP questionnaire, with retention progression, academic outcome and 1st destinations as dependent variables Method

Results, Analysis and Discussion

Stage 2: Determining causal relationships between previous academic qualifications, age, gender, motivation and ILP scores Preliminary analysis Method

Development of Revised Tool

Internal Consistency and Split-half Reliability of Existing Factors

Results, Analysis and Discussion Evaluation of the Existing Tool

Stage 1: Evaluating the reliability, stability and validity of the ILP questionnaire Method

Mapping Self-Assessment to Achievement

Introducing Computer-Aided Peer Assessment (CAPA) in Engineering Conclusions