In this unit, we are introduced to e-learning as an innovative new way to assess learning. The many opportunities it presents make it an attractive alternative to traditional methods of instruction and assessment, such as the collection of metadata that inform the learning process and a learner’s proficiency of the material. But many notable challenges also come with creating learning environments with embedded learning analytics.

Opportunities:

E-learning environments create many opportunities. Learners are not restricted to a limited classroom environment, meeting at a set time and place with one instructor who can only cater to a limited number of students. One instructor can deliver instruction to a greater volume of learners. Collaborative learning and crowdsourcing assessment techniques can be incorporated into the learning process, creating opportunities for shared responsibility in critiquing work and building collective knowledge.

Furthermore, differentiated learning is possible in an e-learning environment, so learners can engage in instruction that meets their interests and needs better. Demonstration of knowledge can be multimodal, utilizing artifacts such as videos, portfolios, essays, discussion forums, drawings, and more.

E-learning facilitates opportunities for recursive assessment, allowing for learned to get feedback along the way, rather than waiting until the end, where one evaluation measures whether or not mastery has been achieved. Also, the student has more agency over tracking their progress toward mastery and clearly understands what is expected of them to reach it.

Challenges:

As noted earlier in the Assessment for Learning course, there are some inherent challenges with machine assessment. Indicators of proficiency are programmed into an evaluation system that may not accurately capture a student’s understanding of the material. But are the correct markers identified to measure mastery (e.g., genuine comprehension of content versus the number of words used)?

Crowdsourcing has its limitations. We hear that the average of crowdsourced assessments is equal to one expert. In that case, a significant barrier is ensuring that there are enough participants for the process to be meaningful or even work correctly.

Additionally, e-learning cannot ensure that an independent student (sans a teacher or adequate technical support) has the requisite comfort level or proficiency with navigating the designated learning platform accurately to be successful in the course. Not only does this beg the question of whether or not the right things are measured, but it also raises questions of equity.

Example

CGScholar and Coursera for this Assessment for Learning course is a prime example of e-learning and embedded learning analytics.

Students in this course have the option to view lectures, complete readings, submit discussion updates, engage with each other’s work, and do all of this at their own pace. As a full-time professional, I appreciate the flexibility of accessing the material at my convenience. I can also learn from what other students are writing about and, theoretically, gain a deeper understanding than I would simply from listening to lectures and writing essays in a vacuum. However, there are also grave problems with this structure.

First, there is little training on the use of the platform, which is not particularly intuitive. After stumbling through the first week in CGScholar, I exclusively participated via Coursera. But in week three, I have come to believe that this choice disadvantaged me greatly. After the CGScholar Case Study lecture, which would have been a fantastic foundational orientation to the course, I checked my learning analytics report (aster plot) to discover that I’ve gotten no credit for anything I’ve done in Coursera. I haven’t received any formative feedback from peers on either platform. I question if enough people are taking the class simultaneously to align with my timeline on needing and giving feedback on assignments, which I believe is required to earn a grade. Based on discussion forums I’ve read confirm that this theory is not far-fetched.

None of this considers that I learn best by writing physical notes with pen and paper. I can better retain and synthesize information by writing things down, drawing diagrams, etc. Although I have more than 20 pages of notes from this course, the learning analytics designed to track my learning progress will not recognize them. It essentially appears that I have disengaged altogether, which is false.

In conclusion, I believe there is high value in e-learning and its potential. I just think there has to be a happy medium. The pendulum can swing too far in the wrong direction.