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5. Present conflicting opinions. Conflicting opinions could be exposed through instructors with different backgrounds, debates, and peer critique (Hiltz 1988). 6. Request responses. The instructor may ask individual students to comment on specific issues that are relevant to their specific backgrounds (Hiltz 1988). 7. Simulate an agent provocateur. By using a pen name, instructors can question or challenge their own entries. This device could be used to set up a discussion or to set an example for student inquiries (Hiltz 1988). 8. Be objective. Don’t generalize about a conference without considering the contributions with regard to contents, author, and time of announcement (Feenberg 1989b). 9. Expect less. Be content if the moderator succeeds in communicating two or three good major points in the course of a month of discussion (Feenberg 1989b). 10.Don’t rely on off-line materials. The discussion must be largely self-contained to succeed, so summarize assigned readings online (Feenberg 1989b). Facilitation of Assessment Functions 1. In-text questions (ITQs) could be used for self-assessment. (Thorpe 1987) 2. Computer-marked assignments (CMAs) are made for computer assessment. (Thorpe 1987) 3. Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) are made for tutor assessment. (Thorpe 1987) 4. Peer assessment is a fourth category of assessment.
Evaluation of Online Students This section is about important issues to consider when developing an assessment system for an online course. Assignments are an important part of an assessment system. We shall be looking at self-assessment, computer assessment, tutor assessment, and peer assessment.
Assignments Assignments are specific tasks (e.g. essays or problem sets) given by course designers or tutors at regular intervals throughout a course, as part of the overall assessment of students. Moore and Kearsley (1996) provide the following guidance on using assignments effectively in distance education courses: Most formal distance learning courses involve a series of assignments, nearly always an essay or other written exercise, to be completed on a regular basis (e.g., every week or two) during the course. This structure serves not only to provide the student with feedback on progress but also to pace the student through the course. In general, setting assignments with cutoff dates motivates the student to keep up with the work, and helps to prevent them from dropping out. However, assignments are only effective if the student receives meaningful feedback from the instructor or tutor. If students only receive a grade or acknowledgment that the
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