September 15th, 2019

​Evolution of mobile and online education has revolutionized Assessment. What are those revolutions?
The revolutions that make online learning more possible are better memory chips, the internet and more advanced programming that makes the organization of classes online available to computers and mobile phones nearly seamlessly and automated in real-time.
 
What are the Challenges?
The challenges are that getting facetime is more difficult as the number of students will be increasing, also that assessing progress online has some current limitations. For example, some subjects like math are easy to tell if the student is learning as they take assessments scores are immediately available.  Some skills may be harder to demonstrate online assessments.
What is current online and mobile assessment methods being used and what is there effectiveness? 
Khanacademy.org uses math mastery tracking to keep track of your math network of skills. Liberty University uses group assignments to measure how students work in groups and if they can use sufficient technology, and planning skills.  They also use video blogs, written assignments, and student to student interaction to measure learning.  These methods are most effective because students who sign up online, usually are interested and will learn more, finding information on topics they like for their exams and assignments.
Summarize what you learned.
While studying online learning I’ve learned that education is changing, it is becoming more accessible to everyone, people can access a variety of contents from their location.  As technology grows even the weaknesses like not being in person with educators are being diminished by live interaction and other features that will continue to be added over time.  That having been said teaching and learning are still the same as they were before, now improved with new tools.
Based on your personal theory of learning, how should online learners be assessed? 
The theory that I agree with most, is cultural-historical theory, learning by interaction with others, using each other’s ideas and feedback collaboratively to grow, learn, and create together.
Assessment of learning can focus on many different parts of learning; I will highlight the type of assessment that I think should be used for online learners.  Garrison (2017) “With online and blended learning, the focus must be on assessing thinking and learning collaboratively. Unfortunately, the tradition of education is that assessment is focused on individual content assimilation”. (p. 130) It's best to focus on thinking and collaboration, not repeating. Google can restate information so that’s been automated, our focus should be on more valuable skill.
The types of assessments that should be used should follow good principles. From Sheffield University there is a pdf of the principles of assessment, I especially agree with number three and six through nine.
Principle three is about accessible and transparent exams so that students and stakeholders can see and access them at appropriate times.  Principle Six is about keeping the amount of work assessed to a manageable size.  Principle seven focuses on three types of assessment. Formative, Summative, and diagnostic.  Principle eight feedback in a timely manner so students can learn.  Principle nine is about the staff making sure that assessment deliverers are prepared to deliver assessment.
 
How is this congruent with what is understood, in the literature, about mobile and online education assessment?
Garrison (2017) states “assessment must be linked to, and be congruent with, course objectives and activities if it is to be useful in achieving intended outcomes”. (p.132). Also, it is crucial the assessment activities should be integrated with learning activities to achieve a good result in the learning process.
Some may still like assessment for repeating information over thinking and collaboration, accessing the traditional mode of thinking about education and assessment for newer systems like mobile and online learning, however, it seems important that collaboration and thinking be emphasized more even though they may be more difficult to set up.

​References
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Garrison, D. R., & Anderson, T. (2017). E-learning in the 21st century: A framework for research and practice. Third edition. London: Routledge Falmer. (Framework of evaluating e-learning)

Khanacademy (2019). For every student, every classroom. Real results. Retrieved from http:// https://www.khanacademy.org
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Principles of Assessment. (2019, September). The University of Sheffield. Retrieved from https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.209653!/file/Principles_of_Assessment.pdf