Advances in E-learning-Experiences and Methodologies

Formative Online Assessment in E-Learning
diverse set of respondents, gaining experience
in assessment methods, freedom from restrictions
of time and place of assessment, and so on.
The advantages increase if online assessment is
adapted to the students’ ability (adaptive online
assessment), or if it is adapted to student learning
styles (Clariana, 1997). Online assessment, used
as self-assessment, can help students monitor
their own progress, making it an important tool
of formative assessment (Ibabe & Jauregizar,
2005).
Students should be trained to become accustomed
to the online assessment tool, so that
the assessment methodology does not obstruct
performance. Stress or anxiety caused by inexperience
in a computer-based system may be a
disadvantage of online assessment. However,
research comparing performance using computer
and paper-based multiple-choice tests (Lee &
Weerakon, 2001) has demonstrated that there is
no measurable effect. Even so, Zakrzewski and
Bull (1999) suggest that student anxiety can be
reduced if they take formative assessment before
summative tests.
Teachers should also be trained to master
software so as to enable efficient delivery of the
assessment, which requires a “cultural shift” to
invest time in designing new assessments rather
than in traditional “marking” assessments (Bull,
1999). In any case, universities are facing an important
“academic shift” with the development
of the European Higher Education Area, and the
use of ICTs will be crucial in adapting to that
challenge.
As Macdonald (2004) notes, online feedback
can be given not only to individuals, but also
to a whole tutorial group, forming the basis for
online collaborative assessment. Moreover, computer-based
assessment provides focus and timely
feedback not only to students, but also to teachers,
who can identify the gaps in their students’
knowledge or the questions that have not been
adequately understood in class. Thus, teachers
can give constructive and detailed feedback to
every student, a task that would otherwise be too
arduous. The time saving advantages of electronic
marking are unquestionable (a wide range of
topics and large groups can be assessed quickly,
and results can be entered automatically into an
administration system so that students receive
their marks rapidly), but these advantages need
to be offset against the time invested in writing
challenging and effective questions, meaningful
feedback and structuring appropriate tests (Bull,
1999).
Although, as James, McInnis, and Devlin
(2002, p. 24) point out, the design of online examinations
is likely to require more time and effort
than conventional pen and paper examinations,
these authors also recognized that computers
offer the potential to present students with more
complex scenarios through the use of interactive
resources (images, sound, or simulation).
Some authors have expressed their fear about
the “superficial” type learning that online assessment
can generate (Ryan, 2000). The concern
is that online assessment would be designed
for assessment tasks only involving memorization
and recall. Indeed, using the technology
for assessment involving higher-level cognitive
skills, including the application of analysis and
synthesis, is a great challenge (Hyde, Booth, &
Wilson, 2003), but work is already in progress
on the development of these kind of assessment
exercises in the online context.
Effectiveness of online Assessment
Many studies have indicated that integrating the
e-learning environment with online assessment
has positive results (Buchanan, 2000; Henly, 2003;
Velan, Killen, Dziegielewski, & Kumar, 2002).
Buchanan (2000) showed that a Web-based formative
assessment strategy is able to improve student
learning interest and student scores. He argued
that the “repeat the test” strategy (giving more
opportunities for becoming familiar with learning
materials) is an important element in Web-based