Course Assessment Practices and Student Learning Strategies in Online Courses

Abstract

Perhaps the most promising and understudied aspect of online education is course assessment. Courseassessment is important because it has a strong impact on learning and is an indicator of the quality oflearning occurring in a class. In the online environment, methods of assessment can be very different.However, the online education literature is currently lacking empirical data about the general status ofassessment practices or how those practices relate to student learning. This article lays the groundwork forfuture studies by providing a description of formative and summative assessment and learning strategiesin 60 online courses and suggesting some ways that assessment practices lead to different types oflearning. In this study, instructors appear to follow effective practice by using multiple and alternativeassessment methods, dispersing grades over time, and providing timely and frequent feedback to students.Students report focusing on relatively more complex learning strategies, such as elaboration and criticalthinking over rehearsal. However, online instructors need to ensure that assessments are used strategicallyand that feedback is productive and able to be acted upon by students.