Assessing students and tracking assignments during a course interruption can present several challenges, especially if you’re not currently using a Learning Management System (LMS) like Blackboard.
Consider the following:
- Simplicity
While there are simple alternatives like Google Drive and Dropbox to uploading and downloading assignments, organizing such work in Blackboard by module/week might prove beneficial. Collecting assignments via email can be unwieldy for large classes. - Consider the Assignment Tool in Blackboard
If anonymity is important, you can create assignments on Blackboard and students can click a link to upload their work. This solution allows for in-line commenting and grading online so you will not need to download assignments and email them back. - Document Naming Conventions
Be sure to tell the students your preferred format for the names of documents they will send you (e.g. Last Name – Title). Otherwise, you may get many documents named “Doc1.” - Document Format Requirements
Let students know your preferred document format (e.g., .pdf, or .doc files as opposed to .txt files). If you don’t, students may send you documents in a format you cannot open and this can add to your communication load. - Deadline Flexibility
You may need to be more flexible than usual during a course disruption as it may take some time for students to become acclimated to this new learning style. It is advisable to let students know that they should communicate with you as soon as possible if they are having difficulty with the assignment or the technology. - Tests and Quizzes
Your preferred method of student assessment may include tests and quizzes rather than writing assignments. Blackboard has a test tool built in that you can use to create assessments. This tool can also automatically grade multiple choice questions which may be an efficient way to provide students with prompt numerical feedback and relieve some of your assessment workloads while you are managing communication and content creation. Both Echo360 and Poll EveryWhere allow for polls and quizzes. - Providing Feedback
When giving an assignment, it is best to inform the students when they can expect feedback from you and what kind of feedback they can expect. As with your communication plan, it’s best to be realistic in terms of your turnaround time. Feedback can be written but you can also use Echo360 Universal Capture to produce audio or video feedback of the student’s work if you are so inclined.
To the extent you will collect assignments rather than have students respond to online quizzes and or polls to gauge understanding of concepts, you should give thought to what impact campus disruption is having on students’ ability to access computers, library resources, and other technologies needed to complete the assignment.