The Confessions of an Online Teacher: Papers, Projects, and Tests Oh My!
Abstract: The online arena affords the opportunity for a wide variety of assessments. Papers projects, and tests have been an important aspect of the online education community for the past several years. With online education growing and changing, it is important to keep up with the latest online assessments for this set of learners. Researchers have just begun to understand the variables related to online successful online pedagogies. Assessing the online learner versus traditional classroom students create a unique set of challenges and an equal number of opportunities for educators. Papers have been around since the beginning of the modern education era. Project-oriented artifacts arose when teachers wanted more creative ways to assess students. Quizzes and tests still remain the predominant assessment modality deployed in classrooms (traditional or online). The online environment is different and should not be limited by experiences gleaned from traditional classroom teaching. Like anything worthwhile, the online environment is challenging. When students have ample opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge acquisition and educational prowess while being assessed fairly, it is a more enjoyable experience for all. Who knows? Online experiences may even help redesign current thinking about teaching and learning for everyone. The following will address several types of assessments and ways each can be incorporated into online classrooms.