2025 WELL SUMMARIZED FULL COURSE FOR D293
Assessment and Learning Analytics Western Governors
University
Section 1: Evaluating Assessment Alignment
Lesson 1: Assessment Purpose, Strategies, and Method
Learning designers are generally interested in using assessments for one of three purposes:
1. to gather evidence to differentiate and personalize instruction
2. to generate data and feedback to monitor individual progress, adjust personal learning
approaches, reflect on learning, and set learning goals
3. to summarize learning or communicate achievement or competency
,6 Types of Diagnostic Assessment in eLearning:
1. Online Journals: Learners document their expectations and goals for the course, as well as
their reflections and insights after completing activities, enhancing self-awareness and tracking progress.
2. Online Quizzes: Short assessments before the course gauge learners' prior knowledge and post-
course quizzes measure progress, helping to identify knowledge gaps.
3. Online Scenarios and Simulations: Pre-course scenarios and simulations help learners and
instructors identify needed skills and knowledge areas, providing a baseline for
performance improvement.
4. Mind Mapping: Learners create mind maps on a given topic to demonstrate their existing
knowledge, helping instructors understand their starting point.
5. Surveys: Pre-course surveys assess learners' interests, expectations, and current knowledge,
allowing for tailored course design.
6. Focus Groups and Online Interviews: Facilitators conduct online sessions to learn about learners'
backgrounds and needs, enabling a more personalized learning experience.
4 Tips for Using Diagnostic Assessment in eLearning:
1. Periodic Knowledge Checks: Use diagnostic assessments between modules to adjust lesson plans and
ensure learners have the necessary knowledge before advancing.
2. Timing: Implement diagnostic assessments early enough to allow for content adjustments based
on the findings, considering learners' varied response times.
3. Fine-Tune Strategy: Adjust the eLearning curriculum based on assessment results, either increasing
difficulty or covering basics as needed to match learners' knowledge levels.
4. Create Action Plans: Use diagnostic data to help learners create action plans for skill
development, addressing individual strengths, weaknesses, and learning behaviors.
Definition of Assessment Strategies
● Competency-Based Assessment: Focuses on skills application and authentic tasks. Learners
demonstrate competence through real-world scenarios and simulations.
● Criterion-Referenced Assessment: Measures learning against specific standards or objectives,
not in comparison to other learners. It ensures fairness and equity.
● Norm-Referenced Assessment: Compares learners’ scores to each other, often creating a
competitive environment. It’s useful for ranking or identifying top performers.
● Standards-Based Assessment: Similar to criterion-referenced, but specifically aligns criteria to
broader standards, supporting comprehensive evaluations.
● Traditional Assessment: Includes familiar formats like multiple-choice and true/false questions,
often emphasizing rote learning over skill application.
● Ipsative Assessment: Compares a learner’s current performance to past performance,
motivating improvement over time.
, Example of
Assessment
Purpose Assessment Learning Goal Example
Strategy
Strategy
Competency-based To see if a learner can perform the kind of Creating a Learners will be able to deliver a
skill needed for the workplace. presentation training talk on student-centered
learning for first- year teachers.
Criterion-referenced To see if a learner has met milestones and Advanced Placement Learners will be able to apply the
requirements. Test basics of calculus.
Ipsative To see if a learner has improved based on Compare previous work Learners will increase reading and
previous knowledge. and progress to comprehension skills.
current work
Norm-referenced To see how a learner's work compares to Test graded on a curve Learners will be able to identify and
the average work completed by a solve engineering problems that
similar group of learners. may occur in the field.
Standards-based To see if a learner can meet requirements State Standardized Test Learners will master grade-level
and have a mastery of knowledge mathematics.
based on a predetermined standard.
Traditional To see if a learner can meet the Multiple Choice Learners will be able to describe and
requirements based on memorization True/False identify parts of the human
of data and facts. nervous system.
Definition of Assessment Methods
● Comprehensive-Type Assessment:
● Benchmark: Measures progress from a baseline.
● Diagnostic: Pre-lesson assessment to gauge understanding.
● Formative: Ongoing assessments to guide learning.
● Summative: Final assessments to evaluate achievement.
● Direct Assessment: Evaluates learners through their produced work, such as quizzes, projects,
presentations, and essays.
● Discussion Board: Allows learners to post and interact on course topics, fostering community and
deep analysis. Can be ungraded or graded, quality depends on engagement.
● Indirect Assessment: Uses information from sources other than learners' work, like
attendance data or surveys. Includes confidence-based assessments where learners rate their confidence in
their answers.
● Project-Based Assessment: Learners complete projects, often with creative and choice
elements. Requires clear instructions, rubrics, and frequent monitoring.
Assessment and Learning Analytics Western Governors
University
Section 1: Evaluating Assessment Alignment
Lesson 1: Assessment Purpose, Strategies, and Method
Learning designers are generally interested in using assessments for one of three purposes:
1. to gather evidence to differentiate and personalize instruction
2. to generate data and feedback to monitor individual progress, adjust personal learning
approaches, reflect on learning, and set learning goals
3. to summarize learning or communicate achievement or competency
,6 Types of Diagnostic Assessment in eLearning:
1. Online Journals: Learners document their expectations and goals for the course, as well as
their reflections and insights after completing activities, enhancing self-awareness and tracking progress.
2. Online Quizzes: Short assessments before the course gauge learners' prior knowledge and post-
course quizzes measure progress, helping to identify knowledge gaps.
3. Online Scenarios and Simulations: Pre-course scenarios and simulations help learners and
instructors identify needed skills and knowledge areas, providing a baseline for
performance improvement.
4. Mind Mapping: Learners create mind maps on a given topic to demonstrate their existing
knowledge, helping instructors understand their starting point.
5. Surveys: Pre-course surveys assess learners' interests, expectations, and current knowledge,
allowing for tailored course design.
6. Focus Groups and Online Interviews: Facilitators conduct online sessions to learn about learners'
backgrounds and needs, enabling a more personalized learning experience.
4 Tips for Using Diagnostic Assessment in eLearning:
1. Periodic Knowledge Checks: Use diagnostic assessments between modules to adjust lesson plans and
ensure learners have the necessary knowledge before advancing.
2. Timing: Implement diagnostic assessments early enough to allow for content adjustments based
on the findings, considering learners' varied response times.
3. Fine-Tune Strategy: Adjust the eLearning curriculum based on assessment results, either increasing
difficulty or covering basics as needed to match learners' knowledge levels.
4. Create Action Plans: Use diagnostic data to help learners create action plans for skill
development, addressing individual strengths, weaknesses, and learning behaviors.
Definition of Assessment Strategies
● Competency-Based Assessment: Focuses on skills application and authentic tasks. Learners
demonstrate competence through real-world scenarios and simulations.
● Criterion-Referenced Assessment: Measures learning against specific standards or objectives,
not in comparison to other learners. It ensures fairness and equity.
● Norm-Referenced Assessment: Compares learners’ scores to each other, often creating a
competitive environment. It’s useful for ranking or identifying top performers.
● Standards-Based Assessment: Similar to criterion-referenced, but specifically aligns criteria to
broader standards, supporting comprehensive evaluations.
● Traditional Assessment: Includes familiar formats like multiple-choice and true/false questions,
often emphasizing rote learning over skill application.
● Ipsative Assessment: Compares a learner’s current performance to past performance,
motivating improvement over time.
, Example of
Assessment
Purpose Assessment Learning Goal Example
Strategy
Strategy
Competency-based To see if a learner can perform the kind of Creating a Learners will be able to deliver a
skill needed for the workplace. presentation training talk on student-centered
learning for first- year teachers.
Criterion-referenced To see if a learner has met milestones and Advanced Placement Learners will be able to apply the
requirements. Test basics of calculus.
Ipsative To see if a learner has improved based on Compare previous work Learners will increase reading and
previous knowledge. and progress to comprehension skills.
current work
Norm-referenced To see how a learner's work compares to Test graded on a curve Learners will be able to identify and
the average work completed by a solve engineering problems that
similar group of learners. may occur in the field.
Standards-based To see if a learner can meet requirements State Standardized Test Learners will master grade-level
and have a mastery of knowledge mathematics.
based on a predetermined standard.
Traditional To see if a learner can meet the Multiple Choice Learners will be able to describe and
requirements based on memorization True/False identify parts of the human
of data and facts. nervous system.
Definition of Assessment Methods
● Comprehensive-Type Assessment:
● Benchmark: Measures progress from a baseline.
● Diagnostic: Pre-lesson assessment to gauge understanding.
● Formative: Ongoing assessments to guide learning.
● Summative: Final assessments to evaluate achievement.
● Direct Assessment: Evaluates learners through their produced work, such as quizzes, projects,
presentations, and essays.
● Discussion Board: Allows learners to post and interact on course topics, fostering community and
deep analysis. Can be ungraded or graded, quality depends on engagement.
● Indirect Assessment: Uses information from sources other than learners' work, like
attendance data or surveys. Includes confidence-based assessments where learners rate their confidence in
their answers.
● Project-Based Assessment: Learners complete projects, often with creative and choice
elements. Requires clear instructions, rubrics, and frequent monitoring.
