Unit 3: Applying Technology in Assessments

There was a lot covered these past 2 weeks that also included Spring Break and a midterm paper!

It was good to review Weeks 7/8 & 10 to see how all the elements flow together to address a
seemingly simple topic yet has many depths and resources to explore for Unit 4: Technology in Assessment.

Being relatively new to the education and technology field, I was not aware of the numerous resources
available to instructors that can assist with assessments. The adult learning environment that I am
engaged filters some of the tools that seemingly apply to k-12 education; however, the aspects and
tools used game me ideas for qualities that I am exploring for adult instruction and use of technology.

The most appealing technologies to me included the virtual reality sims presented by BK in Week 10.
Simulations are vastly popular in healthcare because they offer a safe environment for practicing skills
that would otherwise add risk or cause harm to patients in the real world. As exciting as technology may
take us, there are a few considerations that cause some pause to fully pursue these tools:

1. Alignment with learning objectives, instructional strategies and assessment. The virtual reality sims appear to be designed to aid instruction in a somewhat narrow field of instructional engagement. This is fine as long as the instructional goals fit within the parameters of the sims, and as long as the data collection and reporting features are also aligned with the learning objectives and instructional strategies.
2. Cost. Education is a significant industry that affords many opportunities for entrepreneurs to develop innovative instructional delivery tools including technologies. These technologies come at a cost. Like text books when i was in elementary school, the rich schools has the newly published and printed books, while poorer schools used their leftovers. Can the technologies be affordable enough to reach broad applications and audiences?
3. Accessibility. The latest development of apps brings many tools for use in the classroom. Most older kids and adults have access to tablets and smartphones that allow for downloading apps for use. The assessment technologies explored in Week 8 shed some light on the exciting use of these in classrooms, though I smirked when I saw the video with each student sitting in a circle with an ipad at their seat. My kids go to a charter school, and are not issued or told they need to have smart devices to engage in their education. Cousins attending Byron Center are given MacBooks. The disparity is interesting, and I question the fairness in the economic aspects of education and opportunities for kids who don’t have either personal or school resources to keep up with technology trends.

Lastly, as national education standards are starting to expect better use of data in the classroom requiring use of such assessment technology, will the proper resources be provided to the students AND the educators for proper use of the technology? The data output is only as good as the quality of input, and there is a growing pressure on instructors and schools to become data managers as it relates to use of technology and formative assessments.

I am looking forward to  incorporate technologies discussed in Unit 4, and feel more prepared with the
theory to select the tools that will enhance the curriculum, instruction and direction for student growth!

Unit 2 Reflection: Finding the Assessment Sweet Spot

Much of the materials over the past two weeks challenge the traditional scientific methods for assessing student learning. Trends in education assessment are moving from evidence-based objectivism and more toward student/teacher sharing learning supported by the cognitive model where students learn from meaningful engagement of activities that challenge practical application of learning to solve situational problems.

I see this trend happening also in medical education where medical students are starting clinical training in year 1 of medical school. They are mostly shadowing providers and writing papers at this point, but they are learning by modeling practitioners on how the knowledge they are learning is applied in the practice of medicine.

http://phoenixmed.arizona.edu/education/md-admissions/md-program/curriculum/pre-clerkship-curriculum-years-1-and-2

Accreditation for medical and other programs are now requiring elements of interprofessional education and practice, meaning students are required to have exposure and exhibit competencies on how to work with other health professionals as team-members. The assessments to measure such competencies are up to the individual schools, but from my experience with a few projects a local college uses assessments from the medical preceptor as a summative assessment post-rotation. To me, this misses a significant learning opportunity for the student to be engaged in the assessment process and modify behaviors to meet the said benchmarks that rate competencies.

Sticking to areas of influence I have over the education programs I run,  I am challenged on the movement away from scientific models of assessment as a means to gather generalizable data to report on education trends and effectiveness. As an educator, my primary responsibility is to ensure students are no only learning, but also gaining skills on how to apply knowledge in the work environment. I have to employ a battery of assessments as discussed in the exploratory activities to address multiple needs including:

• authentic assessment: to ensure students meet measurable standards for knowledge on foundational blocks necessary for selection into job training and then into clinical training
• dynamic assessment: ensure students master medical documentation skills to be applied in clinical training. Timely, personalized feedback is provided to students for process improvement. This is done in classroom and simulation environments.
• competency assessment: students must prove ability to perform essential tasks in the clinical environment to be eligible for employment. Students are provided a peer assessment at the end of each training shift and given support for weak areas to improve. Often the knowledge was provided in the theory portion of the education, and told to "freshen up" on materials. 

I would love to explore ways to add more playful assessments as a way to include friendly, competition for students as incentive to learn the dryer aspects of the training, like medical terminology and medications. We have added Blackboard badges and certificates as a summative assessment award for successfully passing certain lessons. But having intermediate challenges along the way would add additional benchmarks for motivation. I need to create a plan and seek approval from leadership, especially if this adds more time for students to an already lengthy training program.