Scoring Guide

Assessments in online courses come in a variety of formats to meet a variety of needs. Different modes of assessment are required to meet the needs of students with different learning styles and to meet different instructional goals.

Practice quizzes and self-checks

These are designed to allow the student to practice learning skills and content knowledge found within a unit. These come in various forms, and in all cases the student is able to access correct answers or sample responses independently.

Fact retention and comprehension

The understanding of basic facts and the ability to comprehend content gained in reading are lower order thinking skills best assessed through objective quizzes and exams. In such cases, these are normally scored through auto-grading features in the exam format of the Learning Management System. These include formats like multiple choice and multiple answer. The Learning Management System grades these according to the answers provided within the test structure itself. The teacher can choose when to release the scores and answers so that potential cheating/copying can be controlled.

In some cases, it may be appropriate for the assessment to be teacher graded. For example, in a world language class, it would be appropriate to have assignments in which the student submits original responses to questions rather than select from a set of choices. Other examples include students being asked to explain a specific event or process, with the purpose being to test to see if the student is able to describe the event or process accurately. In such cases, correct answers are provided for the teacher to use in grading.

Higher order thinking skills, essays, and projects

Students are often required to demonstrate understanding and skill through original work. Examples include most free response questions in Advanced Placement classes, essays, discussions, computer programming, and other such projects. In these cases, each student demonstrates mastery of skills by creating a unique product. Providing a "correct" answer for scoring purposes is not only not possible, it would be counterproductive, as it would suggest that there is only one possible way to respond to the assessment prompt when in fact many different excellent solutions or products are possible. In these cases, rubrics are provided so that the student understands the requirements of the assessment, and the teacher understands how to grade the final product. The teacher uses his or her own content expertise and instructional skills to apply the rubric and score the assignment.

Some exams blend different styles of questions. In these cases, the Learning Management System will score the objective questions, and the instructor will score the free response/essay questions.