Project-Based Assessment of Learning in Online Microsoft Office Application Courses

Submitted By: DougKranch
Lead Presenter: Douglas A. Kranch
Co-Presenter: Carmen Morrison
Scheduled For: Tuesday @ 11:00 AM in Water Oaks I
Session Type: Session - Presentation (includes keynote & business mtg)
Preferred Paper Track: Regular (non peer-reviewed) Paper Track
Target Audience: Instructors in courses teaching complex applications skills

Abstract:

Over the past six years, courses in Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint at North Central State College have evolved from face-to-face to online courses. In face-to-face courses, students were assessed via proprietary computer-based multiple-choice exams and skill assessments, as well as identical problems to solve. This presentation will discuss how the assessments were transformed from items that required direct student observation into four individual projects that allowed maximal creativity within rigid specifications that met the course objectives. It will also discuss the special demands each of the four Microsoft applications placed on students and the projects and the varying degrees of success attained. Participants can apply the lessons learned in adapting the project-based assessment technique to online courses teaching a complex mix of skills to students with a variety of entry skills and knowledge.