What Are The Benefits Of Using Both Constructed-Response And Fixed-Response Written Assessments For eLearning? What Is The Necessity For A Balance Between Teacher-Graded And Computer-Graded Assessment Items?

Let's take a quick look again at the difference between both constructed-response questions and fixed-response questions using the following chart, which also was presented in the previous posted blog on November 12, 2011.

Completion-Response	Fixed-Response
Limited sampling of content material	Adequate sampling of content material
Longer to grade although easier to create	Easier to grade although longer to create
Assesses more declarative knowledge	Assesses more procedural knowledge
Have to know the answer	Able to choose the answer
Directly measures targeted behaviors	Indirectly measures targeted behaviors
Fairly easy to construct	Time consuming to construct

What Are The Benefits Of Using Both Constructed-Response And Fixed-Response Written Assessments In eLearning? 

• Both are able to incorporate into the assessment design such external applications such as photos, sound, links, movies and video. Also, charts, tables, symbols and clip art. 
• Both are able to provide immediate feedback to eLearners on various objective type questions that are in an assessment such as multiple choice, T/F, matching and fill-in-the-blank. 
• Both make recording the outcomes of the eLearner's assessment easier by setting up and maintaining electronic gradebooks that the instructor and eStudent can access and view.   
• Both seek to decrease the workload for the instructor by using online computer software programs to help to develop, deliver and score the assessments. 
• Both allow instructors to have full view of content items and edit items using bold, italics, underlining, for example.
• Both allow an instructor access to a spell check, to preview the assessment and provide a description and/or directions for the assessment. 
• Both are designed and displayed in a way that is in an easy-to-read format for eStudents to navigate through and be able to scroll through answers changing responses if necessary before finally submitting.

(Oosterhof, Conrad, Ely, 2008, Pgs 124-140)  

What Is The Necessity For A Balance Between Teacher-Graded And Computer-Graded Assessment Items?

Establishing a balance between teacher-graded and computer-graded assessements is important for several reasons. Having one type without the other may short change what we, as eTeachers, learn about how and what an eStudent's is learning or has learned about a particular subject matter.  For example, although quick feedback from a computer graded multiple choice or true/false assessment provides immediate answers for both eStudents and eTeachers as to what is learned and what might need to be retaught, teacher-graded assessments, although slower to grade, subsequently allow eTeachers to analyze the more higher level thinking skills of their eLearners. Incorporating both teacher-graded and computer-graded assessments also makes it easier and more probable that all the learning styles of eLearners will be recognized and accounted for both the grading system as well as getting to know the capabilities of each eStudents so that planning for instruction can be relevant and effective for all concerned.