Article 4 - Unit 4

Meyen, Edward L. (2002). Assessing and Monitoring Student Progress in an E-Learning Personnel Preparation Environment. Teacher Education and Special Education vol. 25 (3).

Summary:
The information presented in the article by Meyen largely deals with assessing students who are enrolled in online courses, also known as E-Learning situations. Meyen goes into the different techniques he has employed while teaching students through online courses, which include traditional tests, group projects, student journals, and individual assignments/projects. These each have their own benefits and difficulties when applying them to online courses, though the author gives many positive examples of how to get the most from them. Finally, the article also examines the use of student electronic portfolios, which can not only help with assessment during E-Learning courses, but can also help to teach students more effective ways of managing and using technology for practical use.

Response:
I found the article to employ the same assessment techniques that are used in the actual classroom environment on a daily basis, and didn’t believe the author made an argument that showed how they actually differ. That said, I did not see the point of the article, which mainly ran down the different assessment options and techniques that E-Learning teachers use, which, as just mentioned, are mostly the same as those found in the classroom. Meyen did put an E-Learning spin to some of his examples, but for the most part any teacher who has taught in a classroom would probably use those techniques. For example, Meyen mentions using a discussion board for the students to talk about their group work on, which isn’t exactly a stretch, and is the obvious choice for educators who want to use group work along with online courses. I should not discount his examples, however, as they are all good examples of how to assess and monitor student work in online courses and environments.