Throughout this destination you will be exposed to different aspects of assessment and evaluation.
So what are "assessment" and "evaluation"? While these terms are definitely related, they are not identical in meaning. In Learner-Centered Assessment on College Campuses (2000), Mary Huba and Jann Freed define assessment as:

the process of gathering and discussing information from multiple and diverse sources in order to develop a deep understanding of what students know, understand, and can do with their knowledge as a result of their educational experiences; the process culminates when assessment results are used to improve subsequent learning (p. 8).

In contrast to the above description of assessment, Blaine Worthen and James Sanders define evaluation as:

the determination of a thing’s value; in education, it is the formal determination of the quality, effectiveness, or value of a program, product, project, process, objective or curriculum (p. 23).

The assessment and evaluation processes serve many functions for students, instructors, program directors, department chairs, and institutions. Dr. Steven Ehrmann, director of the Flashlight Program and vice president for The TLT Group, explains why assessment and evaluation are important considerations for distance education.

Steven Ehrmann on importance of assessment and evaluation (7:01)
Click here for text-only version.

(Also, you may access the destination's Resources Page to find references about assessment and evaluation mentioned in the Ehrmann's interview.)

During this destination, you'll learn the following driving skills (objectives):

• Describe the purposes of assessment and evaluation
• Explain three steps involved in the evaluation process
• Describe at least four different types of assessment and evaluation methods or tools
• Summarize the four challenges of conducting assessment and evaluation in the online environment.

At the end of each destination is a Resources Page with a glossary, support materials and references. To access other sections, return to the Table of Contents.

Let's start by learning about the types and purposes of assessment and evaluation.

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