OPTIMIZATION OF THE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM FOR B-LEARNING “TASKS” ASSIGNED VIA THE VIRTUAL LECTURE THEATRE A RUBRIC-BASED FACILITATING TOOL

The Active Learning in Experimental Sciences group (APRendizaje Activo en Ciencias Experimentales, APRACE), which consists of lecturers from the Department of Physical Chemistry at the University of Alcala, has been working since 2008 to implement a virtual lecture theatre (WebCT, BlackBoard) to complement its course lectures and as a means of orienting its teaching-learning methodologies in the framework of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). We have implemented various methodological actions (“Publishing Content”, “Communication and tracking of students” and “Online assessments and self-assessments”) with this E-learning tool to promote students' active, participatory and self-directed learning, and to develop both cognitive and procedural and attitudinal skills. In the academic year 2009/2010 we also optimized the system for evaluating various “tasks” assigned via the virtual lecture theatre (in the forum discussions, journals and teaching units or other activities programmed), with the intention of developing certain skills in the students that require the drafting of texts or case studies to address scientific reporting and the development of critical opinion when interpreting results. For this we have designed and implemented a rating system based on rubrics (which makes use of the “Qualification forms” tool in Blackboard), which evaluates the work undertaken and/or submitted by the student in the “tasks” section in the virtual lecture theatre on the basis of criteria and performance indicators selected by the teacher and which are known in advance by the students.

This submission provides several examples of “Qualification forms” with criteria and performance indicators specific for each “task” for the “Natural Science and its Teaching: Physicochemical Phenomena” course, which is studied in the third year of the Primary Education Specialty of a Teaching degree, along with the rating results obtained by the students. The criteria and indicators used are the result of a study and analysis of the experience during previous courses. A comparison of the scores obtained with these forms and those obtained the previous year shows that this new scoring system allows a more accurate and objective evaluation of the various "Tasks" proposed, as well as an improvement in the efficiency and speed of the rating process. Although the ultimate aim of the “Qualification forms” is summative assessment, they can also be used by both teacher and student during formative assessment, as detailed herein.