AbstractEvaluation Strategies in Asynchronous On-line GIS Courses Track: Designing Curriculum and Degree Programs for Higher Education Author(s): Michael DeMers Universities and community colleges employ both synchronous and asynchronous on-line instruction to create effective learning environments where students lack access to the classroom. In such settings, especially in the asynchronous approach, student evaluation is critical to the learning experience. Because the students and teachers seldom meet, continuous evaluation is needed to replace the verbal feedback found in the classroom or synchronous on-line courses. Fortunately, there are several effective approaches to on-line student evaluation. This paper describes these strategies and provides some pros and cons for each. It then focuses on the use of discussion chat rooms to provide a continuous and nearly immediate stream of feedback to the student, thus encouraging continued study and commitment to the on-line course. Finally, it provides suggested methods, a sample grading rubric, and specific examples of GIS laboratory and project based discussions to provide guidance to the course developer. Michael DeMers New Mexico State University Geography 5435 Remington Rd. Las Cruces , NM 88011 US Phone: (505) 646-1842 Fax: (505) 497-8408 E-mail: mdemers@zianet.com |