OEC Online Assessment & Feedback Strategies 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which principle of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) directly applies to online assessment design?
- Using only text-based assessments for consistency
- Providing multiple means of expression so students can demonstrate knowledge in varied ways (Correct answer)
- Standardizing all assessment formats across courses
- Restricting assessment access to specific browsers
Correct answer: Providing multiple means of expression so students can demonstrate knowledge in varied ways
UDL's 'Multiple Means of Expression' principle holds that learners should have options for how they demonstrate mastery, such as video, written, or oral formats.
Question 2: What is the role of 'anchor examples' in online peer assessment?
- They set the minimum passing score for the course
- They provide calibrated examples of work at each rubric level to guide reviewers (Correct answer)
- They are questions excluded from grading
- They represent the highest-scoring student submissions from prior terms
Correct answer: They provide calibrated examples of work at each rubric level to guide reviewers
Anchor examples show peer reviewers what different performance levels actually look like, improving the accuracy and consistency of their evaluations.
Question 3: A student appeals a grade, claiming the rubric criteria were unclear. What does this MOST suggest about the assessment design?
- The student did not read the rubric carefully
- The rubric lacked sufficiently specific descriptors for each performance level (Correct answer)
- The course was too difficult overall
- The grading platform malfunctioned
Correct answer: The rubric lacked sufficiently specific descriptors for each performance level
A student's inability to predict how work would be evaluated indicates the rubric descriptors were ambiguous or missing enough detail to guide student performance.
Question 4: Which of the following BEST demonstrates 'closing the feedback loop' in an online course?
- Sending feedback emails at the end of each week
- Having students revise work based on instructor feedback and submit it for re-evaluation (Correct answer)
- Posting a class-wide grade summary in the LMS
- Archiving all graded assignments at the end of the term
Correct answer: Having students revise work based on instructor feedback and submit it for re-evaluation
Closing the feedback loop means the student receives feedback, acts on it through revision, and receives a new evaluation — completing the improvement cycle.
Question 5: An online instructor suspects a student submitted AI-generated text. Which approach is MOST appropriate as a FIRST step?
- Immediately assign a zero with no comment
- Post a class-wide announcement banning AI tools
- Review the submission against the student's prior work and course AI policy, then have a private conversation if warranted (Correct answer)
- Report the student to the institution without investigation
Correct answer: Review the submission against the student's prior work and course AI policy, then have a private conversation if warranted
Before taking action, an instructor should compare the work to the student's previous submissions and the institution's policy, then address concerns privately and directly with the student.
Question 6: Which assessment strategy MOST effectively measures student growth over time in an online course?
- A single high-stakes final exam
- Longitudinal portfolio collection where students reflect on their work across the course (Correct answer)
- Weekly true/false quizzes on vocabulary
- An instructor-graded participation log
Correct answer: Longitudinal portfolio collection where students reflect on their work across the course
Longitudinal portfolios capture work samples across the course, allowing both instructor and student to see how knowledge, skills, and thinking have evolved.
Question 7: When designing asynchronous feedback in an online course, which practice MOST supports student comprehension of comments?
- Using educational jargon to appear credible
- Keeping all feedback under 20 words regardless of complexity
- Organizing feedback with clear headers (e.g., Strengths, Areas to Improve, Next Steps) (Correct answer)
- Avoiding any reference to the rubric in feedback comments
Correct answer: Organizing feedback with clear headers (e.g., Strengths, Areas to Improve, Next Steps)
Organizing feedback into labeled sections helps students quickly locate and act on different types of information without feeling overwhelmed by a wall of text.
OEC Online Assessment & Feedback Strategies 5
Which principle of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) directly applies to online assessment design?