Assessing the Online Learner: Resources and Strategies for Faculty

Written by Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt, experts in the field of online teaching and learning, this hands-on resource helps higher education professionals understand the fundamentals of effective online assessment. It offers guidance for designing and implementing creative assessment practices tied directly to course activities to measure student learning. The book is filled with illustrative case studies, authentic assessments based in real-life application of concepts, and collaborative activities that assess the quality of student learning rather than relying on the traditional methods of measuring the amount of information retained.

Praise for Assessing the Online Learner

"Established leaders in online learning, Palloff and Pratt have broken new ground with this scholarly yet practical guidebook destined to become a classic. In the era of accountability, this text will provide administrators, faculty developers, and online teaching faculty with clear direction based in many years of successful virtual classroom experience that will guide the assessment of online learning for years to come."
—Judy Witt, dean, School of Educational Leadership and Change, Fielding Graduate University

"At a time in which online educators are increasingly called upon to document student learning, Palloff and Pratt have succinctly offered strategies to align assessment, program competencies, learning outcomes, and course activities that authentically engage learners and promote meaningful reflection."
—Tina J. Parscal, director of education and professional studies programs, Colorado State University–Global Campus