Electronic Tools for Online Assessments: An Illustrative Case Study from Teacher Education

Abstract

The tools used in assessment allow instructors to communicate performance information to students. Each tool has particular things that it does well or poorly, encouraging particular kinds of assessment and discouraging others. This chapter explores the use of three particular software tools-Rubistar, an assessment database, and a document comparison feature—within a teacher education course. We comment on the tools’ affordances, role in the assessment process, and ability to help instructors model effective practices for teacher education students. We also discuss two measurement issues, construct validity and consequences of use, that pertain to tool use in this environment.