The OPEN Learning WEBster 1/3 - Evaluating Student Projects Online

Evaluating Student Projects Online

By The OPEN team

An important strategy behind developing the Innovation Engine Competition (IEC) is to build a tool for evaluating student web-based projects and, once the competition is over, to make that tool available to teachers. As the network infrastructure continues to be built for the K-12 community through the efforts of the Oregon Public Education Network (OPEN) and others, more and more student work will be available for online publication and use. The tool we are developing will allow users to assess a student project in five areas: content, design, innovation, planning, and presentation. In addition, the interactive scoring guide will point to representative examples for use when making a final assessment.

Content refers to the author's intent for the project, the suitability of the content and linked resources to the expected audience, and the ability of the user to determine the authorship and credibility of the information.

Graphic design addresses those features of a page that make it attractive to the eye while providing a consistent and concise layout for navigation.

With the continued refinement of Internet publishing tools, planning an innovative project is not only important but much easier to do. Innovation involves a creative approach to learning; it enhances understanding of content through an approach that is clever, compelling, and fresh.

A written narrative gives valuable "behind the scenes" details and reflections about a project, to foster understanding and appreciation of what students have accomplished. In support of the plan, the paper should include sections on project summary, planning, and goals. The summary should communicate the purpose and understanding of the overall project. Comments in the planning section of the paper talk about what you did and what your students did to accomplish the task. And clear definitions of the goals and objectives are necessary to give direction to the final product including its relationship to the content standards as outlined by the Oregon Department of Education.

Presentation, which in large part combines content, design, and innovation, determines a user's commitment to bookmarking your site for future use. If you have provided useful content, raised curiosity through a visually compelling design, and used the Internet's dynamic capacity for delivering information in creative ways, chances are you will have frequent and satisfied visitors.

The Clearinghouse team is well aware that a tool has value only if it is used. That is why we welcome your comments to make this a useful teacher resource. For a hands-on demonstration go to the IEC home page under criteria; send your e-mail comments and critiques to Dennis Schultz.