Online Assessment Strategies to Enhance the Computer Engineering Graduate Competences on Human Computer Interaction
General description of the project
The high levels of uncertainty imposed towards the higher education environment by the global pandemic scenario prompted faculty and administration to be agile and adapt as the academic community worldwide switched to emergency remote teaching (ERT). Hodget et. al. (2020) defined emergency remote teaching as a sudden interim shift of instructional delivery to an online delivery mode as result of an immense catastrophe. The higher education scenario at graduate level demands the online assessment strategies which are initially planned and designed to be delivered virtually, to enhance engineering students’ competencies.
Technologies
The purpose of this article focused on the challenges experienced during the summer term of a Human Interaction graduate course offered as part of a graduate computer engineering program. The authors explored the main issues pertaining to encouraging logical and critical thinking towards problem solving exercises, resolving software compatibility issues, conducting a thorough analysis and in-depth critique of online portal content aligned to usability guidelines for user interface design and process improvement. For these assignments and labs, cloud-based tools for prototype design were used to meet course requirements and learning objectives.
Explain project results
The novel 8-week online graduate course was mostly theory based, needed updates to make it applied in nature, including differentiated assessments to support remote students with special needs. The updated assessment strategy was applied in nature, with fewer theoretical assignments, and more applied case studies and prototype design using UI/UX tools. The case studies and discussion forums focused on the emotional and human behavioral aspect of digital platform design (front end), and the applied simulations and labs focused on the data and code design (back end) using software tools in demand by the industry.
Why it should be considered best practice?
By using this new approach aligned with computer engineering curriculum standards and rubrics throughout a dynamic and engaging online learning environment, considering students with special accommodations, while dealing with attrition and retention. The exercises on critical and reflective thinking promote the student’s critical thinking and manage change in uncertainty scenarios. The lessons learned at this time have the potential to continue to inform that even though comprehensive examples, demonstrations and detailed guided practices were designed and implemented, students followed them mechanically without exercising analysis or critical thinking. At the time of working on projects or applied exercises,where no code or steps to follow were included, resulted in failing scores in most of them. Students expressed a gap between the configured labs, demonstrations, or guided exercises that were addressed and measured during the pilot course that must be refined and standardized for future course offerings.
Highlights of your proposed presentation
This online assessment strategy implies that online higher education professors should improve their communication techniques, methodologies and approach to address student needs and expectations from a proactive approach. Also, to conduct the appropriate assessment to promote the computer engineer skills and competences should allow the development and troubleshooting of software while they communicate effectively with their team. Online education house a diverse student population, reason why contents, learning activities and assessments must be creative, aspirational and applied, where the student will feel at ease and motivated, with less tension or stress typically associated with assessment instruments and meeting deadlines, given the particular dynamism of an online environment, a model that is here to stay. Online educators must not try to transfer instructional materials and assessments from ground modalities to remote or online environments, for these are different. Online educators must adapt and evolve and diversify their instructional methodologies and approaches to make instructional delivery an enjoyable student learning experience, while meeting course and program learning objectives and competencies.
The Evaluation Committee will evaluate submitted proposals based on the following criteria. Each area will be rated on a scale from 1 to 5 (1= non-satisfactory; 5 =outstanding), for a maximum of 45 points.