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.
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.
Presenters:
Sandra Fonseca-Lind
Dr. Fonseca is an Information Technology Professional with over 30 years of experience in the IT field industry, 15 of them as Systems Security Manager, Project Manager, and later on as Data Architect at a federal agency in Washington, D.C. Her academic career spans 28 years, having taught in all modalities, undergraduate and graduate on traditional brick and mortar classroom, hybrid, teleconference, and online. She has also served as Program Director for IT and Cybersecurity Programs for an Online University in the US. Dr. Fonseca also works as a subject matter expert in course development, oversees SME’s course contents, and collaborates in program assessment mapping. Dr. Fonseca has a doctoral degree in business with a specialization in management information systems (DBA-MIS), and a second doctoral degree in education with a specialization in instructional design (EdD-ID). Her areas of Specialty are: IT, Accounting, Audit, Project Management, Operations Management, and Quantitative Research Methods.
Carmen I. Figueroa-Medina
Carmen I. Figueroa-Medina has Ninenteen (19) years of academic experience teaching human resources management in higher education with years of student career development, leadership advising dedicated to SHRM Student Chapters (University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus & University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus). Fourteen (14) years of SHRM Volunteer Leader and HRM Diversity and Inclusion Advocate. 2016 Best Paper Award ABWIC Conference. SHRM Recognition on five (5) Outstanding Student Chapter Merit Awards and five (5) Superior Merit Award (2012-2022). Traumatic Brain Injury Advocate and Member of the Board of Directors of LSG Foundation