The case for including writing tasks in an assessment strategy has some very powerful arguments on its side. For starters, writing is itself a fundamental skill that is important in a wide variety of settings. Written communication is required for virtually every role in the modern economy, and so it makes sense to want to know whether students, colleagues, and job applicants can write effectively.

Multiple answer (select all that apply) questions share many of the advantages and disadvantages of multiple choice questions, their close cousin. However, instead of asking the learner to select exactly one choice, multiple answer questions ask you to choose all the options that fit the description in the question stem. For example, you could be given a list of numbers and be asked to click on those that are prime, or you could be given a list of animals and be asked to select all of the insects, and so on.

Assessment is measurement, and there are many things worth measuring in learning environments. We want to know what learners know and what they can do so that we can tell whether learning objectives have been achieved and what role learning experiences played in helping people accomplish those objectives.

Assessment is measurement, and there are many things worth measuring in learning environments. We want to know what learners know and what they can do so that we can tell whether learning objectives have been achieved and what role learning experiences played in helping people accomplish those objectives.

Writing good assessments is of course a major part of learning design, but before anyone writes any questions, it’s worth putting some thought into deciding which question types you want to include. You may want multiple choice questions, but you might want other item types as well. Or maybe you want something completely different. To make sense of this decision, we’ve constructed this overview of the process of choosing item types, and in subsequent posts we’ll provide an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the most common (and even some of the less common) item types.

Imagine that you’re a visitor from another world, examining the US education system. Much of the experience would be pretty close to what you might expect of Earthlings, but you might be surprised to find out how much time we spend on tests. And it isn’t just taking the tests, either. It’s also the time preparing for the tests, reviewing key concepts, practicing under realistic and time-pressured conditions, and getting students ready for the psychological aspects of testing.

Gamification is trending these days. Or is it game-based learning? Or serious games? Or something else? Does it really make a difference? It’s possible to create an intricate matrix of terms and definitions on this subject,1 but does that really help anyone?

Gamification is trending these days. Or is it game-based learning? Or serious games? Or something else?

Recently, I joined our CEO, Tory VanVoorhis, on a panel to discuss the potential of games in the world of assessment. We explained what games can do, how to build them, and key questions to get you started. To motivate the discussion, we asked the attendees to identify the skills that they might like to measure with games. Here are the skills that were mentioned most often:

Recently, I joined our CEO, Tory VanVoorhis, on a panel to discuss the potential of games in the world of assessment.

Realizing the potential of learning design is no simple task. Still, at Second Avenue, we’ve found that there are principles which, if applied, make successful outcomes more likely. Here are some of the most important learning design best practices:

What's driving the recent focus on learning design?

When we design, we unite purpose and action by determining how to best accomplish our goals. When we design learning, we do everything that needs to happen to ensure that learning experiences are effective, efficient, and relevant to learners. This includes:

In Edtech Is Trapped in Ben Bloom’s Basement,1 Jared Silver identifies a paradox in learning technology: technically, our gadgets and software are more sophisticated than ever, but the learning goals that this technology serves tend to be stuck in the basics. Educational technology should be helping us analyze the world around us, evaluate claims, and create new possibilities, but too much of what we do is focused on memorization, paraphrasing, and simply following instructions.

Despite the title, Matt Greenfield’s Sources of Hope for Education Technology in 20181 presents a sobering account of the challenges we face in leveraging technology to improve educational outcomes.

Implementing Accessibility in a Disruptive Digital Education Market

Accessibility is a commitment to support learners with diverse backgrounds and needs by giving all learners equitable access to content.

Best practice for Publishers, Educational Institutions, and Educators.

Across the country people stopped to experience the solar eclipse on Monday, August 21st. Total solar eclipses happen infrequently.

Taken during Christmas Holiday on 2016