Internet scavenger hunts serve as a great way to hone student Web searching ability and problem solving. They can be an evaluative activity when students have to find information of a specific type or value. They also can serve as an ice-breaker. The lesson involves providing students with a goal and then having them search the Internet to fulfill that goal.
Students are presented with a context or situation. Within that context they assume specific roles. The lesson is then conducted whereby the ability of students to attend to their roles and learn from the experience is assessed. Follow-up activities usually help to link the activity to specific learning concepts.
Most. Typical in media studies, political science, literature courses, social sciences, education, business, advertising, nursing, etc.
Students view, read, or listen to content and then compose a review of that content attending to items required in the assignment description.
All. Typical in media studies, political science, and literature courses.
The goal of a review is to develop a students ability to critically evaluate a media item attending to certain criteria. A sub goal is that students are exposed to the content that they are reviewing, allowing this lesson to tie into other lessons and goals.
Students summarize their learning on a weekly basis. They express the key points for that weeks lesson and receive feedback from the instructor.
Often used social sciences, but appropriate for most fields.
Students use an online quizzing program to take a quiz. This can be done in a moderated setting, or unmoderated. A few ideas of ways to curb academic dishonesty are listed below along with a selection of tools that allow for online quizzing.
The primary goal of a quiz is to assess student learning in a timed, closed environment. Primary attributes tested are recall in multiple choice to more complex thought processes in essay questions.
Students must construct questions that are asked to other students who then answer. Alternatively, can be mixed with a guest lecture or standard Q/A session where the students must submit questions to the guest or instructor. The guest or the instructor then answers.
Students record themselves performing a task and submit this recording to the instructor. In some cases, videoconferencing may be used for synchronous events. It is also possible that an optional on-site day may be required for some procedural demonstrations, especially when materials are only available on campus. In some cases, such as medicine, off-site mentors may be used for verification and grading.
All. Typically in Music, Engineering, Mechanics, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Medicine, and Kinesthetics.
Students present a given topic to the class or a group of students typically using conferencing software.
All. Appropriate at all times, but generally past the first couple weeks of the course after the students have an understanding of the technology used in the course.
The goal of a presentation is for students to gain advanced understanding of a given concept allowing them to teach others.
Sample objectives include:
Portfolios as an activity unto themselves involves the process of student selection of works to meet specified criteria that are presented in a cohesive manner. In addition to selection and organization of the content, students generally reflect on what is included and why it was included.
Peer Editing / Review is an evaluative understanding level activity in which student judge the accuracy, credibility, value, etc. of the work of other students.
All. Appropriate at all times, but generally past the mid point of a course when the students have more content understanding. Less common in laboratory courses involving primarily group work already.
The goals of peer editing are to develop the evaluative knowledge over a given topic and a given mode of expression.