Demonstration Tasks for Assessment

Learning from animations is conventionally measured using static assessment tools such as multiple choice tests or extended answer questions. These tools tend to rely heavily on textual information both for presenting the assessment items and as the medium for learner response. However, such assessments are not well aligned with the defining dynamic, pictorial characteristics of animated learning materials. This chapter considers the potential of demonstration tasks to offer more appropriate assessments of learning from animation. In these tasks, learners interact with a manipulable model of the animation’s subject matter to provide an explanatory account of how it changes over time. Although demonstration tasks have the advantage of allowing learners to directly represent the subject matter’s dynamics, there are various practical issues to be addressed if this approach is to be effective. Example demonstration tasks are discussed to illustrate challenges in the design, administration, and analysis of this form of assessment.