Web-based student assessment

In this chapter, a means of evaluating students in a Web-based teaching and learning environment is examined. Two techniques, summative and formative, are introduced and discussed together with their related issues including delivery and submission, evaluation and feedback, and dealing with cheating. While a summative or traditional technique has been criticized for being too rigid and outdated, a formative or performance assessment technique promises its authenticity, as it requires students to solve real-world problems. It is argued in this chapter, that both techniques serve as essential measures of student learning and should be used in combination. At the end, instructors are provided with guidelines and recommendations for developing and delivering effective Web-based student assessment. The author hopes that understanding the concept and significance of student assessment in a Web-based educational setting will promote the use of proper techniques and render a positive effect on student learning, which we, as educators, value the most.