Small data, online learning and assessment practices in higher education: a case study of failure?

Watson, C., Wilson, A. , Drew, V. and Thompson, T. L. (2017) Small data, online learning and assessment practices in higher education: a case study of failure? Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(7), pp. 1030-1045. (doi: 10.1080/02602938.2016.1223834)

Abstract

In this paper, we present an in-depth case study of a single student who failed an online module which formed part of a master’s programme in Professional Education and Leadership. We use this case study to examine assessment practices in higher education in the online environment. In taking this approach, we go against the current predilection for Big Data which has given rise to ‘learning analytics’, a data-intensive approach to monitoring learning. In particular, we draw attention to the model of the learner produced by learning analytics and to issues of ‘dataveillance’ in online learning. We also use the case to examine assessment in higher education more broadly, exploring the tensions between the requirements for certification and the need for learning. We conclude that assessment practices in higher education may have more to do with ‘quality assurance’ and regulatory frameworks than with ‘enhancing the student experience’ and inculcating the qualities that mark out higher education as an ethical project.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The work was supported by funding from the Stirling Enhancement of Learning Fund and the Quality Assurance Agency 0003048.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Wilson, Dr Anna
• Authors: Watson, C., Wilson, A., Drew, V., and Thompson, T. L.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Education
• Journal Name: Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 0260-2938
• ISSN (Online): 1469-297X
• Published Online: 25 August 2016