CASE STUDY REPORT

I.Title:

PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED IN EVALUATING PERFORMANCES AND

METHODS ASSESSMENT OF DISTANCE EDUCATION

II. Executive Summary of the Case:

The purpose of this study is to examine the viewpoints of lecturers regarding the
evaluation process of academic performances of those students who are attending online
distance education program and to compare lecturers’ news on assessment and evaluation
practices cried out in face-face classroom environment with those online assessment and
evaluation practices. The need for distance education is increasing due to such reasons as
keeping up with the changing social conditions, meeting the learning needs of the individuals
and enabling them to be lifelong learners. It also has certain restrictions. One of these
restrictions is the problems encountered in evaluating students performances.

III. Introduction (Current Situation and Background of the chosen case):

39
Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education-
TOJDE January 2017 ISSN 1302-6488 Volume:
18 Number: 1 Article 3

PROBLEMS
EXPERIENCED IN
EVALUATING SUCCESS
AND
PERFORMANCE IN
DISTANCE
EDUCATION: A CASE
STUDY
Dr. Ramazan YILMAZ
Faculty of Education, Bartin
University
Bartin, Turkey
ABSTRACT
The need for distance education is
increasing due to such reasons as
keeping up with the
changing social conditions, meeting
the learning needs of the individuals
and enabling
them to be lifelong learners. In
addition to many advantages distance
education provides,
it also has certain restrictions. One
of these restrictions is the problems
encountered in
evaluating students’ success and
performance. The purpose of this
study is to examine
the viewpoints of lecturers
regarding the evaluation process of
academic success and
performance of those students who
are attending to online distance
education program
and to compare lecturers’ views on
assessment and evaluation practices
carried out in
face-to-face classroom environment
with those online assessment and
evaluation
practices. The study was a case
study and the data of the study were
collected from the
lecturers who lectured in a distant
education program of a state
university. Based on the
findings of the study, the problems
that lecturers have in evaluating the
success and
performance of the students in
online distance education and
possible solution
suggestions for these problems are
presented.
Key words: Distance education,
assessment and evaluation, success,
performance.
INTRODUCTION
It is seen that both in formal
education and in distance education,
the behavioralist
understanding, practices and
evaluation methods have been used
until recently (Benson
& Brack, 2010)
t is seen that both in formal
education and in distance education,
the behavioralist
understanding, practices and
evaluation methods have been used
until recently (Benson
& Brack, 2010).
Despite the recent interest in online distance education in the higher education
setting, there is scant literature concerning how to assess student performance in the online
distance education environment. Since assessment is an important lens through which
education is viewed and a driver of student performance, the authors considered it an
important component of any online distance education program that needed further study.
The authors examined the body of literature to define general principles for assessment of
student performance in an online distance-education context, and investigated whether or
not these principles are reflected in the assessment activities used by the developers and
administrators of actual online distance courses. It is seen that both in formal education and
in distance education, the behavioralist understanding, practices and evaluation methods
have been used until recently Such materials as the videos or even educational software
prepared by the teachers in distance education practices are materials prepared with a
behavioralist approach. In the preparation process of these materials, teachers prepare the
learning content and the materials based on the behaviors that students will be equipped
with and deliver these materials and content to the students. Students are expected to study
the content in the given materials and be successful.

IV. Body

A. Key Issues/Problems/Goals:
An instructional sound, online course will fail to produce learning outcomes if
students encounter a poorly designed website. Sometimes the problems or issues that they
are facing when having an online class they cannot focus on the lessons because of noisy
surroundings or a weak internet connections, management of the time because of the
household chores .When the difficulties faced in evaluating student success and performance
in distance education were examined, it was seen that the main problem faced in online
exams, compared to traditional exams, was the cheating problem. Lecturers indicated that
they faced similar problems also in assignment and project studies and that students copied
and pasted things they found on internet or copied one another’s assignment and project
studies. And also they are encountering too many problems in studies and in home they are
experiencing the anxiety or depression. They are also having a distractions from the different
 social media platforms. And the most relevant problems of the students is they can’t afford
quality phones or gadgets that they are going to use in their online classes.
The goals here is we need to think a way to prevent this problems that most of the
students or teachers facing right now in this time of pandemic. We need to overcome the
stress or anxiety to be more productive or to be more active when they have a classes,
activities or problems that we need to face. Teach the students on how they are going to
manage their time well. Give them also enough time to do their requirements, avoiding the
distractions in order to attend their online classes and pass all the requirements on time.
Make the students afford some quality phones to use for their online classes and a way to
have a reliable internet connection.

B. Preferred Alternative with Rationale:

New technology has made frequent and varied assessments possible in the online
distance education environment, compared to the traditional learning environment (Meyen,
Aust, Bui, & Isaacson, 2002).  However, the authors should remember that the most important
thing for assessment in the new online learning environment is to still focus on learners’
achievement in terms of instructional goals and objectives.  Therefore, even though
technology can facilitate the process of assessment in effective and efficient ways, the authors
must choose appropriate assessment opportunities only when assessments are essential
during instruction.

These principles of assessment might be an initial guide for designing “big picture”
evaluation of learner achievement.  Based on their assumption that assessment and
measurement should serve valuable purposes for both instructors and students, the principles
emphasized importance of integrating assessment with instruction as follows the assessment
instruments and activities should be congruent with the learning goals and skills required of
the learner throughout a distance education program or course, assessment and
measurement strategies should accommodate the special needs, characteristics, and
situations of the distance learner. And distance learners should be given ample opportunities
and accessible methods for providing feedback regarding the instructional design of the
distance education program.

C. Predicted Outcome/ Recommendations:

When the possible solution suggestions of the lecturers regarding the problems in evaluating
success and performance in distance education is examined, it is seen that the most often suggested
solution is including alternative assessment and evaluation practices in mid-term exams and that
these practices should not include memorizing information but rather, enable students to use high-
order thinking skills and prevent them from cheating. Also, it is seen that lecturers state that both
lecturers and students should be provided with trainings on online assessment and evaluation
practices. Another solution suggested is that the instructions of online assessment and evaluation
practices should be well-prepared and should be easy-to-understand for students and should guide
them. For the students, either they like it or not they need to adapt these online learning
environment. They also need to know how to manage their time properly for them to focus more on
their studies.

V. Conclusion

This study also raised interesting questions regarding the assessment schemes adopted by the
developers of online distance courses. In order to draw more substantial conclusions and paint a
more accurate picture of the state of online course assessment, the authors recommend that a follow-
on study incorporate the following measures: A more thorough and rigorous review of the assessment
schemes in place in all online distance courses at the University. Such a procedure would yield a more
balanced view of the programs evaluated here as well as the entire university than the authors’
limited convenience sample; More depth of analysis by investigating the rationales of the course
developers for coming up with the assessment scheme in place. This would likely include interview /
survey data of the faculty and staff involved in distance education; Evaluation of the effectiveness of
the online distance course assessment schemes and comparison to the results achieved by students in
the residential equivalents to these courses. This would allow better judgments to be made regarding
the best principles and methods for success in this context. With these improvements to this study,
researchers would be able to make firmer conclusions regarding the efficacy of various assessment
principles and methods in the online distance context, as well as determine the validity of the
recommendations the authors found in the literature.

his study also raised interesting

questions regarding the assessment
schemes adopted by the
developers of online distance
courses. In order to draw more
substantial conclusions and paint a
more
accurate picture of the state of
online course assessment, the
authors recommend that a follow-on
study incorporate the following
measures:
• A more thorough and rigorous
review of the assessment schemes in
place in all
online distance courses at the
University. Such a procedure would
yield a more
balanced view of the programs
evaluated here as well as the entire
university than the
authors’ limited convenience
sample.
• More depth of analysis by
investigating the rationales of the
course developers for
coming up with the assessment
scheme in place. This would likely
include interview
/ survey data of the faculty and staff
involved in distance education.
• Evaluation of the effectiveness
of the online distance course
assessment schemes and
comparison to the results achieved
by students in the residential
equivalents to these
courses. This would allow better
judgments to be made regarding the
best principles
and methods for success in this
context.
With these improvements to this
study, researchers would be able to
make firmer conclusions
regarding the efficacy of various
assessment principles and methods
in the online distance context, as
well as determine the validity of the
recommendations the authors found
in the literature.
his study also raised interesting
questions regarding the assessment
schemes adopted by the
developers of online distance
courses. In order to draw more
substantial conclusions and paint a
more
accurate picture of the state of
online course assessment, the
authors recommend that a follow-on
study incorporate the following
measures:
• A more thorough and rigorous
review of the assessment schemes in
place in all
online distance courses at the
University. Such a procedure would
yield a more
balanced view of the programs
evaluated here as well as the entire
university than the
authors’ limited convenience
sample.
• More depth of analysis by
investigating the rationales of the
course developers for
coming up with the assessment
scheme in place. This would likely
include interview
/ survey data of the faculty and staff
involved in distance education.
• Evaluation of the effectiveness
of the online distance course
assessment schemes and
comparison to the results achieved
by students in the residential
equivalents to these
courses. This would allow better
judgments to be made regarding the
best principles
and methods for success in this
context.
With these improvements to this
study, researchers would be able to
make firmer conclusions
regarding the efficacy of various
assessment principles and methods
in the online distance context, as
well as determine the validity of the
recommendations the authors found
in the literature.
This study also raised interesting
questions regarding the assessment
schemes adopted by the
developers of online distance
courses. In order to draw more
substantial conclusions and paint a
more
accurate picture of the state of
online course assessment, the
authors recommend that a follow-on
study incorporate the following
measures:
• A more thorough and rigorous
review of the assessment schemes in
place in all
online distance courses at the
University. Such a procedure would
yield a more
balanced view of the programs
evaluated here as well as the entire
university than the
authors’ limited convenience
sample.
• More depth of analysis by
investigating the rationales of the
course developers for
coming up with the assessment
scheme in place. This would likely
include interview
/ survey data of the faculty and staff
involved in distance education.
• Evaluation of the effectiveness
of the online distance course
assessment schemes and
comparison to the results achieved
by students in the residential
equivalents to these
courses. This would allow better
judgments to be made regarding the
best principles
and methods for success in this
context.
With these improvements to this
study, researchers would be able to
make firmer conclusions
regarding the efficacy of various
assessment principles and methods
in the online distance context, as
well as determine the validity of the
recommendations the authors found
in the literatur