• Use multiple assessment tools to evaluate student learning online.young woman making an online purchase image by Paul Hill from Fotolia.com
  
  Online classes lack the face-to-face interactions that occur between teachers and students in a traditional classroom environment. Therefore, teachers of online classes need to use a variety of student assessment techniques to evaluate student learning. Frances A. Levin stresses the importance of using multiple types of assessments throughout the unit to identify and address student weaknesses, so students don't fail.
  
  

Tests/Quizzes

• Just like traditional classroom teachers, teachers of online classes can use objective tests and quizzes to evaluate student learning. California Polytechnic State University defines objective tests as exams that include true/false, matching, multiple choice or fill-in-the-blank questions with only one correct answer. Online test and quiz grades provide teachers with factual information on student learning. For example, a student with a poor test grade does not demonstrate understanding of the subject's basic facts, such as relevant dates, vocabulary terms and formulas.
  
  

Class Discussion Board

• Internet use in an online course allows the teacher to monitor student discussions in a different way than classroom discussions. Teachers of online classes can assess student learning by creating a class discussion board and posting topics relevant to the subject matter. Students post responses to the topics and discuss questions with each other on the class discussion board. For assessment, teachers monitor the board by reading and evaluating every student's posts for grammar, content and understanding.
  
  

Self-Assessment

• Students can step back and evaluate their own learning in an online class. The Center for Development and Learning states that student self-assessment affects student performance because it encourages self-efficacy and the motivation to learn. Teachers can encourage self-assessment online by instructing each student to create a blog. This blog acts as a student journal in response to the subject matter. Students should write in the blog daily or weekly over the course of the unit, while the teacher monitors each entry.
  
  

Portfolio

• A portfolio, an organized collection of independent work, lets students show some creativity in an online class. For this type of assessment, teachers work with students to select portfolio content, guidelines and grading criteria. The portfolio assessment tool allows students to work independently throughout the duration of the unit. At the end of the term, students submit completed portfolios to the teacher. Teachers must grade each student's portfolio according to the requirements previously agreed upon.