Paperless assessment via VLE: the pros and the cons

The aim of this short paper is to share our experience of paperless assessment using the submission facility provided in the Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). An important part of a tutor’s work is monitoring and assessing students’ work on modules of study, in order to measure progress and attainment. Assessment may be continuous throughout the module to help students progress by providing feedback on their learning, or it may be a final summative examination to measure attainment at the end of the module. Most modules make use of a combination of the two types of assessment. In the Research and Information Technology Skills (RITS) module in Salford Business School, we have endeavoured to use the Blackboard VLE to manage a portfolio of continuous assessment exercises and a final summative examination. This Level 1 module comprises activities to develop Information Communication Technology (ICT) and research skills, and is an important foundation for new students, both to encourage good study habits and to ensure that a minimum level of expertise in skills is achieved. Student numbers on this module were about 40 this year

Online IS Education for the 21st Century

Online teaching and learning have become increasingly common in higher educational institutions. These higher educational institutions realize the growing importance of online learning in information systems/information technology (IS/IT) education and are now offering online IS/IT courses and programs to students. However, designing, developing, teaching, and assessing an online IS/IT course effectively is often a challenge. Many IS/IT instructors are new to online teaching and need orientation and training for their own readiness in designing, developing, teaching, and assessing IS/IT courses in the online environment. It is recognized that effective faculty are key to student success in online courses and to the success of online programs (Meyer and Jones, 2012). Therefore, it is imperative that administrators and instructors of IS/IT courses and programs learn more of the best practices of online teaching for high student success. This support to instructors and administrators is the purpose of the Special Issue of the Journal of Information Systems Education

Curriculum analytics: Application of social network analysis for improving strategic curriculum decision-making in a research-intensive university

This paper provides insight into the use of curriculum analytics to enhance learning-centred curricula in diverse higher education contexts. Engagement in evidence-based practice to evaluate and monitor curricula is vital to the success and sustainability of efforts to reform undergraduate and graduate programs. Emerging technology-enabled inquiry methods have enormous potential to inform evidence-based practice in complex curriculum settings. For example, curriculum analytics, including data from student learning outcomes, graduate qualities, course selection and assessment activities, can be mined from various student learning systems and analysed to inform curriculum renewal strategies and demonstrate impact at both the program and course level. Curriculum analytics can serve to foster a culture of inquiry and scholarship regarding program improvements that is characterised by information sharing within and across disciplinary borders. This paper presents an innovative technology that draws on social network methodologies for assessing and visualising the integration and linkages across individual courses that ultimately form a student’s complete program of study. Insights are grounded in the literature and curriculum leadership experiences in a Canadian research-intensive university setting

UTILIZATION OF ANDROID TECHNOLOGY AS AN ALTERNATIVE MEDIA INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR HYBRID-BASED SCHOOL EXAMS

The rapid development of information technology on smartphones supported by Android technology can make it easier for users to access all information anywhere and anytime. Currently, many educational institutions use Android as a learning tool and information media as well as various implementations of online student assessments. One of them is the use of CBT (Computer Based Test) facilities. SMK Ma'arif 1 Sendangagung is located in the countryside far from the city centre or district. Implementing student exams/assessments at these school are still manual using paper which has many shortcomings. For example, the leakage of questions in the preparation of exam questions, duplicating and distributing question texts, cheating during the exam, and needing a lot of time to scan answer sheets, require a lot of money, energy, and time. Therefore, an android-based exam application system is needed to make it easier for teachers and students to carry out school exams and semester assessments in a hybrid manner. This research aims to design an Android-based exam application system to make it easier for teachers and students to take grades on students. The use of this technology also aims to make Ma'arif 1 Sendangagung Vocational School more advanced with the application of Android technology. The stages of the research method are first data collection, second data analysis, third application design, and fourth result report.  The results of this study are an Android School Examination Application at Maarif 1 Sendangagung Vocational School. The application was built using Delphi EMBARCADERO, Android SDK (Software Development Kit), Android Developer Tools (ADT), and Android Operating System: Froyo 2.2 with Google API SDK 25.2.5, Java, XML. This School Exam Android application can save time in the process of assessing student exam results and make it easier to check student score