SORT Assessment

Description:

Completing an online learning readiness assessment and discussing the individual results on the discussion board is one way to begin to build a community of learners. The online SORT Assessment identifies for students what is needed for success in an online educational environment.

Assignment:Assessing Online Readiness:

It’s always a good idea to understand the technology proficiency levels of your online learners as early in your course as possible.

Step One: Please complete this brief web survey, so that I'll know your name, geographic location, current educational setting, interest in online learning and preferred email address right away! Be sure to copy and paste the URL into a new browser page or hold down the shift key when you click on the link to open it in a new browser page.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dE9kRWFsTmNSUmtYaC1oS1RYUWl2M0E6MQ

Step Two: Please read Online Student Support Services: A Best Practices Monograph. There are a number of really good assessments highlighted in the article! The article may be accessed through http://www.onlinestudentsupport.org/Monograph/readiness.php.

Step Three: Please read the article and then take Dr. Lynn Schrum’s Student Online Readiness Tool (SORT) which is available online at http://yourcallla.org/sort-tool/html/tool.html (If the link doesn't work here, copy and paste the URL into a new browser page.) Be sure to make note of strengths and weaknesses as you take the exam.

Step Four: When you have completed the SORT assessment, please access my survey form and enter your strengths and weaknesses as prompted. https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDdIZnpKaW9fWFdLRWdqOFBCSDdWVUE6MQ

Step Five: When you have completed reading the article and taking the SORT assessment, access the Online Readiness Discussion Forum to write a short paragraph for each of the following:

• • Describe your current educational setting. Are you a practitioner or pre-service teacher? What is your current teaching assignment or major field of study? What is your interest in teaching online?

  • Compare and contrast any two of the assessments described in the article, discussing which features you feel would be most relevant to your present or future students.

  • Share the results of your SORT assessment. What are your strengths and weaknesses in terms of being prepared for online learning? Be sure to include any areas in which you feel you may need assistance or advice. Please respond to at least three other's postings.

My Work:

Describe your current educational setting. Are you a practitioner or pre-service teacher? What is your current teaching assignment or major field of study?

I teach third grade in an upper/middle income school in Sacramento, CA, where I have taught for 15 years. I taught second grade for 10 years and first grade for three years prior to the past two years in third grade. Our school district is suffering during the current economic climate (potential furloughs, etc.), but our strong, resourceful PTA helps to smooth out some of the bumps for our school. During the past few years, they have purchased IWBs and projectors for every classroom as well as laptops on carts for shared classroom use. They most recently remodeled our school library.

What is your interest in teaching online?

I think online teaching is a model for learning that is a growing trend in education. For many students, it is a perfect option: it allows students to work at their own pace, work around other schedules, and when they "get it", they can move on. I have a friend who is working with high school students who are "at high risk" of not graduating from high school. His program is a hybrid of online learning and individual f2f tutoring/mentoring. He is amazed by the positive attitude and high motivation of these students who had been completely unsuccessful in the traditional classroom. I find that so interesting and so encouraging.

Compare and contrast any two of the assessments described in the article, discussing which features you feel would be most relevant to your present or future students.

After reading the Student Readiness paper, it seemed that many of the assessments had similar themes but with perhaps different emphasis. When comparing the University of Georgia's SORT tool to the San Antonio College Model, there were some similarities and differences. The SORT tool (as we all found out) is a quick and easy assessment that comprehensively measures student readiness for online learning. It provides immediate feedback and provides links to information on the Web for support. For some students, however, this may not be enough support. The San Antonio College Model also offers a 9-item self-assessment tool with an immediate brief advising report. However, SAC provides very specific tutorials for basic computer skills, Web-based library use, and a "how to" course for online learning. Students at SAC also have access to the campus Internet Skills Center. It seemed that the University of Georgia emphasized the prediction of online success and San Antonio emphasized remediation of skills to make students ready for online success. The SORT assessment might be more relevant for my current and future students. Younger students--the digital natives--most often use their intuition and problem-solve technology as they go. The San Antonio College Model would be perfect for community colleges that cater to students who may be returning to school and did not "grow up with" technology.

Share the results of your SORT assessment. What are your strengths and weaknesses in terms of being prepared for online learning? Be sure to include any areas in which you feel you may need assistance or advice.

Considering that I am near the end of my Masters course work in Ed. Tech, it is not surprising to me that the assessment found me well suited to the online learning environment. If I had taken this test 18 months ago, I am sure I would have been far less confident in my abilities--especially with troubleshooting problems.

My Scenario:

I want to make sure that all potential students assess their readiness for taking an online class. I will make the SORT assessment available to all interested students and their parents prior to enrolling in this course.