Patrick Stalljohann

Utilizing a workflow engine to manage semi-automatic correction processes across domains

Workflows are a common model for the description how business processes are done. This paper discusses an approach how workflow engines, which were constructed for handling business processes, can be used to model, develop and handle processes for (semi-)automatic commenting and grading of assignment submissions. Solutions to open-ended questions cannot be corrected automatically in general, but several systems allow a semi-automatic pre-correction for assignments in a specific domain. These systems are mostly re-implementing standard functionality to add a single feature in a completely newly developed system. An approach for modularization of correction process is presented to increase the reusability of functionality. A prototype demonstrates how this approach can be realized by the use of a workflow engine.

Formatives Assessment in offenen, informellen, vernetzten Lernszenarien

Summary While assessment with closed questions is supported by current Learning Management Systems, there are still shortcomings in formative feedback regarding open-ended tasks. Furthermore, new types of interaction and collaboration in online learning environments have emerged in the last years. This contribution discusses three research questions that have to be answered in order to embed the new forms of assessment in institutional education. Zusammenfassung Während Assessment mit geschlossenen Aufgaben von gängigen Lern-Management-Systemen unterstützt wird, gibt es noch Forschungsbedarf bei formativem Feedback zu offenen Aufgaben. Gleichzeitig haben sich in den letzten Jahren neue Arten der Interaktion und Kollaboration in Online-Lernumgebungen herausgebildet. In diesem Beitrag werden drei Forschungsfragen diskutiert, die es zu beantworten gilt, um die neuen Formen des Assessment in der institutionalisierten Lehre zu verankern.

A rule-based group management tool - supporting organizational processes for collaborative learning activities in higher education

With a shift to new teaching approaches based on modern learning theories like constructivism and connectivism, collaborative learning gets increasingly important. A basic requirement for collaborative activities is the formation of groups. This has to be taken into consideration for the development of tools supporting collaborative activities. Besides standard grouping functionalities, formal learning scenarios in higher education often require additional constraints for grouping, especially in the context of assessment. Thus, the objective of the project presented in the paper at hand was to create a tool to support rule-based grouping processes, which can be used by different collaboration tools within a single platform.

A Portal-Based Gradebook - DAG-Based Definition of Assessment Criteria in Higher Education

Assessment activities play a central role in university courses. Several types and methods of assessment can be combined to (a) motivate students to actively participate in exercises and (b) to assess learning outcomes. This article presents an approach to implement IT-supported standard processes for managing assessment activities in higher education. A model that is based on a directed acyclic graph (DAG) is used to define a reusable and shareable format of assessment criteria. A prototypical implementation shows how this approach can be realized.