MOOC Assessment and Grading

Because of the massiveness of the MOOC course, assessing learning and grading assignment is a big concern for me.  While there have been several potential solutions I struggle to believe there a clear cut method that effectively assessed learning for all students involved. As I read Davidson's (2009) article on crowdsource grading, subjectivity kept coming to mind.  Depending on the student's goals, relationships with their peers, and their classification  (i.e. freshman, etc.), the level of assessment will vary. I'm sure peer evaluation will offer some value to the learning process. However, from a student's perspective, I would not want that evaluation to determine the overall course grade. 

As I continued to think and read, I also concluded that every MOOC is not designed to have an exam or some form of assessment that requires a test. Some MOOCs may require more application of the material indicating an understanding of the content.  If this is the case, how do instructors or course designers factor that into the course development? This approach has more applicability and can generate ideas and conversations that can improve the overall learning experience.

This approach is what I believe will be used in my MOOC.  Because student engagement is so important to the online course experience, one way to access the participant's understanding of the content is to have them develop an engaging piece (or outline this in the form of storyboard, mind map, etc.) for their course.  This will allow them to receive feedback from their peers and maybe gain new ideas on how to engage students.  This form of assessment also enables meaningful conversation and collaboration amongst the participants.

Sources:

Davidson, C. (2009). How To crowdsource grading.