Page 168 - Composition in Convergence The Impact of the New Media on Writing Assessment

HOT AND COOL TECHNOLOGIES 135

well as continuity to direct us. A desire path for technological con-
vergence suggests that evaluation is as much of a journey as the
processes connected to writing an e-text.
More pragmatically, desire paths for assessing e-texts are
grounded in the traces and details that offer helpful statements that
such-and-so genuinely exists, regardless of whether that character-
istic is positive or negative or whether the writer's purpose is to in-
form or to entertain. The following desire paths emerged as I
evaluated the writing produced in Room 25:

• My comments continually arose from direct learning situa-
tions to provide feedback that motivated students to improve
their efforts. Students solicited more of my comments earlier in
the process to help them learn how to conduct self-assessment
as the courses progressed. Students understood where they
were in the course without constant reference to grades.
• There are always volumes of information to draw on to illumi-
nate points or to address concerns. Consequently, I find myself
working harder to improve the quality of my instruction to fa-
cilitate student learning.
• My assessment processes are completely integrated with my
instruction. The students' evaluations originate wholly from
their online written work, which is visible to all. To gain outside
perspectives, some classes adopted the exhibition model to
show their sites to friends, colleagues, and family during the
construction phases. All other aspects of the students' writing
for the semester, from the list discussions to the MOO and web
site projects, were entirely classroom generated and archived.
Archiving the work meant I could trace each student's progress
carefully.
• A rich variety of data from which to evaluate students' learning
developed and was easily accessible to anyone who asked.
• As classes progress, students are asked to collaborate on changes
to correct any real or perceived deficiencies in the courses. In-
volving students in the modification of a computer-enhanced
class helped establish positive cooperation between students and
the instructor and promoted assessment reform.
• The curriculum became more pliable within the boundaries of
the course proposals to respond to different student abilities
and comfort levels with technology.