Abstract

As a part of the Geology 101 online lab, I have students share a video blog of themselves describing what they did or what they learned by doing the labs. They choose the mode of presentation and submit a URL to the blog space in Blackboard and it counts as 50% of their lab grade. I have found that I can better understand what they did or didn't learn from the lab by watching the video. It is also validation that they did the lab themselves. I can not only grade this blog, but I can engage in dialog with the student about the material.

Context

I use this technique to 1) gauge the learner's comprehension of the lessons and 2) validate their participation in the lab activity. The target audience is students in a 2-year Associate's Degree program, primarily those in our University Transfer program.

Why It Works

I think that students, knowing that they must do this blog for 50% of their grade in lab (lab makes up 30% of their overall course grade) will make sure that they can speak extemporaneously about the topic. It's also a better way for me to assess their learning than with either a quiz or a written lab report. It's also a great way for me to give them direct feedback related to their strengths or weaknesses in performing the lab.