Alternatives to written assignments in online education can improve student engagement, satisfaction, and learning capacity.This presentation will include a demonstration of Storify, a digit curation tool, used to create engaging student assignments.Viewing of sample student assignments and tips for creating assignments using Storify will be shared.
Some of the most common ways students demonstrate competency in online education is through written assignments, and performance on tests or quizzes. However, research supports the value of using a variety of assessment methods to improve student motivation, satisfaction and learning capacity (Bailey, Hendricks, & Applewhite, 2015; Gayton & McEwen, 2007; Palloff & Pratt, 2009). The level of student engagement and satisfaction is influenced by student-perceived enjoyment of the learning experience, the meaningfulness of content, and the applicability of course content to practice. Specifically, students prefer assignments that deviate from traditional papers and examinations, and those that make use of available technologies (Bailey et al., 2015). Storify, a tool used to create digital narratives or stories using social media, is one such technology that has been used to enhance student learning and critical thinking (Mihailidis & Cohen, 2013).
Based upon this information, Storify was used to create an engaging assignment for students in an online doctoral program. Students used Storify to curate their conceptualization of their doctoral capstone projects. This process deviated from the other writing-intensive assignments in the course by allowing each student to explore social media for evidence of the problem he/she hoped to address in the project and to create a virtual story to justify the need for the project.
This presentation will include a demonstration of the Storify application, how to sign up for a free account, as well as viewing of sample student assignments and tips for creating assignments using this application. Attendees will be encouraged to sign up for a Storify account, explore the application, and share potential uses in their settings during an interactive discussion during the session.
At the conclusion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Describe the benefits of using alternatives to traditional written assignments in online education, to promote student engagement and learning.
- Understand basic features of Storify, a tool used to create stories using social media.
- Create a short story/narrative using Storify.
- Brainstorm possible student assignments utilizing Storify, to improve student motivation, satisfaction, and learning capacity.
Key References:
Bailey, S., Hendricks, S., & Applewhite, S. (2015). Student perspectives of assessment strategies in online courses. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 13(3), 112-125.
Gayton, J., & McEwen, B.C. (2007). Effective online instructional and assessment strategies. American Journal of Distance Education, 21(3), 117-132.
Mihailidis, P., & Cohen, J.N. (2013). Exploring curation as a core competency in digital and media literacy education. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 1-19.
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2009). Assessing the online learner: Resources and strategies for faculty. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.