127 1. ON-LINE ASSESSMENT FOR E-LEARNING: OPTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES Karran, Terence 1.1. Why is assessment important for e-learning? The desire to produce educational multi-media packages of ever greater sophistica- tion is such that other, more problematic, elements of e- or on- line learning receive less attention by academics and courseware developers alike. One such problematic area is that of assessment, which is surprising given that, as Ramsden has succinctly observed “assessment always defines the actual curriculum.” 1 Moreover, e-learning assessment procedures are more critical in defining the learning that takes place because “Coordinators and deliverers of online units of study have a different set of restrictions and advantages compared to the more traditional forms of delivery.” 2 Hence, Graham argues, e-learning requires two types of feedback, “information feed- back” and “acknowledgement feedback.” The former provides information or evalua- tion, such as an assignment grade and comments, and is also present with face-to-face delivery. The latter “acknowledgement feedback” confirms that an event has occurred – as Graham points out “in a face-to-face course, acknowledgement feedback is usu- ally implicit. Eye contact, for example, indicates that the instructor has heard a stu- dent’s comments; seeing a completed assignment in the instructor’s hands confirms receipt.” 3 Unlike face-to-face delivery, e-learning courses lack such tacit and latent feedback, which hence has to be supplied by other means – with the tutor ensuring that students are given rapid feedback that (say) the tutor has received an assignment from a student. Regrettably, “neglecting acknowledgement feedback in online courses is common, because such feedback involves purposeful effort.” 4 However, because e-learning can create a much richer, more varied active learning experience than would normally occur via the passive didactic teaching mode cur- rently utilised in most universities and centred on the use of the lecture, it also has the 1. Ramsden, P. (1992). Learning to Teach in Higher Education. (London: Routledge), p.187 2. Northcote, M., Kendle, A., (2000) “Online assessment techniques for Indigenous learners”, paper presented at The Biennial Australian Indigenous Education Conference, Fremantle, Western Australia 3-7 April, 2000, p.5. 3. Graham, C., Cagiltay, K., Lim, B., Craner, J., Duffy, T., (2001) “Seven Principles of Effective Teaching: A Practical Lens for Evaluating Online Courses. ” The Technology Source, March/April 2001, p.5 4. Ibid.,