The document discusses various "A" words related to online education: assessment, analytics, applications, academic honesty, accountability, and aftermath. It provides potential meanings and definitions for each word, examples of how they apply to online learning, and considers questions about managing their use and impact in an educational context. The overall message is that these concepts work together to help educators employ effective assessment strategies, analyze data, apply tools and content honestly while maintaining accountability, all with the goal of ensuring students learn as intended and there are positive outcomes.

1. The A’s Have IT:
What Do These “A” Words
Really Mean?
* Assessment
* Analytics
* Applications
* Academic Honesty
* Accountability and * Aftermath
Presented by Dr. Cindy Hoss C2C Symposium April 20, 2012

2. ???? Question 1 ????
Do these “A” words mean, that:
• accountability drives applications to
assessment and assessment to
analytics which leaves no one with
academic honesty left standing in the
aftermath?

3. ???? Question 2 ????
OR
Do these “A” words mean, that:
• aftermath means we have applied
academic honesty and are
accountable to assessment analytics;
thus we have satisfied endless
reporting requirements?

4. ???? Question 3 ????
OR
Do these “A” words mean, that:
• academic honesty is assessed and
applied to an analysis of
accountability thus producing
equilibrium in the aftermath—
and all is one in harmony?

5. YOUR TURN
• Go ahead make a sentence with the “A”
WORDS . . . .
• Definition helps both concept formation, one
aspect of critical thinking.

6. ???? Bigger Questions ????
OR Like our students,
• How do we manage prior learning about these words?
Depth—breadth -- accuracy
• How do we think and learn?
Big picture -- piece at a time
Whole—sequential
Verbal—imagery
Surface—deep
• How do we manage our learning self-efficacy?
Capable of succeeding
Willing to try
Attitude
Not worried about errors
Willing to assume effort

7. Etymology and Word Origin
Our group of “A” words came into being:
Application(s) early 15th century Middle English
Aftermath 1520 Germanic
Assessment 1540 Middle English
Accountability 1580 Old French
Academic 1580 French
Honesty early 14th century French
Analytic (logic term) 1590-1600 Middle Latin/Greek

8. Historical Beginnings
Source: Online Etymology Dictionary
• Assessment . . . estimation. . . evaluation of nature, value, or quality
• Analytic . . . dissolved . . . . unloose . . . dissect each points
• Applications . . . fold or fasten to . . . joining or attached
• Academic . . . relating to the academy, theoretical, not practical,
not leading to a decision
Honesty. . . honor received from others. . . reputation, character
• Accountability . . . called into account . . . to be explained or
understandable
• Aftermath . . . mowing--a 2nd crop after 1st crop has been harvested

9. “A” Word Synonyms
Source: Thesaurus.com
• Assessment—appraisal, judgment, computation, estimation,
recognition of worth
• Analytics—big data from various sources to make better,
faster decisions, and automate processes
• Application—use, hard work, approach, appeal, bearing,
attention, administration
• Academic—highbrow, intellectual, savant, scholarly
Honesty—truthfulness, straightforwardness
• Accountability—burden, fault, liability, millstone, obligation,
duty, culpability, Herculean task
• Aftermath—consequence, effect, eventuality, outcome, result

10. “A”s
in Education
• Assessment—examining student learning
• Analytics—exploring/analyzing trend data
• Applications—(context dependent) software or
learning that is both thinking and doing
• Academic Honesty—integrity in the learning process
• Accountability—documentation/proof
• Aftermath—consequences or outcomes

11. “Assessment” in an online
environment?
Assessment means (examining)
• Processes to document and improve student
learning in online delivery
• ongoing faculty development assists with online
toolbox to assess and evaluate learning
• regular student assessment/evaluation in online
courses; students perform as well (or better) than
students in traditional courses

12. “Analytics” support of
online teaching/learning?
Analytics means (trend data across time/sections)
• consistency of content in the form of outcomes
• student evaluations with plans for improvement
• faculty development interventions in course shells
• clear indicators of student persistence, completion,
and retention rates (similar to traditional-delivery)

13. “Applications” in an
online environment?
Application means (joined)
• Course differentiation based on content,
pedagogy and delivery
• Courses include same quantity/quality
interaction as traditional courses
• Faculty/students participate/equally involved in
communication and feedback

14. “Academic honesty” in
online education?
Academic honesty (truthfulness) means
• students receive orientation about the differences/
expectations
-- course content
-- writing
-- participation/interaction
-- technology
• students follow same academic honesty policy/with
similar consequences
• security (student verification of identity)

15. “Accountability” in an
online environment?
Accountability means (explainable/understandable) that:
• Courses/programs are mission-driven
• Infrastructure exists at a quality level to sustain/enhance
capacity, delivery, and service
• Complaints are circumstantial/not repetitious
• Quality improvement process involves ongoing analytics
• Most importantly, student learning objectives reflect
documented gain in outcomes

16. “Aftermath”
• Strategic planning looks forward to future needs of
online service, programming, and delivery
• Online delivery maximizes engagement of both
faculty/students in rich contextual teaching/
learning
• Second (and third, and fourth. . .) crop is as plentiful
as the first—students persist/successfully complete

17. “A” Definition
These “A” words do mean:
• that as educators, we will employ assessment strategies
including applications,
• with academic honesty in both teaching/learning to develop
and enhance our online delivery analytics (trend data)
• to sustain/improve our educational accountability with
students, college/community members, peer institutions,
accreditors/ regulators, business/industry, and taxpayers
• to produce a positive aftermath (student have learned what
they came to learn).

18. “A” Final Word
Thank you for listening!