A Bloom´s Online Assessment Test (BOAT) to assess student learning outcome in a distance engineering education course

As the distance learning environment has evolved into a more convenient and simple to use teaching platform in recent days, but student assessment instrument of most institutions do not follow any concrete model or protocol, when delivering a distance course. Educational institutions worldwide are recognizing that teaching core courses in the curriculum alone is not sufficient to equip students for the knowledge economy. To be prepared for the demands of the knowledge economy, students “need to know” on how to use their knowledge and skills - by thinking critically, applying knowledge to new situations, analyzing information, comprehending new ideas, communicating, collaborating, solving problems, and making decisions. The paper proposes an assessment test called Bloom´s Online Assessment Test (BOAT) for a distance education course on the basis of Cognitive learning based on Blooms Taxonomy. By using Bloom´s Online Assessment Test (BOAT) proposed in the paper, educators can assess students on multiple learning outcomes that are aligned to different objectives of their course as they seemed fit. Within each level of the taxonomy, there are various tasks that move students through the thought process. The author strongly believe that BOAT test will serve as a guide and good assessment instrument for current and future instructors when developing an Online course, although it will also fit to any regular face-face classroom teaching environment with some modifications. A case study of a distance education course Circuit Analysis is presented at the end of the paper to better understand the Blooms Online Assessment Test (BOAT) assessment procedure.