QA4ODFL2/Assessment/Introduction
In Unit One, you learnt about how to make your course and the content relevant to your learners. The idea is to make learning attractive and relevant and the knowledge usable in one’s day to day activities. In this unit, you learn about assessment, an essential component of the curriculum, irrespective of the mode of provision. The unit will help you understand assessment as a way of supporting learning. Learner support is the interface between the institution and its students, (Sewart, 1993) . Experts in distance education perceive learner support as all the resources which learners can access in order to carry out planned learning processes, (Garrison and Bayton, 1987 cited in Usun, 2004) . Learners need support of different kinds. In Unit 4, you will learn how communication between the learner and the institution/teacher enhances learner support. If assessment is a strategy for supporting learners, you should appreciate the importance of making it an integral aspect of course/learning design and planning it upfront.
