Assessing Student Performance in Distance Education Courses: Implications for Testing Accommodations for Students with Learning Disabilities

In the virtual learning community of distance education, instructors must take into account the increased diversity of learners when determining assessment practices, test formats, and assessment strategies. This article highlights some of the defining characteristics of distance education courses and their impact on traditional assessment practices for instructors and students, including those with learning disabilities. Current diagnostic procedures, and psychoeducational reports in particular, typically offer little or no guidance on how to effectively assess students with learning disabilities in distance education courses. Understanding the interface between a technologically mediated environment and the cognitive processes involved in learning paves the way for more effective assessment of performance and more relevant evaluation reports for students with learning disabilities. The implications for adapting traditional test accommodations are also discussed.