Bridges of Trust: Towards a Constructive Model for Assessing Web-Based and Electronic Learning

The current research aim was to develop a constructive model for assessing web-based and electronic learning as an attempt to build bridges of trust in web-based and e-learning outcomes. The proposed model was developed in the light of the learning assumptions of the constructive theory and the cognitive theory. The targeted model – the Bridges of Trust Model – includes four levels of assessment: assessment of awareness, assessment of initiative, assessment of depth of meaning, and assessment of meaning construction. Within these levels, the researcher presented six processes reflecting the types of constructive assessment of web-based and e-learning. These types are: 1) assessment of manipulations, 2) assessment of outcomes, 3) assessment of cooperation, 4) assessment of transformation, 5) assessment of context, and 6) assessment of reflection. The model was piloted on a sample of students in the distance teaching and training program in the Arabian Gulf University. The pilot study proved that the model is valid and generalizable. In addition, this paper will be of benefit to people looking for pedagogical applications of web-based and electronic learning environments for developing multiple ways to express what online learners should know and be able to do.