Introduction

OnTrack is a web assessment tool. Originally created to support a task oriented approach to portfolio assessment, it can support many different types of assessment models.

OnTrack helps students achieve their learning outcomes by taking the focus away from grades and placing the importance on learning. In OnTrack, students complete tasks to learn content, develop skills, and develop dispositions. Students complete assessment tasks and submit them for feedback during the teaching period. They are therefore learning through completing tasks and engaging in feedback dialogues with the teaching team. Grading takes place only at the end of a teaching period, when the full portfolio of tasks is submitted.

OnTrack also promotes having different tasks for different achievement levels. This serves multiple purposes, the most important of which is ensuring all students meet the minimum learning outcomes by completing the compulsory pass tasks. This also allows students to work at their pace, with some students completing, in the same amount of time, only the tasks related to the minimum learning outcomes, while others extend their knowledge to meet their aspirations without a ceiling, able to rely on the support of the expert teaching team. In addition, knowing students’ expectations, the teaching team can target their feedback to the expected level of the task and the aspirations of the student, ensuring their efforts and expertise are maximised.