What are your students learning? Classroom Assessment Strategies

Center for Teaching & Learning

Oregon State University

http://oregonstate.edu/ctl

Learning Outcomes

Participants will:

1. Identify seven principles of good practice in undergraduate education.

2. Understand differences between evaluation & assessment.

3. Become familiar with formative assessment strategies, techniques and tools.

4. Identify assessment tools to use in the classroom2

Assessment Focuses on Learning

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“There is no such thing as effective teaching in the absence of learning. Teaching without learning is just talking.”

Angelo, T., & Cross, K. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques.

Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education

1) Encourages contact between students & faculty

2) Develops reciprocity & cooperation among students

3) Encourages active learning

3) Gives prompt feedback on performance

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Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education

5) Emphasizes time-on-task

6) Communicates high expectations

7) Respects diverse talents & ways of learning

(A. Chickering & Z. Gamson, AAHE Bulletin, March 1987)

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Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education

So what’s assessment

and how is it different from evaluation?

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Evaluation vs. Assessment

Evaluation: “A judgment or determination of the quality of a performance, product, or use of a process against a set of standards.”

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Evaluation vs. Assessment

Assessment: “The process of measuring a performance, a work, a product, learning

skills and attitudes, and giving feedback to an assessee which documents growth and provides directives to improve future performance.”

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What Do Evaluations Tell You ?

According to these course mid-term grades (100 points possible) why did Silone and Phillips not do as well as their peers?

Williams 65 Thompson 86 Phillips 45 Roberts 49 Silone 38 Vaughn 59

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Assessment Provides Feedback to the Learner

“Feedback is information that provides the performer with direct, usable insights into current performance, based on tangible differences between current performance and hoped for performance.”

Wiggins, G. (1993). Assessing student performance.

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Feedback for Learning

• Assessment can be formative or summative.

• The best assessment is formative never merely summative.

• Formative assessment gives both instructor and learners information on learning before and between tests and major projects.

• The best assessment provides information that the recipient can use for improvement.11

Formative Assessment

• Can be informal, quick and easy

• Used on the fly to measure student understanding, misconceptions, etc.

• Not graded (but may receive credit)

• Used to gather information about student learning to inform instruction

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Assessment Strategy in Practice

Think-Pair-ShareDirections:

1. Think: Take a minute to recall as many of the 7 principles for good practice in undergraduate education as you can.

2. Pair up with your neighbor and share what you recall. Between the two of you how many of the 7 principles can you both remember? (2 minutes)

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Selecting Assessment Tools

Assessment Project Cycle:(Following outline provided in Angelo, T., & Cross, K. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques: A handbook for college teachers.)

a.Identify one specific course to assessb.Identify your teaching goals, and use these to identify learning outcomes and assessment toolsc.Complete the Teaching Goals Inventory and choose assessment toold.Apply the assessment toole.Analyze the dataf.Respond to results

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Formative Assessment Strategies

Assess beliefs, prior knowledge, recall, & understanding:Self-perception and prior knowledge surveys

Attitudes quiz

Muddiest Point

Empty Outlines

Minute Paper

Applications Cards

Assess skill in analysis and critical thinking:Categorizing Grid

Defining Features Matrix15

Effective Assessment

• Provides feedback and development opportunities.

• Involves both instructor and learners.

• Is embedded in teaching and learning.

• Is mutually beneficial.

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Getting Started with Classroom Assessment: 5 Suggestions

1. Appeal to your intuition and professional judgment as a teacher.

2. Don’t make classroom assessment into a self-inflicted chore or burden.

3. Try any/each assessment technique on yourself and colleagues first.

4. Allow for more time than you think you will need to carry out and respond to the assessment.

5. Make sure to “close the loop.”

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Thank you

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