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McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
Assessing Student Learning in
Seminars
Graduate Student University Teaching
Conference
August 2014
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
What is your level of familiarity with
learning outcomes?
“What’s a learning
outcome?”
“I’ve written a few.”
“I have Bloom’s taxonomy
memorized!”
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
Outcome versus Objective
• During this workshop, participants will: • Discuss the importance of assessing student learning.
• Consider a learner-centered planning and
assessment model.
• Explore how activity-based assessment can be used
to assess student learning.
• Brainstorm a variety of activities that link learning
outcomes to assessment.
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
Outcome versus Objective
• By the end of this workshop, participants
will be able to: • Identify immediate and long-term assessment
methods of student learning.
• Evaluate and select appropriate assessment activities
based on their applicability to participant’s own
instruction and student need.
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
Learner-Centered
Assessment Model
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
Justification for Model
• Lesson planning should be learner-centered• This model keeps learner needs central to the
process of planning, implementing, and assessing a lesson or a unit.
• Lesson planning should be cyclical in nature: • A lesson or unit always requires reexamination
and redevelopment
• Students needs are always changing, and lessons must be adapted to better accommodate and assist students in their learning
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
1. Needs Assessment
• Student needs are • Determined through regular classroom activities
(activity-based assessments)
• Determined upon completion of the first iteration (any iteration) of a lesson
• Needs assessments should be ongoing and regular• Constant process of reevaluating student needs
based on instruction and assessment
• The purpose of conducting assessment is, partly, to determine student need
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
Examples of Needs Assessments
• Pre-assessment (pre-test) activities
• Mind maps
• Stop light
• Questioning via a large group discussion
• Post-assessment activities (these also
demonstrate student need)
• 1 minute papers
• Muddiest point discussions
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
2. Develop Learning Outcomes
• What is a learning outcome versus a learning objective?
• Learning Outcomes: • express what the students/participants should be
able to do upon completion of the workshop, program, course or class (Battersby, 1999).
• “are direct statements that describe the essential and enduring disciplinary knowledge and abilities that students should possess, and the depth of learning that is expected upon completion of a program or course” (Kenny and Damarais, 2010).
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
3. Develop Assessment Strategies
• What are assessment strategies?
• “Methods of collecting information about the
progress of students in specific learning
activities.”
(MacKeracher, paraphrased from Angelo and Cross, 1993).
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
Activity- Assessing Student
Learning
Small group discussion:
• A. Why do it?
• B. What are the benefits?
• C. What are the complexities?
• D. What are some types of assessment?
(provide examples of each type)
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
Assessment
• Provides information on what learning
outcomes students are able to achieve
• Provides information on how well students
are achieving learning outcomes
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
Importance of Activity-Based
Assessment (see Handout Section 2)
• It is formative • Helps learners self-correct
• Clarifies good performance and expectations
• It is engaging • Encourages interaction, discussion and
participation
• It allows for student reflection• Allows students to reflect on their progress and
learning (self-assessment)
• Motivates students and promotes self-esteem
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
Importance of Activity-Based
Assessment
• It shapes your teaching
• Allows teachers to be aware of student need
and adapt teaching to meet those needs
• Allows teachers to gauge student attainment
of learning outcomes
• “Provides opportunities to close the gap
between current and desired [student]
performances”(Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick,
2006).
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
Importance of Activity-Based
Assessment
• Every student should have the capacity to achieve the learning outcomes; however, the way in which they achieve the outcomes and the time it takes them to achieve the outcomes will differ from student to student.
• This is why formative assessment and in-class activity-based assessments are necessary and important.
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
Activity:
Evaluating Activity-Based
Assessment Techniques (see Handout Section 3)
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
Bloom’s Taxonomy
(What does the activity assess?)
• This will help you to match or align your
activity to your learning outcomes.
• Knowledge
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
Assessment Strategies(How to assess student learning during CATs)
• What should you, as the instructor, be doing to assess student learning during classroom activities?
• Monitoring and observation
• Collection of any work produced (e.g. 1 minute papers)
• Informal record keeping
• Student feedback forms
• Questioning • Muddiest point
• Concept Checking Questions (CCQs)
• Pre-Post Needs Assessments • Start of Class – create a list of student concerns
• End of Class – return to list and ensure all concerns are addressed
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this seminar,
students will be able to:
Classroom Assessment
Technique
What are you doing during
the CAT?
1. Identify the main concepts in
the assigned reading.
Pro and Con Grid
- Students identify the
advantages and
disadvantages raised by the
author
- Students work independently
and then in a large class
discussion
2. Develop a critical opinion of
the assigned reading.
- Answering critical thinking
questions in pairs, then
presenting their findings
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
Activity:
Aligning Learning Outcomes to
Assessment (see Handout Section 4)
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
References
• Program Planning Model
Caffarella, Rosemary and Daffron, Sandra. (2013). Planning Programs for Adult Learners: A Practical Guide, Third Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Sork, Thomas and Newman, Mike. (2004). Program Development in Adult Education and Training.Dimensions of Adult Learning. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/athabasca
• Learning Outcomes and Assessment
Battersby, Mark. (1999). “So, What’s a Learning Outcome Anyway?” Centre for Curriculum, Transfer, and Technology.
Kenny, Natasha and Dasmarais, Serge. (2010). A Guide to Developing and Assessing Learning Outcomes at the University of Guelph.
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
References • Activity-Based Instruction
Angelo, Thomas and Cross, Patricia (1993). Classroom assessmenttechniques: A handbook for college teachers (2nd edition) as
paraphrased by MacKeracher, Dorothy.“ClassroomAssessment Techniques.” Centre for Enhanced Teaching and Learning, UNB Fredericton.
MacKeracher, Dorothy. “Classroom Assessment Techniques.”Centre for Enhanced Teaching and Learning, UNB
Fredericton.
• Bloom’s Taxonomy
Center for University Teaching, Learning and Assessment, http://uwf.edu/cutla/SLO/ActionWords.pdf
McLaughlin Library ● www.lib.uoguelph.ca
Contact Information
• Laura SchnableggerEnglish-as-an-Additional Language Specialist
Learning and Curriculum Support Team
Learning Commons, McLaughlin Library, University of Guelph
519-824-4120 ext. 52086