Title: Enhancing Standards of Excellence and the Assessment of Outcomes in Developmental Education
1Enhancing Standards of Excellence and the
Assessment of Outcomes in Developmental Education
- NADE CONFERENCE
- February 17, 2006
- James A. Anderson
- University at Albany SUNY
- jaanderson_at_uamail.albany.edu
2Integrated Model of Developmental Education
3Learning to participate in the classroom culture
- Clarify expectations (understand what the class
will and won't do as soon as possible) - Understand the difference between large lecture
classes VS. smaller ones VS. seminars - Assess the nature of classroom discussion (know
when it is encouraged and rewarded) - Be assertive and form or participate in a study
group - Practice metacognition
- reflect on how you think
- think about how confident you are c) identify
your own "bottlenecks" - Learn how to move from one learning style to one
more appropriate
4Profiling the Student Support Clientele
- What institutionally based information on student
needs and characteristics is utilized by student
support personnel? - What specific information about student
subpopulations (women, students of color,
nontraditional students, etc.) is utilized by
student support personnel? - What information about student culture, Faculty
concerns and campus climate is utilized by
student support personnel? - Describe a profile of the students who utilize
student support services the most/least? - Who benefits the most/least?
5Factors which effect effort
- Intensity of effort
- Level of concentration
- Willingness to make reasonable risks
- Perceptions of failure (especially unexpected
failure)
A.
Confident students
Encounter failure
Attribute it to lack of effort
Hence workharder
Encounter failure
Students who lack confidence
Decrease amount of effort invested
Attribute it to lack of ability
B.
Key Deliberately control expectations
6Diversity
- Social/Human Relational Skills and
Characteristics - Learning Styles/Strategies and Task Completion
Skills - Psychological Characteristics
- Information Processing Skills
Diversity
7General Dimensions of Learning Style
- Preference for Type of Information
- 1) Sensory vs 2) Intuitive
- Preferred Modality to. Perceive Information
- 1) Visual vs 2) Verbal
- Preferred Method of Organizing Information
- 1) Inductive vs 2) Deductive
- Preferred Method of Processing Information
- 1) Actively vs 2) Reflectively
- Preferred Method of Understanding Informaticn
- 1) Sequentially. vs 2) Globally
- SOURCE Felder, R. Journal of College Science
Teaching 23 (5) 286-290 (1993)
8Reasons for Learning Style Assessments that
Incorporate Diversity
- Self-assessment feedback
- Cohort comparisons
- Cluster analysis of behaviors
- Development of effective cooperative clusters
- Matching of learning styles/teaching styles
- Correlation with other dimensions
- Identification of critical dimensions
9Developmental and General Curriculum Courses
- Shared outcomes
- Provide frequent opportunities for students to
write about what they are learning and how well
they are learning it - Provide opportunities for structured
collaborative student work (problem solving,
writing, revisions, test preparation, etc.) - Facilitate student usage of common thinking
organizers across courses
10Developmental and General Curriculum Courses
cont.
- Shared outcomes
- Select reading materials that promote critical
thought and reflection - Dont dilute course content (select appropriate
strategies) - Incorporate critical peer review of other
students work
11- Periodically, I would like to gather information
from you about my presentation of the lecture.
This information will help me to make necessary
adjustments for improvement and will suggest what
affects your learning in a positive way. Your
responses are not connected to your course grade
or any type of evaluation. - Identify the aspects of the lecture which seem
- Most appealing to you
- Most relevant or familiar to you
- Most organized to you
- A "bottleneck can be thought of as any point or
points in a lecture where the student begins to
have conceptual difficulty understanding what's
going on. A "bottleneck" can be a term, a
concept, a theory, a problem to solve, and etc. - Identify any bottlenecks which have occurred for
you during this lecture. If possible, after each
bottleneck that is identified suggests why you
think it is occurring. For example, maybe you
haven't had enough background information or the
theory wasn't explained clearly, etc.
12Common Graphic Organizers (Critical Reading)
- Identify main point or thesis
- Identify supporting arguments
- Identify supporting examples
- Recognize assumptions and bias
- Recognize source of persuasive argument/effect
- Relate the content to personal values, experience
13Theory(chronological order)
14Calculation Problems
- Generally, what am I looking for?
- What information is available to me?
- Is this a problem in which I have to do a simple
calculation? - How many different calculations do I need to do?
- Do I need to recall (from memory) a formula?
- Do I need to recall a principal?
15Occasions for Informal Writing/Feedback in Math
and Science
- Free writing (one minute paper)
- Focused writing
- Reflective writing
- Attitudinal writing
- Metacognitive writing
- Explaining errors
- Log
- Journal definitions
- Summarizing
- Organization
- Creating problems (individual or group)
- Problem solving (individual or group)
- Sentence completion Today i learned to ..."
16Active Learning Strategies That Enhance Lectures
(Charles C. Bonwell)
- Provide a preview of information prior to
explanation - Example Overview or graphic organizer
- Organize information sequentially
- From simple concrete familiar explicit to
complex abstract unfamiliar inexplicit - Asses student learning periodically
- Example CATS or Bottleneck Assessment
- Signal transitions between information
- Example Ask students to summarize/synthesize
information previously presented - Use multiple examples
- Have students brainstorm examples without comment
from the instructor. Students then brainstorm
list of examples - Stress important points during explanations
- Example give quiz and ask students who developed
incorrect answers why they thought answers made
sense - Provide brief pauses at appropriate times
students can use the time to - Asses previous lecture,
- Ask critical questions
- Write a reflective statement that focuses on the
material presented
17 Success strategies for diverse students in
courses with technical and abstract content
- 1. Exploratory activity and questioning
- Prior to formal concept formation and model
building students use own words - 2. Continuous use of real world and practical
examples - 3. Idea first and name afterwards
- Students introduced to concepts by examination
and observation of objects, situations, and
phenomena. Knowledge and understanding come from
shared experience not just technical terms.
18Success strategies for diverse students in
courses with technical and abstract content cont.
- 4. Inferences drawn from models
- Students should have reasons for what they
believe. They should feel free to express
success, futility, and wonder in their own words.
Early model-building should be based upon
self-initiated activities and direct experience. - 5. Use of analogies
- Students learn to move from relatively simple
analogies to those, which are increasing more
complex
19Success strategies for diverse students in
courses with technical and abstract content cont.
- 6. Early identification of bottlenecks
- Bottlenecks represent points in a course where
students begin to have conceptual difficulty
understanding whats going on. Need to know
where they are and why they are happening. How
does faculty adjust? - 7. Laboratory or experiential exercises should
precede or occur simultaneously with lecture
20Teaching Strategies that Engage Differences in
the Classroom
- Acknowledging distinct learning styles
- Interactions among diverse teaching and learning
styles - Exploring difference and commonality through
collaboration - Using writing and rhetoric to explore differences
across the curriculum - Elevating the discourse on diversity through
Learning Communities
21Teaching Strategies that Engage Differences in
the Classroom
- contd
- Exploring differences through the use of thinking
schemes - Classroom assessment and student feedback
pedagogical resources on inclusion - Allow students to convey reactive feelings to
accumulated information - Using levels of questioning to contrast
differences
22Learning Communities Quantitative and
Qualitative Assessments
- Surveys
- Individual interviews
- Focus groups
- Ethnography or field research
- Participant observation
- Classroom assessment techniques (CAT)
- Student portfolios
- Self-assessment by students and faculty
- Reflective student writing