Assessing for Learning: A Collective Commitment across The Institution

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Assessing for LearningA Collective Commitment
across The Institution

• Presented at Oregon State University November,
  2004
• Peggy Maki, Ph.D.
• PeggyMaki_at_aol.com

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List strategies you use to learn

• ________________________________
• ________________________________
• ________________________________
• ________________________________

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About Learning

• Learning is a complex process of
  interpretation-not a linear process
• Learners create meaning as opposed to receive
  meaning
• Knowledge is socially constructed (importance of
  peer-to-peer interaction)
• National Research Council. Knowing What Students
  Know, 2001.

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• Learning involves creating relationships between
  short-term and long-term memory
• Transfer of new knowledge into different contexts
  is important to deepen understanding
• Practice in various contexts creates expertise

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• People learn differentlyprefer certain ways
  of learning (identified through learning style
  inventories)
• Deep learning occurs over timetransference
• Meta-cognitive processes are a significant means
  of reinforcing learning (thinking about ones
  thinking)

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Integrated Learning.
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Integrating Teaching, Learning, and Assessing

• Pedagogy
• Curricular design
• Instructional design
• Educational tools
• Educational experiences
• Students learning histories/styles

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Specific Questions

• What do you expect your students to know and be
  able to do by the end of their education at your
  institution?
• What do the curricula and other educational
  experiences add up to?
• What do you do in your papers to promote the
  kinds of learning or development that your
  program or the institution desires?

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Questions (cond)

• Which students benefit from various classroom
  teaching strategies or educational experiences?
• What educational processes are responsible for
  the intended student outcomes your program or the
  institution desires?
• How can you help students make connections
  between classroom learning and experiences
  outside of the classroom?

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Questions, cond

• What pedagogies/educational experiences develop
  knowledge, abilities, habits of mind, ways of
  knowing/problem solving?
• How are curricula and pedagogy designed to
  develop knowledge, abilities, habits of mind,
  ways of knowing?

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• How do you intentionally build upon what each
  of you teaches or fosters to achieve program- and
  institution-level outcomescontexts for learning?
• What methods of assessment capture desired
  student learning--methods that align with
  pedagogy, content, curricular and instructional
  design?

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• Every assessment is also based on a set of
  beliefs about the kinds of tasks or situations
  that will prompt students to say, do, or create
  something that demonstrates important knowledge
  and skills. The tasks to which students are asked
  to respond on an assessment are not arbitrary.
• National Research Council. Knowing what
  students know The science and design of
  educational assessment . Washington, D.C.
  National Academy Press, 2001, p. 47.

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Assumptions Underlying Teaching
Actual Practices
Assumptions Underlying Assessment Tasks
Actual Tasks
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What Tasks Elicit Learning You Desire?

• Tasks that require students to select among
  possible answers (multiple choice test)?
• Tasks that require students to construct answers
  (students problem-solving and thinking
  abilities)?

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Approaches to Learning

• Surface Learning
• Deep Learning

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When Do You Seek Evidence?

• Formativealong the way?
• For example, to ascertain progress
• or development
• Summativeat the end?
• For example, to ascertain mastery level
• of achievement

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Some Options

• Portfolios
• Capstone projects (mid-point and end-point)
• Performances, productions, creations
• Visual representations (mind mapping, concept
  mapping, charting, graphing)

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• Case studies
• Disciplinary or professional practices
• Agreed upon embedded assignments
• Selection of assignments students hand in to
  ascertain their ability to apply, transfer,
  integrate

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• Team-based or collaborative projects
• Internships
• Service learning projects developed for the local
  community
• Oral examinations
• Critical incidents

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• Externally or internally juried review of student
  projects
• Externally reviewed internship
• Performance on a case study/problem
• Performance on case study accompanied with
  students analysisco-curricular transference of
  learning

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• Performance on national licensure examinations
  /standardized tests
• Locally developed tests
• Pre-and post-tests
• Learning logs or journals

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• Transition from writing, to speaking, to visual
  presentation
• Simulations (video-taped or audio-taped)
• Research proposals/reports
• Juried publications

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Clarity about Our Expectations for Learning

• Learning Outcome Statements (sentences that
  describe what we expect students to demonstrate,
  represent, or produce)
• Syllabi or other written documents that
• articulate learning outcome statements
• identify teaching, learning and assessment
  methods

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• Curricular-co-curricular maps that identify where
  students have the opportunity to learn and that
  translate outcome statements into educational
  practices designed to foster learning
• Formative and summative opportunities to
  represent learningfocus on learning over time
• Standards and criteria of judgment that specify
  our expectations

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Levels of Learning Outcomes
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Gather Evidence
Interpret Evidence
Mission/Purposes Learning Outcomes
How well do we achieve our outcomes?
Enhance teaching/ learning inform institutional
decision- making, planning, budgeting
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What and how students learn depends to a major
extent on how they think they will be assessed.
John Biggs, Teaching for Quality Learning at
University What The Student Does. Society for
Research into Higher Education Open University
Press, 1999, p. 141.
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Works Cited

• Biggs, J. (1999). Teaching for Quality
  Learning at University What The Student Does.
  Society for Research into Higher Education Open
  University Press, 1999, p. 141.
• Maki, P. (2004). Assessing for Learning
  Building a Sustainable Commitment Across the
  Institution. Sterling, VA Stylus Publishing,
  LLC, and the American Association for Higher
  Education. (Material presented at the Symposium)
• National Research Council. (2001). Knowing What
  Students Know The Science and Design of
  Educational Assessment. Washington, D.C.
  National Academy Press