Assessment Activity and Discussion – Facilitator’s copy

A.   Video:  Lessons from Thin Air

Themes:   Students are not learning what we think they are learning.

Even students from prestigious universities have misconceptions about scientific   concepts.

Inquiry is a way to help students confront their misconceptions, build mental frameworks so they can better understand content/concepts.

Discussion questions:

1.  How is this applicable to your classroom?

2.  How can we evolve from "assuming" students know the concepts to "knowing" they understand the concepts?

3.  How does the morning' s inquiry activity support a more complete learning process than evident in this tape?

4.  How can we assess learning took place in our earlier environment?

5.  What is the motivational stimulation in the field setting that may secure more long term learning?

B.   Goals for assessment:

1.  For faculty : Devise methods to evaluate if students are understanding and learning course material and other skills. 

"How do I as a faculty know that my students are achieving the learning outcomes and that I am achieving course goals for my students?"

2.  For students :  Evaluate individual's progress toward achieving course objectives or learning outcomes through self-assessment and reflection.

"How do I know that I am learning in this course and achieving learning outcomes?"

I.  To achieve (1):

a.  Developing assessment tools:   [40 minutes]

i.  Divide into groups of 3 or 4 individuals.  Introduce groups to the activity.

--- Each group will devise a method to answer the following question:

"How do you assess your students' learning of a difficult concept in a science discipline?"

--- Criteria for method :  Method must be useful, engaging, thorough, time-effective

    [15 minutes in length]

ii.  Each group presents method and explain why the particular method was chosen.   Large group discussion      [25 mins]

b.  Developing rubrics for inquiry-based teaching.    [1 hr.]

i.  Participants will be divided into groups of 4 individuals each.

ii.  Each group will be given a set of student responses to a question, "What would the world be like without plants?"

Introduction to activity:

iii.  Group has to --- define performance standard for a biological literate student i.e., set criteria.

                        1. Determine categories for the assignment.

                        2. Read student responses to the question.

3. Describe criteria and differentiate performances based on criteria.

4. Sort into piles according to quality of responses.

                        5. Rate categories and reach consensus.             [30 minutes]

Rubric needs to have:

1.  Name of category.

2.  Criteria within categories - discriminate among qualities you determine as important.

iv.  Each group will share their rubrics (categories and criteria) and how they rate the responses. Large group discussion (the utility of rubrics as an assessment tool and other issues that are brought up by participants).      [30 minutes]

c.  Will direct participant's attention to the article available at FIRST's web site, 'Examples of inquiry-based assessment practices developed and used by Science, Math, Engineering and Technology (SME&T) faculty.'   (http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~jhodder/assessme1.htm, Condensed by Diane Ebert-May)

Other tools --- peer review, extended written answer type questions for exams.

II.   To achieve (2):

Have participants do a 3-minute self-assessment on the activities they just carried out during this session on assessment.   Participants write on carbonless paper.

"To what degree have you developed the ability to design a rubric for assessing student performance?"     Explanation:

High degree

Moderate degree

Somewhat

Minimal degree

Not at all

Point out to participants that this is one model for students and faculty to assess if the learning outcome or class objective has been achieved.  Self-assessment can be formative and summative, e.g., use of journals or reflective papers.     [5 mins]

Methods of Assessment

(adapted from Uno (1997))

Matrix for matching format of assessment with instructional outcomes.

Principles of Biology, BIO101D