Measuring Student Learning

1. Measuring Student Learning • What do we want students learn? • Do students have the opportunity to learn it? • How do we know that they learned it? • What do we do with that information? Linda Suskie Assessing Student Learning: A Common Sense GuideBolton, MA: Anker Publishing (2004

2. Assessment monitors student learning; It does not evaluate faculty teaching.

3. Ensuring Learning Write expected outcomes/objectives. Effect improvements through actions. Ensure students have opportunity to learn View results. Assess performance against criteria.

4. Learning Objectives • In 1948 a group of educators began classifying educational goals and objectives • Bloom’s Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain was completed in 1956

5. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Development Evaluation Synthesis Analysis Application Comprehension Knowledge

6. General Specific Goals and Objectives Moving from General to Specific Goals Objectives

7. Student Learning Objectives describe what individual students are able to do • Program Objectives describe what % of program participants are able to do it.

8. Goals Writing goals can provide insight into outcomes desired but does not provide enough specificity for assessment and evaluation

9. Goals are broad Goals are general intentions Goals are intangible Goals are abstract Goals can't be validated as is Objectives are narrow Objectives are precise Objectives are tangible Objectives are concrete Objectives can be validated Goals and Objectives

10. Goal Examples • “The essential role of the university is to train students to think critically and creatively.” • “The student must develop information management skills which enable him to apply theoretical concepts in practice”

11. Goal Examples • To make the student capable of carrying out independently the various stages of an information science research project • To make the student capable of reporting on the findings of his own research. • To make the student mindful of applying rules of ethics in relation to research and publication. • To make the student capable of drawing up a realistic work program.

12. Learning Objectives measurable A Learning Objective is a written statement of the measurable achievement a participant will be able to demonstrate as a result of participation in a learning activity.

13. Characteristics of a Learning Objective • It is always expressed in terms of the learner. • It is precise and supports only one interpretation. • It describes an observable behavior • It specifies conditions under which the behavior is performed • It specifies criteria for accomplishment

14. ABCD ModelQuestions a good objective answers • Audience: Who will be performing the behavior? • Behavior: What behavior should the learner be able to do? • Condition: Under what conditions do you want the learner to be able to do it? • Degree: How well must it be done?

15. ABCD Model • Audience - Identify who will be learning (not the instructor) • The Learner • The Staff member • The Student • The Participant • The Employee • The Trainee • The Organization Member • The Audience Member

16. ABCD Model • Behavior (Performance) • Should include an action verb indicating what the learner will be able to do • Should be something that can be seen or heard

17. Overtrefers to any kind of performance that can be observed directly whether that performance is visible or audible Covertrefers to performance that cannot be observed directly, performance that is mental, invisible, cognitive or internal Overt vs. Covert Performance

18. know familiarize gain knowledge of comprehend study cover understand be aware learn appreciate become acquainted with realize develop a working understanding of Covert Verbs

19. When a performance is covert • Add an indicator behavior to the objective that is overt

20. ABCD Model (Behavior) • "Learner will be able to" (LWBAT) • Cognitive objectives (Bloom’s)

21. ABCD Model • Condition • State the conditions you will impose when learners are demonstrating their mastery of the objective. • What will the learners be allowed to use? • Under what conditions must the mastery of skill occur?

22. Conditions Givens • Resources • Environment • Direction • Format • Deadlines

23. ABCD Model • Degree (or criterion) • A degree or criterion is the standard by which performance is evaluated. • The power of an objective increases when you tell the learners HOW WELL the behavior must be done.

24. Degree • Accuracy/Tolerance • Speed • Number • Reference or Standards • Permissible Errors • Degree of Excellence

25. References • Blooms Taxonomy • Affective Domain • http://www.itc.utk.edu/~jklittle/edsmrt521/affective.html • Assessing Learning Objectives Bloom's Taxonomy • http://www.ion.uillinois.edu/resources/tutorials/assessment/bloomtaxonomy.asp • Bloom’s Taxonomy • http://www.officeport.com/edu/blooms.htm • Cognitive Domain • http://www.itc.utk.edu/~jklittle/edsmrt521/cognitive.html • Psychomotor Domain • http://www.itc.utk.edu/~jklittle/edsmrt521/psychomotor.html • Instructional Design • http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~mryder/itc_data/idmodels.html#isd • Assessment • Curriculum Development Performance Criteria • http://its.foxvalleytech.com/iss/curric-assessment/CRITCOND.html • How to Write an Assessment Based on an Objective • http://www.adprima.com/assessment.htm • Performance Criteria • http://its.foxvalleytech.com/iss/curric-assessment/CRITCOND.html • Multiple Choice Questions and Bloom’s Taxonomy • http://web.uct.ac.za/projects/cbe/mcqman/mcqappc.html • Writing Learning Objectives • Basic Guidelines (and Examples) for • http://www.mapnp.org/library/trng_dev/lrn_objs.htm • How to Write Clear Objectives • http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/research/Write_Objectives.shtml • How to Write Learning Objectives in Behavioral Form • http://www.adprima.com/objectives.htm • Understanding Objectives • http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/EDTEC540/objectives/ObjectivesHome.html • Guidelines for writing learning objectives in librarianship, information science and archives administration • http://www.unesco.org/webworld/ramp/html/r8810e/r8810e00.htm • Quick Guide to Writing Learning Objectives • http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/templates/objectivetool.html • Writing Learning Objectives • http://www.arl.org/training/ilcso/objectives.html • Writing good work objectives • http://home.att.net/~nickols/workobjs.htm • Writing instructional objectives: The what, why how and when. • http://www.sogc.org/conferences/pdfs/instructionalObj.PDF