LeMoyne -Owen College December 16, 2009

1. LeMoyne-Owen CollegeDecember 16, 2009 Implementing Assessment-as-Learning and Assessment Design Mimi Czarnik, Professor of English and Dean of Humanities Becky Burton, Associate Professor of Biology Alverno College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

2. Criteria • Standards of what we expect in student performance • Indicators that ability and/or knowledge is present in a performance • Collectively, a picture that students can use to imagine an acceptable performance • A learning objective when students discover they do not meet a particular criterion

3. Characteristics of More Effective Criteria • Are observable: • Explain, analyze, compare, design • Use qualifiers: • Effective, appropriate, complete • Are clear to the student • Reflect outcomes

4. Characteristics of Less Effective Criteria • Are format requirements, directions, steps, or tasks, such as: • Select a species to investigate • Must be 3-5 pages • Can only be met in one way • Select the best answer for each multiple choice question

5. Assessment Criteria: Environmental Impact Statement The student: •  Clearly articulates the proposed action, its purpose and need, and its predicted impact •  Thoroughly evaluates alternative actions •  Collaboratively organizes and presents plans as an integrated, coherent whole •  Uses her knowledge to ask and respond to stakeholder questions effectively •  Self-assesses accurately

6. Assessment Criteria: English • Demonstrates close reading of the novel, by making specific accurate references to literary elements such as plot, character, and symbol. • Effectively uses three literary critical perspectives to develop a detailed, sophisticated response to the novel. • Accurately identifies values underlying arguments of both sides of controversy over the novel, projecting the consequences and implications of teaching Sulaand removing it from the curriculum. • Comes to an informed decision about whether or not to keep Sula in the curriculum, articulating reasons for her decision. • Effectively engages students with differing viewpoints in meaningful discussion.

7. Assessment Criteria: Chemistry Competence: Analysis • Major Outcome: Uses different strategies and models of chemistry to analyze and synthesize data. • Course Outcome (Biochemistry): Analyzes data, obtained through experiments, based on relationships between observations and inferences resulting from experiments.

8. Assessment Criteria: History Competence: Valuing • Major Outcome: Identifies and communicates implications of the values which underlie her own and other historians’ work. • Course Outcome (Historical Analysis): Create independent interpretation of the past with a conscious regard for the way her own assumptions influence her interpretation of evidence.

9. Self assessment • Self assessmentis the ability of a student to observe, analyze, and judge her performance on the basis of criteria and determine how she can improve it. The process of self-observation leading to self-judgment leading to self-correction is a multi-dimensional process. • Alverno College Faculty, 1994

10. Feedback Strategies Does my feedback plan include: • Observing the learner in action? • Analyzing performance? • Making judgments about performance using standards or criteria and explicit evidence? • Development of a learning plan? • Meaningful communication of feedback to the learner?

11. Practice Writing Criteria • Choose one of your course outcomes from this afternoon’s work. • Write one or two criteria for this outcome. Criteria must be observable and assessable.