Assessment Plans, Who Needs Them?

1. Assessment Plans,Who Needs Them? Claudia Barreto, Ph.D. University of New Mexico Valencia Campus barr@unm.edu

2. Acknowledgements • I’d like to thank the UNMVC Teaching & Learning Assessment Committee Members: Julie DePree, Kurt Folkendt, Reinaldo Garcia, Jami Huntsinger & Clifton Murray for all their hard work. • My assessment mentor was Barbara E. Walvoord, Ph.D., Chair of Assessment Committee, Fellow of the Institute for Educational Initiatives, and Concurrent Professor of English, University of Notre Dame, Indiana. • Assessment Clear and Simple: A Practical Guide for Institutions, Departments, and General Education (Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education) ISBN: 978-0-7879-7311-7

3. Doing assessment should not be a hassle. • In fact, doing assessment should serve to make you a more efficient and effective educator.

4. The outcomes of this workshop is for participants to: • learn how to create effective assessment plans for programs & courses; • develop a network with whom we can share ideas on outcomes assessment to continually improve teaching & learning at the Branch Campuses.

6. Learning Objectives • Select a verb for performing a task. • Make sure the verb describes the type of behavior learners need to exhibit after instruction. • Explain the conditions under which the task must be performed. • Determine to what standards the task must be performed.

7. Learning Objectives • Bloom identified three domains of educational activities: • Cognitive: mental skills (Knowledge) • Affective: growth in feelings or emotional areas (Attitude) • Psychomotor: manual or physical dexterity (Skills) • http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/bloom.html

8. Learning Objectives • Select a verb for performing a task. • Make sure the verb describes the type of behavior learners need to display after instruction. • Explain the conditions under which the task must be performed. • Determine to what standards the task must be performed.

9. Learning Objectives Upon successful completion of this learning module you will be expected to demonstrate that you understand and can explain with 90% accuracy: • the purpose & outcome of meiosis • how a cell accomplishes meiosis • how genetic variability in a population is increased by meiosis • nondisjunction • the evolutionary significance of sexual reproduction

10. Learning Objectives Assignments: • Read & study Chapter 12. Self test your achievement of the learning objectives for this LM by answering “Content Review” questions 1 - 6 on pages 267-268. You do not need to turn these in. B. You do not need to turn anything in for assignment part B either! This is another great way for you to make sure you are achieving the learning objectives for this module. 1. Complete(= do the prequiz, animation & post quiz) Web Tutorial 12.1 “Meiosis” 2. Complete(= do the prequiz, animation & post quiz) Web Tutorial 12.2 “Mistakes in Meiosis”

11. Learning Objectives Assignments continued: C. Use these Web resources to help in your achievement of the LOs for the Ch.12 LM: STUDY: • http://www.geocities.com/baluchitheruim/ • http://www.sumanasinc.com/webcontent/anisamples/majorsbiology/meiosis.html(do the Intro., Animation, Conclusion & take the Quiz) • http://www.biology.arizona.edu/CELL_BIO/tutorials/meiosis/main.html • http://tutor.lscf.ucsb.edu/mcdb/tutorial/meiosis/meiosis.htm • Test Your Understanding: • http://www.biology.arizona.edu/CELL_BIO/tutorials/meiosis/problems.html • Complete & turn in your answer to the following Review Questions. Use your own words & diagrams. Copied answers will not allow us to determine if you really understand the material. Due on 2/1: + Draw a well labeled diagram that illustrates how a cell carries out meiosis. + Answer “Conceptual Review” questions #s 1 – 5 on page 268.

13. Direct & Indirect Tools to Assess Student Achievement of LOs Direct: Exams, papers, homework, works of art, etc… Indirect: Surveys, Focus Groups, etc… • SALG: This free site is designed for instructors of all disciplines who would like feedback from their students about how the course elements are helping their students to learn. • http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/salgains/instructor/Course.asp • http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/salgains/instructor/default.asp

15. “Closing the Loop” • Once you gather and analyze data on student learning, use it to see how you can improve your courses. • Look for both your strengths and challenges. • If you’re colleting useful data, keep it up! • If some of your data are not yielding information you can use, don’t bother colleting it anymore!

16. “Closing the Loop” • Rubrics are excellent tools for objectively evaluating student work. For example, I use them when my students write lab reports. • Primary Traits, or a description of what the ideal student can do when s/he has achieved each LO are listed in the rubric. • Each student is graded using the rubric. • PTA is used to evaluate how well the class preformed in terms of becoming that ideal student. • These statistics guide revision of pedagogy to get more students to the ideal.

18. Don’t Forget, Doing Assessment Means Gathering Information That Will Help You Be More Effective & Help Your Students Succeed Let’s Go Get Started!