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Learner Centered Assessment

Learner Centered Assessment. Assessing students in a learner centered classroom.

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Learner Centered Assessment

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  1. Learner Centered Assessment

  2. Assessing students in a learner centered classroom • “Assessment defines goals and expresses values more clearly than do any number of mission statements. When our students ask us whether a class topic will be on the test, they express the same view: if you really value it, you will assess it. The converse is also true: what you assess is what you value, whatever you assert.” • Edward White, William Lutz, and Sandra Kamusikiri • Assessment of Writing: Politics, Policies, Practices

  3. Or – from Business Experience • Be careful of what you measure, because that is exactly what you are going to get • Call centers who assess employees on call volume • Does this send a quality message? • What will happen when we expect increases in volume?

  4. Just because we are Learner Centered • Doesn’t mean we abandon assessment…but we must align our assessments to the kind of behaviors that we are expecting in class.

  5. My class • CS139-CS239 • Predominantly First-year students • Predominantly intended majors • Class meets 4 days • 2 days in lab (practical and has always been “learner centered” • 2 days in lecture (my talking at them broken up by some activity) • Goal is to develop skills that they will continue to use in their future courses • Independence in problem solving • Use of available tools

  6. Changes • The big change has been in lecture • Use of guided activity • Use of groups carrying out those activities • Worksheets that they turn in at the end of class so that I can assess how the groups have done • Point system • If they are there and participate in their group, they get full credit • If they find mistakes, they get “bonus” credits

  7. So what does my Learner Centered Classroom look like. • Before: Sage on the stage • After: Groups throughout the classroom • Students at the board • Students at the computer up front • Me wandering around from group to group • Biggest things I see • Less worry about grades ???? I don’t know why this is • Much more attendance at office hours much earlier in the process of doing projects, etc

  8. Assessment in particular

  9. Biggest change • Classroom • Group activities – I assess these by: • Wandering around and listening • Reviewing their presentation product (what they share with the class) • Reviewing their turned in product (check to be sure they havent’ missed the boat on something.) • Office hours • I have way more attendance in office hours. But the “quality” of the office hours is better. Focus on up front activities, learning what they didn’t understand in the lab activity. • My theory is that the more personal attention in class leads to a difference in the relationship between teacher and student.

  10. Example of a class • Following a model that I found in a paper which is in your packet • 15 – 20 minutes – mini lecture (new material or clarification of old) • Tasks – Student exploration of a paper set of tasks. • Explore the new material • Identification • Terminalogy • Analyse the new material • What is legal? Illegal in using new features • Create something new • Using the new technique or feature • Share – Something of substance goes to the board. • Assessment by self (why is my solution different) , others (why are you different ) me, (this solution is different)

  11. Summary – what has changed in my class • I don’t worry about grades as much …. And neither do my students • Points are good. They get points for finding errors in my materials and I have “experts” who proof everything I do. My A+ students seem to like finding errors. • My office hours are REALLY well-attended. BUT they are about the things that I really want to help them with…thinking like a CS person, design, clarification (and this was not the way we started out this semester.) • A lot of my assessment has been individual formative assessment…helping my students to develop the skills to continue to be successful.

  12. What do I want to do better? • Align my evaluative assessments (exams) to the kinds of activities that we are doing in class. • Reduce the amount of time I am spending individually with students (but at the same time….I think it is very effective teaching time). • Help the students to self assess more and to assess one another better. • Deal with the group dynamics better and find ways to have students of differing abilities all provide valuable contributions.

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