New Faculty Orientation August 2019

1. New Faculty OrientationAugust 2019 Assessment: Challenges and Opportunities

2. Assessment from the Latinassiderewhich means“to sit beside” “To sit beside” brings to mind such verbs as to engage, to involve, to interact, to share, to trust. It conjures up team learning, working together, discussing, reflecting, helping, building, collaborating. It makes one think of cooperative learning, community, communication, coaching, caring, consultation… “Sitting beside” implies dialogue and discourse, with one person trying to understand the other’s perspective before giving value judgments. (Braskamp and Ory, 1994)

3. Historical Baggage: • Optime (honor men) • Second Optime (pass men) • Inferiores (charity passes) • Pejores (unmentionables) Yale 1783

4. Pillars of Sound Assessment • Transparency • Standardization

5. Learning Outcomes • State the relationship between Learning Outcomes and Assessment Activities • Identify methods for incorporating Bloom’s Cognitive Taxonomy into assessment methods • Identify strategies for constructing effective MCQ test items including methods for writing items at higher cognitive levels • Apply the results of Item Analysis to ensure the effectiveness of test items and to help identify items which test at higher cognitive levels • Identify strategies to help test takers perform at optimal levels to ensure valid test scores

6. Bloom’s Taxonomy • Knowledge: Recalling facts • Comprehension: Demonstrating understanding • Application: Transferring previous learning to solve new problems • Analysis: Understanding the organizational structure • Synthesis: Applying knowledge or skills to create something new • Evaluation: Applying judgment

7. Types of Assessments • Formative assessment The goal of formative assessment is to monitor student learning • Summative assessment The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit

8. Assessment Drives BOTH Teaching and LearningTeaching / LearningBUILDING THE BRIDGEAssessment Methods

9. RELIABILITY • What Reliability represents • How we establish Reliability • Criteria for scoring • Acknowledging subjectivity • Sufficient opportunities

10. VALIDITY • What Validity represents • How we establish Validity • Meaningful activities • Representativeness • Appropriate format

11. USABILITY • Reasonable frequency • Provision for feedback • Appropriate weightings

12. Types of Scoring Methods • Criterion-referenced • Provides absolute comparisons • Describes student performance in relation to pre-set standard • Norm-referenced • Provides relative comparisons • Describes individual performance in comparison to others

13. GRADING • Grading that reflects the actual ability of the student • Grading as a personal communication

14. Feedback on your Assessment • Selective response • Item Analysis • Constructive response • Descriptive stats • Peer/Student feedback

15. Item Analysis Example Prop. Answering Correctly: 0.74 Discrimination Index: 0.42 Point Biserial: 0.40

16. COLLABORATIVELEARNING SCORING RUBRIC • 4- Thorough Understanding • 3- Good Understanding • 2- Satisfactory Understanding • 1- Needs Improvement

17. COLLABORATIVELEARNING SCORING RUBRIC • 4- Thorough Understanding • Consistently works toward group goals • Is sensitive to needs of all the group • Willingly fulfills individual role within the group • Consistently contributes knowledge, opinions, skills • Values the knowledge of all group members • Helps group identify necessary group changes

18. COLLABORATIVELEARNING SCORING RUBRIC • 1- Needs Improvement • Works only when prompted • Contributes only when prompted • Needs reminders to be sensitive to others • Participates in needed changes when prompted

19. Summary Suggestions • Integrate assessment into your teaching • Seek out feedback regarding your assessment techniques • Attempt to introduce one new assessment technique