Teaching Skills Assessment Through Self-Reflection For Outcomes Assessment

1. Teaching Skills Assessment Through Self-Reflection For Outcomes Assessment Some Journalism School Experiences

2. Objectives • Address concerns in outcomes assessment – issues. • Address how outcomes assessment helps – results. • Discuss lessons learned – implications.

3. Micro Issue – Reporting • Definition: Skill or Art? • Editors, stories vary • Teach multi-skills, simultaneously • What actually is being learned? • What is/are the objective(s)?

4. Macro Issue – J School Alignment • What’s the school’s mission? • What courses teach what skills? • Where does reporting fit in food chain? • What wheels don’t need reinventing? Checking the fit…

5. The Results – Before . . . • COURSE DESCRIPTION AND GOALS: The course develops news-gathering skills and journalistic values. Specifically, we’ll study news, how to evaluate it and develop the requisite skills. Our specific goals for you by course's end: · Proficiency in searching for and accessing sources. · Proficiency in interviewing sources and assessing them for story value. · Proficiency in journalistically consolidating, organizing and communicating information gathered from sources. · Proficiency in critically self-editing your writing and in taking and using constructive criticism. . Proficiency in reflective processing and in thinking like a reporter

6. Results – After! • COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES: The course develops news-gathering skills and journalistic values. At the end of the course, students will be able demonstrate their ability to: * Obtain pertinent sources and information by providing two-thirds to three-fourths of such sources/information (as identified by the teaching assistant, henceforth know as ITA) in each completed story, as well as successful completion (score of 70% or more) of record-searching assignments. * Assess source value via appropriate placement (ITA) of such sources in each story. * Reflectively process by completing three reporting “concept maps,” each more complex than its predecessor. * Behave like a professional reporter (as identified via review by random sources) and develop additional listening/attendance skills (as measured by class/lab attendance and class discussion). * Integrate the above goals via a well-written, stylistically acceptable, well-reported news story and progress reports that indicate appropriate story development and interest (both ITA). * Comprehend reporters’ social roles and responsibilities by verbal and written discussion of same as outlined in the leading text on the subject.

7. Reflection Reports • After completing Story1, please answer each of the following questions: a. How do you feel about the story you just submitted? b. What went well about it? What didn't go well and why? c. What did you learn about reporting and the reporting process? • Post-Story 2 Reflection Report Assignment: Answer the following questions fully. a. What did you take away from your Story 2 experience that was different than what you learned from Story 1? b. What reporting skill do you still consider to be a weakness, even after Story 2, and why? c. What can you add to Story 3 (the smoking ban story) – by using lateral thinking – that you didn’t use or add to Story 2?

8. Grading • A new utilization for an old tool • Concept maps • Progress reports

9. Insights/Implications • Old wine in new bottles • no new “wheel” needed • Benchmarks help you improve • everything’s measurable • Add meaning to your grading • Better teaching will result • Context added to class • Students can finally see the forest • Curriculum comes alive • You care more beyond your course