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Grading Service-Learning Projects. Brenda Marsteller Kowalewski Community Involvement Center Weber State University. Presentation Topics. Purpose of Grading/Assessment Connecting to course objectives What is actually being graded? How are these assignments graded?
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Grading Service-Learning Projects Brenda Marsteller Kowalewski Community Involvement Center Weber State University
Presentation Topics • Purpose of Grading/Assessment • Connecting to course objectives • What is actually being graded? • How are these assignments graded? • Determining the weight of the service-learning project
Purpose of Grading/Assessment • To provide faculty with a measure of what was learned. • To provide feedback to students on what is expected of them, what they have done well, what they need to improve on and how.
Connecting to Course Objectives • Grading is the act of measuring student learning outcomes. • Student learning outcomes are derived from course objectives. • Worksheet on five general academic learning goal categories in which service-learning can enhance academic learning.
Worksheet 1: Establishing Academic Learning Objectives • Course-Specific Academic Learning • Understanding specific course concept - cultural capital • Generic Academic Learning • Critical thinking skills • Learning How to Learn • Learning how to apply academic knowledge in the real world • Community Learning • Learning about a particular social issue • Inter- and Intra-Personal Learning • Learning how to work collaboratively with others
What is Actually Being Graded? • NOT the service. The learning. • The strategies you use to teach the academic learning objectives you just identified. • What activities in the classroom will enable students to meet academic learning objectives? • What assignments outside of the class will enable students to meet academic learning objectives?
Activities in the Classroom • Small group discussions • One-minute reflection papers • Poetry and metaphors • Presentations • Collage • On the Fence, Off the Fence • Tapped into Citizenship • Others?
Assignments Outside the Class • Integrative papers • Structured journals • Reflective interviews • Scrapbook or collage • Video • Portfolios • Participation and performance at the service site • Others?
How are these Assignments Graded? • Literature on assessment lacks best practices for grading service-learning projects. • Assessment literature – assessing impact of service-learning on students based on their self evaluation. • Bibliography in handouts
How are these Assignments Graded? • Difficult but the more structure provided in the assignment, whether it be in class or out of class, the better. • Gives you the ability to evaluate first if they addressed what was assigned. • Then you can evaluate the quality of the response to the assigned question. • Rubrics helpful here
How are these Assignments Graded?: Rubrics • Often times used for journals or portfolios (two very popular assessment strategies in service-learning) • Some very general – example from Rubrics handout (in packet) • Some very specific – article by Marchel (in packet) • There is no magic rubric. Design your own to fit your specific learning objectives and service-learning project.
How are these Assignments Graded? • Site Supervisor Evaluation • Faculty aren’t always in the field on site to observe students when they are actually engaging in service. • See example in packet • Student Self Evaluation • Gives the faculty member insight into how the student would rate themselves in the project. • See example in packet
Other questions about grading • Do all assignments have to be graded? • Not necessarily. • Participated in an in-class reflection exercise, then they got the points for being there. • Do we grade the level of participation in the assignments? • Sometimes evaluated on a scale or again, using a rubric. • Participation in class or small group discussion • Do we grade the level of participation in the service project? • What if a student does not complete the required number of hours? • Could reject all service-learning assignments because hours were not fulfilled. • Could adjust the scores on completed s-l assignments to reflect the percentage of hours completed.
Determining the Weight of the Service-Learning Project • What percentage of the course objectives are being taught via the service-learning assignment? • What assignments teach these objectives? • Weight accordingly • What percentage of the course objectives are being taught via other teaching strategies? • What assignments teach these objectives? • Weight accordingly