Alternative Assessment

GradSTEP 2011

John MorrellBlaine Smith

Which of these best describes the discipline in which you teach?

1. Natural Sciences / Math / Engineering

2. Humanities / Fine Arts 3. Social Sciences

Think of a course in which you expect to be assessing students. How many students will be in this course?

1. 15 or fewer 2. 16 – 30 3. 31 – 60 4. 61 – 120 5. 121 or more

Now think of an assignment in that course that will be challenging to grade. What kind of assignment is it?

1. Test / Exam 2. Homework 3. Short Paper 4. Long Paper 5. Project 6. Presentation 7. Other

Muddiest Point

What is the most challenging or confusing aspect of assessment for you?

Alternative Assessment

The utilization of non-traditional approaches in judging student performance.

Alternative Assessment

Common Characteristics of Alternative Assessments

Asks students to perform, create or produce something

Evaluation criteria and standards are known to the student

Involve interaction between assessor (instructor, peers, self) and person assessed

Provides self-assessment opportunities for students Provides opportunities for both individual and group

work Encourages students to continue the learning

activity beyond the scope of the assignment

Key Features of Alternative Assessments

Assesses a learning process and encourages student self-reflection

Based on authentic task with real-world application

Topics and means of expression are of interest to the students

Assess Process of Learning

Flexible Show development Increases

communication Promotes reflection Provides feedback

Assess Process of Learning

Process Journals Interactive Journal Drafts Portfolio

Classroom Assessment Techniques

Background Knowledge Probe: short, simple questionnaire given to students at the start of a course, or before the introduction of a new unit, lesson or topic.

Minute Paper: brief response to the following questions: “What was the most important thing you learned during this class?” and “What important question remains unanswered?”

Muddiest Point: jot down a quick response to one question: “What was the muddiest point in [the lecture, discussion, homework assignment, film, etc.]?”

Authentic Assessment

Close to actual practice

Real world scenarios

Relevance outside of class

Larger audience

Student Choice

Choose topic or propose assessment

Help to develop evaluative criteria

Mode of expression Visual Written Multimodal

Genre Media

Questions to Ask Does the assessment meet outcome

goals? Does the assessment enable students to

demonstrate their progress and capabilities?

Do the assessments use authentic, real world tasks?

What options/choices are allowed? Will the assessment be meaningful and

engaging to students so that they will be motivated?

Does the assessment involve real problems, situations, and audiences?

Revamp an Assignment: 3-minute Paper

On the top of your paper write down an assignment that could be revamped into an alternative assessment

Consider ways to make it: Authentic Measure process Reflective Include student choice Engaging and motivating

Grading

Denis Rancourt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0HZDN6xXZ8

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/the-two-languages-of-academic-freedom/

What are the purposes of grading?

• Evaluation• Motivation

• Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic• Ranking relative to others• More?

What are the potential problems with grading?

Validity Reliability and Accuracy Fairness Bias Others?

The Curve

Norm-Referenced Assessment

Obtain information about a learner’s performance in relation to others’. ACT, GRE, MCAT, etc. Can take more than a year for a single multiple choice

question to be approved. Some instructors “curve” test scores for various

reasons Department requirements, personal preference,

compensating for lower than average scores, etc. Is the adjusted distribution fair to all of the students? Do you have other assessments that reflect similar score

distributions for the same students?

Criterion-Referenced Assessment

Define the content for assessment in terms of what knowledge and skills the student must demonstrate

Define a grading scale for judging student performance

Make sure that the assessment requires students to perform the same skills they practiced during their learning activities prior to the assessment

Distribution can take any shape

Teaching with Rubrics

Evaluative Criteria Quality Definitions Scoring Strategy

Holistic Analytic

Potential Problems with Rubrics

Task specific evaluative criteria Excessively general evaluative

criteria Dysfunctional detail Equating the test of the skill with the

skill itself

From “What’s Wrong—and What’s Right—with Rubrics” in Educational Leadership (Oct. 1997)

Class Participation0.

Absent.

1.

Present, not disruptive.

Tries to respond when called on but does not offer much.

Demonstrates very infrequent involvement in discussion.

2.

Demonstrates adequate preparation: knows basic case or reading facts, but does not show evidence of trying to interpret or analyze them.

Offers straightforward information (e.g., straight from the case or reading), without elaboration or very infrequently (perhapsonce a class).

Does not offer to contribute to discussion, but contributes to a moderate degree when called on.

Demonstrates sporadic involvement.

3.

Demonstrates good preparation: knows case or reading facts well, has thought through implications of them.

Offers interpretations and analysis of case material (more than just facts) to class.

Contributes well to discussion in an ongoing way: responds to other students' points, thinks through own points, questionsothers in a constructive way, offers and supports suggestions that may be counter to the majority opinion.

Demonstrates consistent ongoing involvement.

4.

Demonstrates excellent preparation: has analyzed case exceptionally well, relating it to readings and other material (e.g.,readings, course material, discussions, experiences, etc.).

Offers analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of case material, e.g., puts together pieces of the discussion to develop newapproaches that take the class further.

Contributes in a very significant way to ongoing discussion: keeps analysis focused, responds very thoughtfully to otherstudents' comments, contributes to the cooperative argument-building, suggests alternative ways of approaching material and helps class analyzewhich approaches are appropriate, etc.

Demonstrates ongoing very active involvement.

VALUE Rubrics (AAC&U) VALUE: Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education

Intellectual and Practical Skills Inquiry and analysis Critical thinking Creative thinking Written communication Oral communication Reading Quantitative literacy Information literacy Teamwork Problem solving

Personal and Social Responsibility Civic knowledge and engagement Intercultural knowledge and competence Ethical reasoning Foundations and skills for lifelong learning

Integrative and Applied Learning Integrative and applied learning

Participatory / Consensus Rubrics

Have students collaborate in the creation of a rubric.

Self Evaluation

• Create opportunities for self reflection.

• Can you allow students to contribute a self-reflection as part of the assignment?

• Could you allow students to grade themselves?

Revision and Test Correction

Create structured opportunities for learning and improvement. Allow students to revise papers and correct test questions. Before or after assigning grades?

Other ideas?

Non-binding grades. More?

Exercise

Think of an assignment on which you might experiment with some form of alternative grading (3 mins)

Share with your neighbor (5 mins) Ideas?

Return to Muddiest Point

Other questions and thoughts?

Resources

Vanderbilt Center for Teaching (http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/assessment/) The CFT is hosting a workshop on January 26 entitled

“Negotiating Student Expectations about Grades and Goals” from 4:10 – 5:30

Furman Center for Teaching (http://facweb.furman.edu/~ctel/rubrics.htm)

RubiStar – rubric templates (http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php)

AAC&U VALUE Rubrics http://www.aacu.org/value/rubrics/)