Professional Documents
Culture Documents
H. Stephen Straight
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
What Is Teaching?
Brainstorm:
Think of different ways to define teaching. Write down at least three different definitions of teaching. Pair up with someone to choose the best ONE of your six-plus definitions. Share your definitions with the group, one at a time in sequence.
Definitions of Teaching
NOTE: All of the above can be accomplished either deliberately or incidentally. That is, you can teach by means of explicit instruction, ongoing guidance, deliberate modeling, or accidental example.
Implement research-based best practices. Employ an assessment-informed model of teaching focused on measurable student learning outcomes.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Maximizes student/faculty contact. Develops student cooperation. Uses active learning techniques. Gives feedback promptly. Emphasizes time on task. Communicates high expectations. Respects learners diversity.
Think of at least one way to implement each item of practice. Write down each example. Pair up with the person next to you to choose the best example of each. Share your findings with the group.
Implement research-based best practices. Employ an assessment-informed model of teaching focused on measurable student learning outcomes.
What are the three most striking differences between the two? If we had time, Id have you
Timing Focus of Measurement Relationship Between Administrator & Recipient Findings, Uses Thereof Ongoing Modifiability of Criteria, Measures Thereof Standards of Measurement Relation Between Different Objects of A/E
Assessment
n Evaluation
Timing
Assessment
n Evaluation
Formative: Ongoing Summative: Final to to Improve Learning Gauge Quality Focus of Measurement
Assessment
n Evaluation
Formative: Ongoing Summative: Final to to Improve Learning Gauge Quality Process-Oriented: Focus of Measurement How Learning Is Going
Assessment
n Evaluation
Summative: Final to Gauge Quality Product-Oriented: Whats Been Learned
Formative: Ongoing to Improve Learning Process-Oriented: How Learning Is Going Administrator/Recipient Relationship
Assessment
n Evaluation
Summative: Final to Gauge Quality Product-Oriented: Whats Been Learned Administrator/Recipient Relationship
Formative: Ongoing to Improve Learning Process-Oriented: How Learning Is Going Reflective: Internally Defined Criteria/Goals
Assessment
n Evaluation
Summative: Final to Gauge Quality Product-Oriented: Whats Been Learned Prescriptive:Externally Imposed Standards
Formative: Ongoing to Improve Learning Process-Oriented: How Learning Is Going Reflective: Internally Defined Criteria/Goals Findings, Uses Thereof
Assessment
n Evaluation
Summative: Final to Gauge Quality Product-Oriented: Whats Been Learned Prescriptive:Externally Imposed Standards Findings, Uses Thereof
Formative: Ongoing to Improve Learning Process-Oriented: How Learning Is Going Reflective: Internally Defined Criteria/Goals Diagnostic: Identify Areas for Improvement
Assessment
n Evaluation
Summative: Final to Gauge Quality Product-Oriented: Whats Been Learned Prescriptive:Externally Imposed Standards Judgmental: Arrive at an Overall Grade/Score
Formative: Ongoing to Improve Learning Process-Oriented: How Learning Is Going Reflective: Internally Defined Criteria/Goals Diagnostic: Identify Areas for Improvement Ongoing Modifiability of Criteria, Measures
Assessment
n Evaluation
Summative: Final to Gauge Quality Product-Oriented: Whats Been Learned Prescriptive:Externally Imposed Standards Judgmental: Arrive at an Overall Grade/Score Ongoing Modifiability of Criteria, Measures
Formative: Ongoing to Improve Learning Process-Oriented: How Learning Is Going Reflective: Internally Defined Criteria/Goals Diagnostic: Identify Areas for Improvement Flexible: Adjust As Problems Are Clarified
Assessment
n Evaluation
Product-Oriented: Whats Been Learned Prescriptive:Externally Imposed Standards Judgmental: Arrive at an Overall Grade/Score Fixed: To Reward Success, Punish Failure
Process-Oriented: How Learning Is Going Reflective: Internally Defined Criteria/Goals Diagnostic: Identify Areas for Improvement Flexible: Adjust As Problems Are Clarified Standards of Measurement
Assessment
n Evaluation
Product-Oriented: Whats Been Learned Prescriptive:Externally Imposed Standards Judgmental: Arrive at an Overall Grade/Score Fixed: To Reward Success, Punish Failure Standards of Measurement
Process-Oriented: How Learning Is Going Reflective: Internally Defined Criteria/Goals Diagnostic: Identify Areas for Improvement Flexible: Adjust As Problems Are Clarified Absolute: Strive for Ideal Outcomes
Assessment
n Evaluation
Prescriptive:Externally Imposed Standards Judgmental: Arrive at an Overall Grade/Score Fixed: To Reward Success, Punish Failure Comparative: Divide Better from Worse
Reflective: Internally Defined Criteria/Goals Diagnostic: Identify Areas for Improvement Flexible: Adjust As Problems Are Clarified Absolute: Strive for Ideal Outcomes Relation Between Objects of A/E
Assessment
n Evaluation
Prescriptive:Externally Imposed Standards Judgmental: Arrive at an Overall Grade/Score Fixed: To Reward Success, Punish Failure Comparative: Divide Better from Worse Relation Between Objects of A/E
Reflective: Internally Defined Criteria/Goals Diagnostic: Identify Areas for Improvement Flexible: Adjust As Problems Are Clarified Absolute: Strive for Ideal Outcomes Coperative: Learn from Each Other
Assessment
n Evaluation
Prescriptive:External-ly Imposed Standards Judgmental: Arrive at an Overall Grade/Score Fixed: To Reward Success, Punish Failure Comparative: Divide Better from Worse Competitive: Beat Each Other Out
Reflective: Internally Defined Criteria/Goals Diagnostic: Identify Areas for Improvement Flexible: Adjust As Problems Are Clarified Absolute: Strive for Ideal Outcomes Coperative: Learn from Each Other
Summary of Differences
Dimension of Difference
Timing
Focus of Measurement Relationship Between Administrator and Recipient Findings, Uses Thereof Ongoing Modifiability of Criteria, Measures Thereof Standards of Measurement Relation Between Objects of A/E
Assessment
Formative
Process-Oriented Reflective Diagnostic Flexible Absolute Coperative
Evaluation
Summative
Product-Oriented Prescriptive Judgmental Fixed Comparative Competitive
If we had time, Id have you Think, Write, Pair, Share to come up with examples of assessment and evaluation to show that: The multidimensionality of the difference between them, and the variation in each dimension, result in a very diverse array of examples, the majority of which are neither assessment nor evaluation but rather hybrids.
How to do this?
Define learning outcomes (desired by teachers and/or learners) well in advance. Assess progress toward outcomes, by and for both teacher and learner, continually during learning. Evaluate attainment of outcomes rigorously as each learning opportunity concludes.
Measures of Learning
If we had time, Id also have you examine examples of ways to measure learning with the aim of showing: that any measurement of learning can be used either for assessment or for evaluation purposes, but that some measures are better for one than for the other.
Implement research-based best practices. Employ an assessment-informed model of teaching focused on measurable student learning outcomes.
Be vocal about what youre doing to improve your teaching and your students learning and listen to others stories about what they are doing.
The best assessment derives from teachers questions about their own teaching. Systematic assessment can be an intellectually challenging source of faculty satisfaction. Assessment provides an impetus for active student involvement, a proven best practice.
Sources
Chickering & Gamson, Change (the journal of the Amer Assn for Higher Ed) Apple, Process education teaching institute handbook (Pacific Crest) Angelo & Cross, Classroom assessment
H. Stephen Straight
Professor of Anthropology and of Linguistics Co-Director, Harpur College Linguistics Program Associate Director, Center for Research In Translation 607.777.2150 (secretary: Deborah Dunn) 607.777.2824 (private voice mail) 607.777.4831 (fax)
mailto:straight@binghamton.edu