http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#discussion http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2921 Mel Huff 1224708480 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2921 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2922 Catherine Gautier 1224709620 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2922 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2925
So, it sounds to me like the regents want some measure of student learning in your classes other than grades- possibly for accreditation. What kind of learning do they want to measure? Some sort of general ed requirements? Critical thinking? Or do you get to decide as a department what would constitute important learning?

Once you have the answer to what you are trying to measure, the how becomes easier I think.

You might be interested in the workshop or its resulting website that the Building Strong Geoscience Departments project is running on program assessment this February.]]> Cathy Manduca 1224716040 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2925 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2930
I do have my students interpret geologic (in the case of physical geology) figures or graphs. I pop it up on the lecture screen and ask them what they see/notice, and the discussion leads off from how they respond. They're more comfortable with this process as the semester progresses, but I don't quantify the results.

For Catherine, I concentrate on trying to develop critical thinking skills (partially in the way I just stated). I see too many students come to my classes who just want to know what to memorize for a test. They're a little irritated when I ask application questions that they have to critically think through :o) I think that I'm better at doing assignments/labs in my environmental science course that have assessment ruberics built in rather than my other classes. I think this is attributed to the fact that I developed this course during one of the NAGT workshops! It's a great process. I had no pre-conceived ideas about how I wanted to teach the class because it was new. I need to start over in my geology course to incorporate more of those type assignments and labs. I think it's harder for that class because I know what material that I need to cover for anyone who may turn into a geology major & for those who will need to take the teaching certification exam. I read on some of the other posts that others have a harder time with the physical geol course as well. I guess it's just a matter of incorporating assignments/labs in small increments until I (or we) end up where we want to be.

]]> Mel Huff 1224726720 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2930 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2932
Since many of you are not first year instructors, I'm curious what your thoughts on this are. What is the line between making sure I cover all the material and making the class more experiential? ]]> Todd Ellis 1224728040 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2932 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2933
Rob]]> Robert Kuhlman 1224763800 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2933 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2937 Catherine Gautier 1224774540 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2937 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2938 We offer a full meteorology curriculum in our program with three meteorology professors and ~60 undergrads (freshman through senior)...What this means is that each of us (the professors) has each of the individual meteorology students in 3-4 different courses over 4 years. I often see the same students in my classes from one semester to the next. We have a lot of material to cover...

What's discouraging, is that we find there is little retention from one semester to the next - despite the fact that all of our courses tend to build on each other. Students in my senior Climatology class have some of the SAME misconceptions I find in my intro class! The upshot is that I spend a lot of time reviewing what they've learned in previous classes - and never get to all the new material anyway. Ultimately, being able to cover a lot of material in upper-division classes requires that students have a solid understanding of the 'basics'...

This semester I've begun giving my senior students regular short quizzes on the 'basics' - as a way to review, and as a way of determining how quickly I can introduce new concepts. I'm finding that each semester is different, and I need to tailor the pace of the class to the students in that particular class..]]> Cindy Shellito 1224774720 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2938 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2940 Mel Huff 1224777180 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2940 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2941 Todd Ellis 1224783000 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2941 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2942 Did you look at the paired scores for individual students? David McConnell just presented a reanalysis of some of Julie's data and looking at the pairs gave substantially different results than looking at the class averages. You can find his paper and presentation here:
http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/PP_Agenda_October13and14_2008.html

David would be a great person to discuss your results with. He's at NC State.

Cathy]]> Cathy Manduca 1224783420 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2942 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2945
In any case, I do like your suggestions, and I'd like to think about ways to do more of the large class activities that you mentioned in your profile - I have 50 students in my intro class. I think we'll be retooling that class some over the next few years, so there's an opportunity to try some new things. ]]> Todd Ellis 1224794700 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2945 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2946 Dave Dempsey 1224798480 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2946 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2947
We see the same thing. In my atmospheric dynamics class, which requires vector (3rd semester) calculus as a prerequisite, I have to reteach the definitions and interpretations of derivatives and integrals, which is why I regard myself as a calculus "reteacher". The same is true to varying degrees about meteorology content. I've concluded in the case of the calculus that the subject matter is relatively abstract and difficult, and that most students simply need multiple exposures to it in different contexts before they begin to understand it well enough to use it as a problem-solving and interpretative tool. It takes more than one course's worth of exposure for them to get it. The same is probably true about at least some meteorology concepts.

That said, I still harbor hope that there are pedagogical strategies that might help students get the concepts the first (or second) time and retain them. I've just got to read more of the literature, be more creative, take more risks, spend more time ....]]> Dave Dempsey 1224799020 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2947 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2956
Cathy -- thanks so much for that tip! I'll be sure to do that once I come up for air when our workshop is over :>)

Rob]]> Robert Kuhlman 1224810780 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/hurricanes08/discuss/assessment.html#post2956