Transcript What Questions Influence Planning and Decision

Promoting an Intentional Institutional
Commitment to Learning Centeredness:
Active vs. Passive Leadership
Assessment of Student Learning Conference
“Evaluating Institutional Learning Centeredness”
San Diego, CA
July 13, 2007
James A. Anderson, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Success
Vice Provost for Institutional Assessment and Diversity
Professor of Psychology
University at Albany, SUNY
[email protected]
Learning Centered Institutions
Seamless Integration of:
Commitment to IE & Accountability
Conceptual Model
Appropriate Program Outcomes
Appropriate Student-Learning Outcomes
Integration of Co-Curricular and Academic
Support Outcomes
Teaching Community and Faculty Development
Outcomes
New or Reallocated Resource Support
Transformational Leadership
Conceptual Model
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (Boyer,
1990)
Teaching Commons and Learning Community
(Huber & Hutchings, 2005)
Assessment: Program and Outcomes
Socio-Academic Engagement (Kuh et al., 2005)
Documenting the Work of Teaching and Learning
(electronic course portfolios)
- MIT (Open Courseware Project)
- Keep Toolkit (Carnegie Foundation)
Instructional Technology and Scholarship of
Teaching and Learning
- Visible Knowledge Project (Georgetown
University)
Learning-Centered Paradigm
(Barr & Tagg, 1995)
Assumptions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Students learn significantly more when they are
engaged in active self-directed learning.
Students learn significantly more when they view the
instructor as a guide and facilitator.
Students learn more when they receive frequent,
prompt, and effective feedback on their performance.
Faculty are intentionally motivated to help students
learn (and to know what learning is occurring).
Learning-Centered Paradigm (contd)
5.
6.
7.
Faculty assume that their own teaching/learning
strategies are responsible if a significant number
of students do not achieve their learning goals.
Assessment is essential to helping faculty
understand what is and isn’t working and how to
improve their teaching/learning/curricula
strategies.
The benefits of good assessment produce clear
advantages for students, faculty and
administrators and address issue of accountability.
Accountability
Focuses on results and the expectation that institutions
(and their programs) quantify or provide evidence that
they are meeting their stated mission, goals, and
objectives. It refers to the increasing demand from a
variety of constituencies to demonstrate institutional
effectiveness by focusing on QUALITY measures:
Efficiency – productivity and cost.
Outputs – measures of a program’s activity such as
people served, and activities and services performed.
Accountability (contd)
Outcomes – focuses on people (satisfaction with a
program or service).
Student Outcomes – institution-based aggregate
statistics on groups of students (graduation rates,
retention rates, transfer rates, etc.)
Student Learning/Development Outcomes –
concerned with attributes and abilities which reflect
how student experiences at the institution supported
their development as individuals.
Why Is There So Much Emphasis
On Accountability?
a)
Values have shifted from higher education as a
social good to its immediate impact on the
economic system and the workforce.
b)
The increased cost of postsecondary education
influences heightened scrutiny.
c)
External constituents don’t trust the self-regulating
processes that colleges/universities utilize to
demonstrate effectiveness.
d)
When citizens pay taxes, they expect a level of
service and proof of a return on investment.
Why Is There So Much Emphasis
On Accountability? (contd)
e)
What value added did the students receive for the
education they just paid for?
f)
More pressure from “watchdog” groups
(Congressional, political, foundations, etc.)
g)
Our own failure to emphasize outcomes and
results as opposed to inputs and procedures.
Fundamental and Necessary Considerations
1.
2.
3.
What is the value-added aspect (to students) of an
institution’s Learning-Centered focus?
What is the opportunity cost to an institution of its own
failure to emphasize outcomes and results as opposed
to inputs and procedures?
Is your institution’s approach to implementing a
Learning-Centered philosophy:
a) based on a generic model (applicable to all students) or one that
targets the unique needs of diverse populations?
b) cognizant of resource implications and cost effectiveness?
c) a composite working model of academic and co-curricular
collaborations?
d) accountable to the point that Learning Centeredness and
Effective Leadership are complimentary, and if they are not,
what does this mean?
What Questions Influence Planning
and Decision-Making
Since many of your students are commuters and
nontraditional, do they have the benefit of online/virtual advising that they can assess when they
need to? Has the college conducted a systematic
evaluation of its advising efforts?
How familiar are the faculty and support staff with
the best research, best models and best practices on
student involvement/integration, effective teaching,
diversity, etc. ?
What are the incentives for non-academic offices to
contribute to the academic success of student?
How is that contribution measured?
What Questions Influence Planning
and Decision-Making (cont)
What metrics/indicators might be utilized when
administrators and program directors are evaluated
for their contributions to the Learning-centered
vision of you college?
Excluding the presence of diverse groups at your
college, how effective has your college been in the
promotion of diversity? What is your answer based
on?
What are some of the major questions that you
would like your college to address that have
significant value?
Is evidence-based decision-making a normative
exercise in administrative planning? If not, then
what are the primary factors that influence decisionmaking?
Meaningful Use of Data
(from Peggy Maki, Ph.D.)
Collect data from different sources to make a
meaningful point (for example, program samples and
other samples of student work).
Collect data you believe will be useful to answering
the important questions you have raised.
Collect data that will help you make decisions for
continuous improvement.
Organize reports around issues, not solely data.
Interpret your data so that it informs program
improvement, budgeting, planning, decision-making,
or policies.
The Most Important Qualities
of Assessment
(Source: Bresciani, 2003a.)
Meaningful in that it is faculty- and co-curricular
specialist- or expert-driven
Manageable in that it considers varying resources
Flexible in that it factors in assessment learning
curves
Truth-seeking, objective, and ethical
Informs decisions for continuous improvement or
provides evidence of proof
Promotes a culture of accountability, learning, and
improvement
Program Outcomes
Students in your program will develop
positive attitudes towards learning and
increase their commitment and responsibility
for their own learning
– Pre-post gains or comparison with matched pair
cohort on dimensions like academic skills, critical
thinking, values toward learning, etc.
– Develop a plan of study
– Develop a learning portfolio
– Learning Environment Preferences Survey (Perry
Scheme)
Do You Have
A philosophy of teaching and teaching excellence
Connected to a model of learning
Which acknowledges characteristics of the learner
and the learning environment
Which utilizes appropriate strategies, tools, and
techniques
And which incorporates assessment and evaluation
in order to maintain quality
Teaching for Retention
Teaching for Student Outcomes
–
–
–
–
Cognitive Outcomes
Content
Grades
Other Goals (Academic + Nonacade3mic
Competency Testing
Placement Testing
Teaching with Support Services
–
–
–
–
–
–
Tutoring
Advising
Mentoring
Connection to Centers (Learning, Writing)
Academic Affairs
+ Student Affairs
Connection to Developmental Programs
Faculty Development (Incentives)
Interface
TEACHING GOALS INFLUENCE DECISIONS
ABOUT GRADING
TEACHING FOR:
1. KNOWLEDGE OF COURSE CONTENT
2. LEARNING OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES
3. COGNITIVE OR INTELLECTUAL OUTCOMES
4. CLASSROOM OUTCOMES (TEAMWORK, ETC.)
5. NONACADEMIC OUTCOMES (COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT)
6. SKILL COMPETENCIES (WRITING, READING, SPEAKING, ETC.)
7. UTILIZATION OF ACADEMIC SUPPORTS
8. GRADING OUTCOMES (C-WALL COURSES)
HELPING STUDENTS TO ESTABLISH A POSITION ON
INQUIRYGUIDED LEARNING (IGL)
- MAP THE CHRONOLOGY OF LEARNING (STUDENT
ORIENTATION)
- INVOLVE STUDENTS IN RECOGNIZING HOW THEY LEARN
- PROVIDE EXAMPLES FROM UPPER LEVEL STUDENTS WHO
ARE SIMILAR TO YOUR CURRENT STUDENTS
- INTEGRATE ASSESSMENT ALONG THE CONTINUUM OF
LEARNING
- HOLD STUDENTS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THINKING ABOUT THEIR
OWN THINKING AND LEARNING
- HAVE STUDENTS DISCUSS THEIR PROGRESS OVER TIME
TOWARD A DESIRED OUTCOME AND THEN ENGAGE IN SELFREFLECTION
COURSE: FIELD BIOLOGY
COURSE THEMES:
- THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION AND ITS IMPORTANCE TO BIOLOGY
- THE IDEA OF HIERARCHIAL STRUCTURE AND THE
INTERCONNECTIONS BETWEEN LEVEL OF COMPLEXITY
- THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
- THE IDEAS OF FEEDBACK MECHANISM AND CONTROL
- THE IMPORTANCE OF THE QUESTIONING APROACH
- THE IDEA THAT SCIENCE IS A STATE-OF-THE-ART DISCIPLINE
Role of Prior Knowledge
When designing instruction in STEM disciplines the
following four questions should be considered:
1.
What breadth and depth of prior knowledge do your
students have?
2.
Do they understand where your discipline fits in with all the
other disciplines which they are taking classes?
3.
How much do they know about the other related
disciplines?
4.
What kind of connections do they have to make between
what you are teaching and those other disciplines in order
to succeed in learning in your class?
USING THE NEW YORK TIMES TO IMPACT COURSE GOALS
AND GRADING IN INTRODUCTORY AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY:
THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER STUDENTS RECEIVE
WORKSHEETS BASED ON CURRENT NYT ARTICLES AS SMALL
GROUP EXERCISES THAT GIVE THEM PRACTICE IN APPLYING
COURSE CONCEPTS AND KNOWLEDGE. THE ARTICLES ARE
ALSO REFERRED TO IN LECTURES TO PROVIDE EXAMPLES
OF HOW CONCEPTS AND KNOWLEDGE CAN BE APPLIED.
OVER HALF OF THE FINAL COURSE GRADE CONSISTS OF
SCORES ON 10 SHORT GRADED ESSAYS BASED ON THE NYT
ARTICLES. STUDENTS RECEIVE A COPY OF A CURRENT
ARTICLE WITH ITS PARAGRAPHS NUMBERED. EACH GRADED
EXERCISE ASKS THE SAME QUESTIONS:
1. WHAT GENERAL CONCEPTS AND SPECIFIC
INFORMATION ABOUT POLITICS (COVERED IN CLASS
AND/OR IN THE TEXTBOOK) CAN YOU USE TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT IS DESCRIBED IN THE ARTICLE?
2. FOR EACH CONCEPT OR PIECE OF INFORMATION,
DISCUSS BRIEFLY HOW IT APPLIES TO A SPECIFIC
PARAGRAPH IN THE ARTICLE (REFER TO THE
PARAGRAPH NUMBER). MAKE SURE THAT YOU
CONFINE YOUR ANSWER TO A DISCUSSION OF HOW
CONCEPTS AND INFORMATION CAN BE APPLIED.
Source: James Eisenstein
Professor, Political Science
Pennsylvania State University
ALCOA Project
Course: Introductory Physical Chemistry (CH 331)
Dr. Laura Sremaniak & Ms. Sheila Maness
Objectives
– Cultivating the cognitive and affective domains
– Creating an awareness of student responsibility to
learning
– Incorporating a historical context to course
material
– Bringing abstract ideas into an understanding
format
– Utilizing case studies to establish relevance to
students’ disciplinary interests
Diversity
Outcomes
University/
College
Goals/Objectives
Outcomes
Department/
Program
Goals/Objectives
Outcomes
Student Learning
And Development
Outcomes
Evidence of
Achieved Outcome
Target Population
Global
Outcomes
Shared
CurricularCo-curricular
Outcomes
Classroom
Climate
Diversity as an Intellectual
or Educational Experience:
What Student Outcomes Do You Expect?
Deeper understanding of:
– Different cultures, people
– Perspectives
– Disciplines
Enhance analytical and decision-making skills
Comfortable with ambiguity and conflict
Openness to growth through dialogue in pluralistic
communities (offshoot: become global
communicators)
Ability to analyze and understand persuasive
arguments
Inclusion of voice of underrepresented students
Value the Richness of Diversity
Demonstrate willingness to learn from and
enter into divergent viewpoints including
culture, gender, lifestyle, religion, ethnicity
– Restate issues from divergent points of view
– Acknowledge the validity of others’ perspectives
– Analyze events, issues or conflicts from different
cultural perspectives
– Interpret media from the perspective of its cultural
context
– Communicate from a perspective that
acknowledges others’ contexts and experiences
Diversity and Critical Thinking
How do we help students to connect the
intellectual/academic concept (diversity)
to its social/political reality?
What aspect of the aforementioned
discussion involves risk-taking for the
student, and how does this inhibit critical
thinking?
What is the students’ current way of
knowing and what does the instructor do
with this information?
Diversity and Critical Thinking (Cont)
What was taught in previous courses and
what will be taught in later courses?
In classes where students are diverse, what
ground rules should the instructor establish
about
– The nature of communication
– The occurrence of conflict
– The nature of small group interaction