Teaching Students to Learn through peer teaching and assessment Sarah Miller Lauffer Wisconsin Program for Scientific Teaching Supported by the HHMI Professors Program Carol Aspinwall Erdman Center for Operations and Technology Management

I am a junior majoring in biology. I was thinking I might go to graduate school to do research and become a professor, or maybe apply to medical school. I usually get A’s in my courses; only a few B’s so far in college. I totally breezed through high school. It was so easy. This semester, I enrolled in introductory microbiology. I approach this class like most others—I attend lecture (have only missed two this semester!), read the textbook (usually before class, if I have time), and turn in the homework if it’s going to be graded. Prof. Lopez is great; he’s really well organized and follows the book closely. The homework has been helpful for learning the terms and information. The first midterm exam in this course was NOT what I expected. None of the questions were multiple choice. Instead, we had to write out short (and sometimes LONG) answers. I barely finished it in the 2-hour exam period. Plus, three of the questions tested us on things we never learned and skipped stuff we had covered in class. For example, we learned about a specific example of the lac operon in class last week. I worked really hard to memorize all the important steps in the process, and then it wasn’t even on the test. But there was this question about asking us to “describe a strategy that bacteria use to regulate gene expression and explain why such a strategy might have been selected for over time.” How am I supposed to know about that? I got a 72% on that test. What a crock! Forget biology, I’m changing my major. CASE: FRUSTRATED STUDENT

Assessment… drives student learning should align with learning goals provides feedback to both students and instructors about learning is more than grades guides changes in behavior and instruction Adapted from FLAG (Field-tested Learning Assessment Guide),

EnGauge Assessments simultaneously engage students in learning and gauge their learning during the learning process: Engage + gauge = enGauge

Role of assessment in learning “Ongoing assessment plays a key role— possibly the most important role—in shaping classroom standards and increasing learning gains.” Black, P. and Wiliam, D Phi Delta Kappan.

A word about grading Assessment is more than grades. Evaluation vs. assessment Formative vs. summative assessment

Examples of “EnGaugements” Brainstorming Think-pair-share Reading assessments Concept maps

Components of effective instruction 1. Clear description of learning goals 2. Opportunities for students and instructors to determine progress toward and achievement of the goals 3. Strategies, skills, and experiences that help students achieve the goals 4. Ensuring that assessments and activities align with the learning goals

Resources Field-tested learning assessment guide (FLAG) flaguide.org Student assessment of learning gains (SALG) Classroom Assessment Techniques (Angelo & Cross) Learner-centered assessment on college campuses (Huba & Freed) Understanding by Design (Wiggins & McTighe)

Tips Easy to do quick assessments Logical often to integrate active learning and assessment Don’t overdo it; make sure all are aligned with the learning goals. Do what’s meaningful and effective for you and your students.

Quotes “I wish I could put electrodes on their brains to find out what they’re thinking.” “Oddly, one rarely hears, ‘I tried lecturing once, but students didn’t like it, so now I’m doing something else.”

Exit Assessment 1. Explain how assessment strategies can simultaneously engage students in learning and gauge how well students are learning. 2. With regard to diversity, what consequences might result from including these type of strategies in a classroom?