David Steer Department of Geosciences The University of Akron Learning objectives and assessments Oct 2013

Cognitive: What do they know? Affective: What do they care about? Behavioral: What can they do? Learning Objectives Learning Objectives are the intended results of the teaching activities

Describe conditions under which behavior is to be performed Use action verbs State Criteria Add the product, process or outcome Learning Objectives Writing Learning Objectives From Climate Unit: After completing this unit, students will be able to correctly distinguish between forced and unforced climate change.

Developmental: lower level tasks required before moving on Mastery: complex tasks likely to have varying levels of progress Learning Objectives Learning Objectives target different levels of learning Learning objectives support your learning goals.

Learning Objectives This afternoon you will develop learning objectives that support your learning goals Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating Creating memorization and recall getting the meaning of using knowledge taking apart information reorganizing information generating, producing Mastery Developmental See the Bloom’s Taxonomy: A Framework for Learning Handout

Learning objectives describe measureable geoscience literacy goals Instructions and/or rubrics provide guidance for how students meet learning goals Learning objectives and goals are appropriate for the intended use of the course/module Learning objectives and goals are clearly stated for each module in language suitable for the level of the students Learning objectives and goals address the process and nature of science and development of scientific habits of mind Learning Objectives What is required from the Materials Development Rubric? Must score 13/15 on this section

Learning Objectives What questions do you have about learning objectives? Learning objectives form the basis of assessment.

Formative: While the learning is occurring Purpose to monitor student learning Immediate feedback Help students & faculty identify weaknesses Low stakes Summative: After learning has occurred Purpose to evaluate learning against some benchmark High stakes (graded) Assessment and Measurement There are two broad categories of assessments:

Assessments measure the learning goals Assessments are criterion referenced Assessments are consistent with course activities and resources expected Assessments are sequenced, varied and appropriate to the content Assessments address goals at successively higher cognitive levels Assessment and Measurement What is required from the Materials Development Rubric? Must score 13/15 on this section

In class activity: Mining a Muffin Exercise Minerals Module: Formative Students are given a muffin and a variety of tools to extract the “ore.” Students are asked a variety of questions related to the costs and benefits of removing the “ore” from the muffin

Exam Question: The drawing shows a hillside in which a mining company wants to open a mine, along with a scale bar to illustrate size and distances. What are the potential costs and benefits of extracting ore in this location? Minerals Module: Summative

Enough assessment opportunities to conclusively demonstrate the level of learning achieved Learning Objective level Both formative and summative Module/course goal level: Summative These assessments need to show what students know and are able to do as related to the broader goals Assessment and Measurement What will the assessment team need?

Assessments measure the learning goals Assessments are criterion referenced Assessments are consistent with course activities and resources expected Assessments are sequenced, varied and appropriate to the content Assessments address goals at successively higher cognitive levels Learning Outcomes What is required from the Materials Development Rubric? Must score 13/15 on this section

Summary