Mathematical Sciences 1 Student Assessment COL Alex Heidenberg

Mathematical Sciences 2 Assessment What is it and why do we talk about it so much? What is the difference between assessment and evaluation? Are our students learning? What kind of learning is taking place? Am I an effective teacher?

Mathematical Sciences 3 What is Assessment? Assessment – Process of gathering information pertaining to performance or achievement  Formative – (ongoing) to improve learning  Summative – (final) to gauge quality Evaluation – Comparing student achievement with a set of standards (criterion-referenced) or other students (norm-referenced).

Mathematical Sciences Quote of the day “…testing and grading are not incidental acts that come at the end of teaching but powerful aspects of education that have an enormous influence on the entire enterprise of helping and encouraging students to learn.” --Ken Bain, What the Best College Teachers Do

Mathematical Sciences 5 Assessment Cycle

Mathematical Sciences Why Assess? 6 Changing the name of a test doesn’t matter Get info about how we’re doing and use the info To give the students and class a time to stop, reflect, and synthesize Testing doesn’t have to be at the end of a chapter (synthesis may happen later than that) To motivate students Indicate expectations Measure how effective the teacher is (institutional/program) Measure prior knowledge Figure out what I’m going to do in class today Accreditation (see tomorrow’s session on program assessment) Let the students know where they are Need to assign a grade

Mathematical Sciences 7 Why Assess? It is a chance for students to know where they are at. It is a chance for the instructor to know where their students are at. It is a chance to pause, reflect, gather, and make connections. Build Confidence.

Mathematical Sciences 8 How Do We Assess Students? Ask Questions Quizzes (can do group quizzes) (consider doing daily—occasionally make it a “buddy quiz”) Put the answer on the test—show all of the work for full credit Exams—open resource or not? (study sheets) Homework Journal-type questions (write detailed solution with explanation) Group work and then present Watch the students’ body language Clicker questions Work on the board and observe Walk around and look at students’ work Notice student questions Projects (real world applications) Green cup or red cup on top (each student has one of each) Head nod: Yes/no (Caution—can be misleading) Index card—anonymous at end of class (turn in) Muddiest point

Mathematical Sciences 9 Which Techniques Assess Deep Learning? Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating Creating

Mathematical Sciences 10 Which Techniques Assess Deep Learning? Compare our list from 2 slides ago—at what level of Bloom’s Taxonomy are they? Can there be deep learning at that level? (Discuss)

Mathematical Sciences Fundamental Question (Bain) What kind of intellectual and personal development should my students achieve in this class, and how can I collect evidence of that? Subquestions Is the material worth learning? Are my students learning what the course is supposed to be teaching? Am I helping and encouraging the students to learn?

Mathematical Sciences A few student assessment ideas Two-minute paper Students self-assess their intellectual growth Every exam cumulative and replacing the previous one Students write a paragraph describing their problem-solving process (turned in with the problem) Ungraded journals (conversation-starter! Math autobiography!) Bain and MAA Notes #49

Mathematical Sciences 13 Thoughts from Joseph Lowman Don’t overemphasize grades (by being too stringent or too lenient, or by testing too frequently). Take grading seriously; it is of less consequence than what the students learn.

Mathematical Sciences 14 Thoughts from Joseph Lowman Let students know where they are at regarding their learning by sharing peer work or showing the distribution of scores. Exams should be critiqued and revised. The best time for this to happen is immediately after grading it and hearing student feedback.

Mathematical Sciences 15 Questions?

Mathematical Sciences References To Improve the Academy, Douglas Robertson What the Best College Teachers Do, Ken Bain Mastering the Techniques of Teaching, Joseph Lowman Assessment Practices in Undergraduate Mathematics, edited by Bonnie Gold, Sandra Keith, and William Marion