Stuart Birnbaum Department of Geological Sciences The University of Texas at San Antonio Learning objectives and assessments June 15, 2015

Identify Course & Module Learning Goals Identify learning objectives for individual lessons Determine how to assess and measure student success on goals and objectives Design teaching resources and materials to match assessments Plan Instructional Strategies to implement teaching resources for individual lessons

Cognitive: What do students know? Affective: What do students care about? Behavioral: What can students do? Learning Objectives Student 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

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 “Humans’ Dependence on Mineral Resources” ( : Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to: Describe how elemental abundance relates to mineral abundance and hence to resource availability.

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.

A module goal: Students will recognize and develop an understanding of how to identify and apply credible data sets to identify local natural hazards, vulnerable groups and structures, and levels of risk for their community. ( A unit objective : Students will identify and label areas prone to natural hazards on a map that includes all or a section of their community, including a well-referenced reasoning for why and how often hazards may occur. Learning Objectives support your learning goals Example from “Map Your Hazards” (

Assessment: Students should be provided with the map activity rubric prior to the start of Unit 1 to explain expectations and how they will be evaluated: Unit 1 RubricUnit 1 Rubric Learning Objectives – using rubrics Example from “Map Your Hazards” (

Learning Objectives – using rubrics ( Task5 Points3 Points1 Points0 Points Earned Points Mapping Hazards Identified and accurately placed top three hazards. Credible data sources provided. Identified top hazards but did not accurately place them. Shapes extend beyond hazard zones. Or hazards correctly placed but credible data sources not provided. Identified 1 hazard or less. Credible data sources not provided. Did not complete assignment /5 Mapping Vulnerability Identified and accurately placed 3–5 important vulnerabilities. Credible data sources provided. Identified 2–3 important vulnerabilities but missed at least one important vulnerability. Or vulnerability correctly identified but credible data sources not provided. Identified <2 vulnerabilities. Credible data sources not provided. Did not complete assignment /5 Mapping Risk Students identified risk based on their mapping of hazards and vulnerability. One or more hazardous areas that overlap with vulnerabilities were not ranked in terms or risk. More than three hazardous areas that overlap with vulnerabilities were not ranked in terms or risk. Students did not demonstrate understanding of risk Did not complete assignment /5 Map Reasoning Students clearly used reasonable logic in their explanation behind assigning risk levels. Students did not clearly use logic in their explanations of how they assigned risk levels. Students did not use logic or reasoning for their explanations of how they assigned risk levels. Did not complete assignment /5 Total Points/20

Learning Objectives You will develop learning outcomes 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.

Identify Course & Module Learning Goals Identify learning objectives for individual lessons Determine how to assess and measure student success on goals and objectives Design teaching resources and materials to match assessments Plan Instructional Strategies to implement teaching resources

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:

Formative: Objective 2-3. Identify physical characteristics associated with the collection, transport and deposition zones in a river system Assessment and Measurement There are two broad categories of assessments: Example from “Water, Earth’s surface, and Human Activity”

Summative: Explain how stream velocity (assume the steeper the slope, the faster the velocity) relates to the transportation and deposition of sediment. Use specific examples from Part 2 and 3 to support your answer. Assessment and Measurement There are two broad categories of assessments: Example from “Water, Earth’s surface, and Human Activity”

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

Assessments are criterion referenced

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

Assessment and Measurement Some Really Good Summative Assessments Living on the Edge: Units 5 and 6 Summative Assessment – apply concepts related to volcanic eruptions to disaster relief and disaster planning for a community. Sustainable Ag: Fact sheet developed for local farmers (fact_sheet_student_handout.v6) – shows assessment overview and “Addressing Stakeholder Needs”

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 Objectives What is required from the Materials Development Rubric? Must score 13/15 on this section

Summary Identify Course & Module Learning Goals Identify learning objectives for individual lessons Determine how to assess and measure student success on goals and objectives Design teaching resources and materials to match assessments Plan Instructional Strategies to implement teaching resources