Learning Objectives Performance Tasks and Rubrics Demonstrating Understanding

Learning Objectives, Performance Tasks and Rubrics: Demonstrating Understanding and Defining What Good Is Brenda Lyseng Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Center for Teaching and Learning

Goals l l Review how the assessment cycle matches what you do in your class Move from Learning Outcomes to Learning Objectives to Assessment Build Performance Tasks Write Rubrics

Activity l l Make a concept map to show the relationship between these words As you discuss, think about – – – Who? What? How? When? Why? Assessment of student Course Faculty Learning activities Learning objectives Learning outcomes Program Student University

The Big Picture Student: What do I know? Faculty: Assessment Course: Learning objectives Program: Learning objectives University: Learning outcomes

From Learning Outcomes to Learning Objectives to Assessment l l What are learning objectives at the course level? What are characteristics of learning objectives? What impact should learning objectives have on how you teach? What is the importance of assessment of learning objectives?

Learning objectives l l What do we expect students to be able to do after instruction or learning activity? Focuses on student, not teacher Establishes direction If well-stated, makes it clear what type of assessment would be appropriate Continuum from highly specific objectives or very broad learning goals – need intermediate to get at higher-level skills that are specific enough to be assessed

Educational Objectives and Verbs for Stating Specific Learning Outcomes Major categories in the cognitive domain (Bloom, 1956) – – – Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation

Educational Objectives and Verbs for Stating Specific Learning Outcomes Major categories in the affective domain (Krathwohl, 1964) – – – Receiving stimuli Responding Valuing Organization Characterization by a Value or Value Complex

Educational Objectives and Verbs for Stating Specific Learning Outcomes Major categories in the psychomotor domain (Simpson, 1972) – – – – Perception Set (Mental, physical, emotional readiness) Guided Response Mechanism Complex Overt Response Adaptation Origination

Checking objectives: l l Are they complete? Are they appropriate? Are they sound? Are they feasible?

Critique Time! How could you improve the following learning objectives? l Teach students key concepts. l Student will be able to communicate. l To learn about joint structure l Student will identify a concept and apply concept.

From Learning Outcomes to Learning Objectives to Assessment Planning Worksheet Learning Outcome Broad skill, intended outcome Learning Objectives What supporting knowledge and skills will students achieve? Graduates will demonstrate effective verbal, non -verbal, and written communication skills in a wide variety of contexts, including collaborative activities. Learning Activities Assessment

From Learning Outcomes to Learning Objectives to Assessment Planning Worksheet Learning Outcome Broad skill, intended outcome Learning Objectives Graduates will demonstrate effective verbal, non -verbal, and written communication skills in a wide variety of contexts, including collaborative activities. Learning Activities What will students do that will lead them to the learning objectives? Assessment

From Learning Outcomes to Learning Objectives to Assessment Planning Worksheet Learning Outcome Broad skill, intended outcome Learning Objectives Graduates will demonstrate effective verbal, non -verbal, and written communication skills in a wide variety of contexts, including collaborative activities. Learning Activities Assessment How do students demonstrate mastery?

Performance Tasks l l l Emphasis is on doing – not merely knowing; on process as well as product Goal is to be as authentic as possible Used to measure learning outcomes and learning objectives that cannot be measured well by objective tests Suited for less structured problems, creation of a product or a performance Can be narrow in definition or more broad and open

Examples of Tasks l l Prepare and deliver a speech to persuade people to take actions to protect the environment. Write a computer program in BASIC that will sort a list of words alphabetically.

Examples of Tasks l l Design and carry out an investigation to estimate the acceleration of a falling object. Describe the procedure used, present the data collected analyzed, and state your conclusions. You are approaching the age of menopause and need to make a decision about HRT. Explain the criteria that are important to you in your decision. Present in decision in the form of a dialogue with your health care provider.

How to build a performance task l l l Identify the specific content and/or skills students will learn. Build the task that the students will do while identifying the criteria or standards that you will assess. These can be a mix of content standards and lifelong learning skills standards. What type of activities will reinforce and deepen students’ understanding of the content and skills?

Build a performance task Learning Objectives Which one do you want to assess? Task What is the core task you want students to perform?

Build a performance task What content standards do you want students to demonstrate? What knowledge will students demonstrate? What performance standards do you want students to demonstrate? What skills will students demonstrate? What will be their sources of information? Interviews, primary sources, secondary, textbook What type of product do you want? Written report, oral report, recommendation, graph How will students work? Individual, partner, team

Standards or Criteria l l Content Standards Lifelong Learning (Skill or Performance) Standards

Write Rubrics Scoring tool that describes evaluation criteria based on the expected outcomes and performances of students. Each rubric consists of a set of scoring criteria and point values.

Why use rubrics? l l l Improve reliability of grading assignments To convey goals and expectations of students in an unambiguous way To convey grading standards and relate to classroom goals To engage students in critical evaluation of their own performance – self-assessment To aid in intradepartmental discussion about standards and criteria To form the basis for departmental and institutional assessment

Considerations when constructing a rubric l l l What elements must be present to ensure high quality? How many levels do I want? What is a clear description of each achievement level? Rubrics are for you and the students! Ask students for feedback on the rubrics

Getting started… l l l Consider a 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 scale where a “ 3” means that the student has completed the project in a satisfactory manner (generally a low B or high C) Write the “ 4” description first Don’t try to cover too many different skills or content areas within one rubric

Activity l At your table, write a rubric for a great semester break

Rubric for a Productive Session 4 – Faculty member met with other faculty members for a work session. Faculty began in various stages but all brought ideas to work on. Faculty learned from each other, gave suggestions, and modified their work. Faculty designed performance tasks for their own courses. Faculty gained experience in the use and writing of rubrics.

Rubric for a Productive Session 3 – Faculty member met with other faculty and discussed teaching and learning issues. Ideas were exchanged with promises of talking more about teaching and sending each other assignments, etc.