Assessment: The Secret to Great Teaching

Open the doors to any classroom across the globe and you will observe an almost universal model for the evaluation of student learning. Instructors stand at the front of a lecture hall, teach content, students (at least we hope) attempt to learn that content, and then instructors evaluate that content learning through traditional assessments such as multiple-choice exams, quizzes, or research papers. Most of these conventional approaches to evaluation are one-dimensional and not aligned with overarching learning goals that relate to competencies students actually need to progress successfully throughout their university careers and contribute to the workforce. For most faculty, evaluation is considered separate from teaching, rather than a teaching strategy and most evaluations of student learning are inauthentic, testing skills and habits that are more related to students' abilities to memorize and take tests well, rather than apply or create content and develop scholarly habits of mind. In this workshop, participants will learn innovative methods for designing more authentic, multi-dimensional approaches to evaluating student learning. After completion, participants will be able to draw on a number of methods to rethink their approaches to student learning evaluation.