Authentic Student Learning Evaluation Plans in Higher Education

Presentation Date: 

Friday, June 10, 2011

Location: 

Renovacion Pedagogica 2011, Universidad Del Norte (Barranquilla, Colombia)

Presentation Slides: 

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 are 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. Such evaluations of student learning are often 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 interactive workshop, participants will learn different methods for designing more authentic, multi-dimensional approaches to evaluating student learning. Participants will be able to draw on a number of methods to design an authentic student evaluation plan for their courses.Â