How do you know if your students are learning
what they are expected to learn?
If you tend to rely, as do many instructors,
on student responses to, “Do you have any questions?”
or, if you wait for written test results,
this workshop was created especially for you.

Faculty Development Workshop Purpose and Focus

1. To develop the expertise (knowledge, skills, and dispositions) needed to create and administer assessments for learning as highly effective alternatives to written tests
2. To enhance student learning by implementing assessment tools in addition to written tests

Overview

This workshop is designed to help instructors create assessment tools “for” learning rather than “of” learning. This is becoming a major part of the academic goal to improve the teaching-learning process, since the tradition of utilizing written tests often is ineffective and comes too late to improve teaching and learning.

Top 20 Learning Objectives

By the end of successfully completing this workshop, participants should be able to demonstrate their expertise in evaluating and developing ways to assess student learning other than by using a written test. This will be evident as participants:

1. Discuss the value of using a variety of learning assessment strategies.
2. Explain and prioritize the purposes of student learning assessments.
3. Discuss the importance of knowing students’ background knowledge. In other words, what do students know about a specific topic prior to them entering class?
4. Explore and evaluate strategies for conducting a Students’ Background Knowledge Survey.
5. Create Students’ Background Knowledge Surveys specific to their courses.
6. Summarize how they can utilize these surveys to enhance the teaching-learning process.
7. Define “learning”.
8. Explore classroom assessment techniques (CATs) that indicate if students are learning the intended material.
9. Differentiate difference between assessments “for” learning” and assessments “of” learning.
10. Differentiate between direct assessment and indirect assessment.
11. Discuss the importance of creating an assessment cycle.
12. Compare and contrast formative assessments and summative assessments.
13. Articulate the importance of using “authentic” assessments and provide examples.
14. Determine what knowledge, skills, and behaviors need to be assessed.
15. Formulate and articulate student learning objectives.
16. Develop effective questioning techniques.
17. Explore, develop, and create scoring rubrics as instructional tools as well as assessment tools.
18. Explore, develop, and create student self-assessment strategies to enhance their learning.
19. Explore, develop, and create peer-assessment (student-to-student) strategies to enhance learning.
20. Discuss the benefits of implementing self-assessment and peer-assessment strategies.

Handouts

Titles

1. Nomenclature:  Assessment Definitions
2. Best Practices of Assessment for Learning
3. Strategies for Ascertaining Students’ Background Knowledge
4. Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs)
5. Sample:  Scoring Rubrics
6. Bloom’s Taxonomy
7. Potential Questions Instructors Can Ask to Ascertain Students’ Progress
8. Examples:  Student Self-Assessment Strategies and How They Can Enhance Learning
9. Examples:  Peer-Assessment Strategies and How They Can Enhance Learning
10. Quotations:  Assessments
11. References and Resources: Assessments
12. Webliography:  Assessment Internet Resources

This faculty development workshop is available to serve as
Professional Development Hours.

Each participant, who successfully completes this
faculty development workshop,
will be awarded a “Certificate of Completion”.

Click to Contact Dr. Nesnick
or
E-mail:  Victoria@VictoriaNesnick.com
or
Phone:  (631) 889-2178