Peter Newbury Center for Teaching Development, UCSD ctd.ucsd.edu April 28, 2014

1. on target by hans_s on flickr CC-BY-ND
What do you notice?
What do you wonder?
Assessment
1

2. CTD WEEKLY WORKSHOPS:
ASSESSMENT
Peter Newbury
Center for Teaching Development,
University of California, San Diego
pnewbury@ucsd.edu @polarisdotca
ctd.ucsd.edu #ctducsd
resources: ctd.ucsd.edu/programs/weekly-workshops-spring-2014/
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
12:00 – 12:50 pm Center Hall, Rm 316

3. Scholarly approach to teaching:
Assessment3
Carl Wieman
Science Education Initiative
cwsei.ubc.ca
What should
students
learn?
What are
students
learning?
What instructional
approaches
help students
learn?
learning
outcomes

4. Learning outcomes…
Assessment4
 clarify to the students and to the instructors the
what it means to “understand” each concept
 are statements that complete the sentence, “By this
end of this lesson/unit/course, you will be able to…”
 begins with an action verb, typically chosen by the
cognitive Bloom’s Level of the outcome (remember,
comprehend, apply, analyze, evaluate, create)

5. Scholarly approach to teaching:
Assessment5
Carl Wieman
Science Education Initiative
cwsei.ubc.ca
What should
students
learn?
What are
students
learning?
What instructional
approaches
help students
learn?
learning
outcomes
how people learn,
alt to lecture

6. We know How People Learn
Assessment6
…and what it means for teaching [1]:
1. Teachers must draw out and work with the pre-
existing understanding that their students bring with
them. Classrooms must be learner centered.
2. Teachers must teach some subject matter in depth,
providing many examples in which the same concept
is at work and providing a firm foundation of
factual knowledge.
3. The teaching of metacognitive (“thinking about
thinking”) skills should be integrated into the
curriculum in a variety of subject areas.

7. Scholarly approach to teaching:
Assessment7
Carl Wieman
Science Education Initiative
cwsei.ubc.ca
What should
students
learn?
What are
students
learning?
What instructional
approaches
help students
learn?
learning
outcomes
assessment
how people learn,
alt to lecture

8. Vocabulary check: assessment
Assessment8
is that which gives a final
judgment of evaluation of
proficiency, such as grades or
scores.
(How Learning Works, p. 139)
explicitly communicates to
students about some specific
aspects of their performance
relative to specific target
criteria, and … provides
information that helps students
progress toward meeting those
criteria…[It] informs students’
subsequent learning.
(How Learning Works, p. 139)
formative assessmentsummative assessment

9. Feedback and Practice that
Enhance Learning [2]
Assessment9
Goal-directed practice coupled with
targeted feedback are critical to learning.
Music by Piulet on flickr CCExcellent Shot by Varsity Life on flickr CC

10. Feedback and Practice that
Enhance Learning [2]
Assessment10
Goal-directed practice coupled with
targeted feedback are critical to learning.
Goals can direct the nature of focused practice, provide the
basis for evaluating observed performance, and shape the
targeted feedback that guides students’ future efforts.
[p. 127]
Targeted feedback gives students prioritized information
about how their performance does or does not meet the
criteria so they can understand how to improve their future
performance. [p. 141]

11. Feedback and Practice that
Enhance Learning [2]
Assessment11
Goal-directed practice coupled with
targeted feedback are critical to learning.
 practice is goal-directed
 productive practice
 timely feedback
 feedback at appropriate level

12. Aside: exploring these characteristics
Assessment12
 analogy
Students come to the classroom with preconceptions
about how the world works…Teachers must draw out
and work with the preexisting understandings that their
students bring with them. (How People Learn [1])
 contrasting cases
Teachers must teach some subject matter in depth,
providing many examples in which the same concept is
at work and providing a firm foundation of factual
knowledge
(How People Learn [1])

13. Scenarios
Assessment13
feedback at
appropriate level
feedback not at
appropriate level
productive practice unproductive practice
practice is goal-directed practice not goal-directed
timely feedback untimely feedback
In a moment but not yet, find 2-3 others with
the same colored sheet as you. Together, think
of examples/scenarios of both cases, in
sports/hobbies and in teaching and learning.

14. Feedback at Appropriate Level Feedback not at Appropriate Levelsport/hobbyteachingandlearning
Assessment
14

15. Productive Practice Unproductive Practicesport/hobbyteachingandlearning
Assessment
15

16. Practice Goal-directed Practice not Goal-directedsport/hobbyteachingandlearning
Assessment
16

17. Timely Feedback Untimely Feedbacksport/hobbyteachingandlearning
Assessment
17

18. What kind of assessment gives
timely feedback at an
appropriate level to support
goal-directed and
productive practice?
Assessment18

19. Assessment
19

20. Assessment
Robert Talbert
tinyurl.com/RobertTalbertRubric
Poster and Presentation Grading Rubric
20

21. Rubrics…
Assessment21
 goal-directed
Goals can direct the nature of focused practice,
provide the basis for evaluating observed
performance, and shape the targeted feedback that
guides students’ future efforts.
 targeted feedback
Targeted feedback gives students prioritized
information about how their performance does or
does not meet the criteria so they can understand
how to improve their future performance.

22. Rubrics…
Assessment22
 need to be given BEFORE and BUILT INTO assignment
 outline what it takes to improve: path to improvement
 offer an appropriate level of challenge (defined by
the learning outcomes)
 support growth mindsets (see Dweck[3])
 give students opportunities to practice being
metacognitive

23. Take Away:
Assessment23
Design each activity,
each class, and your
entire course by aligning
and synchronizing the
learning outcomes,
instructional activities, and
assessments (both formative
and summative.)
What should
students
learn?
What are
students
learning?
What instructional
approaches
help students
learn?

24. CTD WEEKLY WORKSHOPS:
ASSESSMENT
Peter Newbury
Center for Teaching Development,
University of California, San Diego
pnewbury@ucsd.edu @polarisdotca
ctd.ucsd.edu #ctducsd
resources: ctd.ucsd.edu/programs/weekly-workshops-spring-2014/
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
12:00 – 12:50 pm Center Hall, Rm 316
May 7 Peer Instruction 1: Writing Good Peer Instruction (“Clicker”) Questions
May 14 Peer Instruction 2: Best Practices for Running Peer Instruction with Clickers

25. References
Assessment25
1. National Research Council (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind,
Experience, and School: Expanded Edition. J.D. Bransford, A.L Brown & R.R.
Cocking (Eds.),Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
2. Ambrose, S.A., Bridges, M.W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M.C., & Norman, M.K.
(2010). How Learning Works. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass.
3. Dweck, C. (2007). The Secret to Raising Smart Kids. Sci Am 18, 6, 36-43.