Teaching and Learning History

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  • 1.  Appreciating Assessment

    Posted 07-15-2013 04:29:00 PM

     

    Appreciating Assessment

    When I became chair I was flung into assessment.  Initially skeptical, I slowly began to appreciate it by making it more meaningful to my work as a scholar.  In turn, I could better explain it to my colleagues when I am told that assessment is not something a scholar is suppose to do.

     I think of assessment as project management, similar to grant-funded projects more than a corporate business model though it too might be fitting. For example, in a grant proposal a scholar attempts to foresee the outcomes or benefits of a particular project or study and writes a proposal that demonstrates how such will be managed and achieved. Depending on the length of the grant, a principal investigator will have to submit progress reports that are essentially assessments of the research or study.  No PI would argue that he or she should not have to submit such reports or someone else should have to write them because such arguments would undermine his or her ability to receive additional funding.

    Assessing a class is the same thing. When a professor designs a syllabus, there are certain goals, objectives, benchmarks to demonstrate student learning, and outcomes to be met.  Professors are in the best position to assess their students, teaching, programs, and degrees, but frequently the tools, know-how, or support are lacking.  My question: how to increase awareness about assessment as important to the study of history in higher education?

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     



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    Elaine Carey
    St. John's Univ., NY
    Queens NY
    careye@stjohns.edu
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  • 2.  RE:Appreciating Assessment

    Posted 04-08-2014 03:59:00 PM
    This is not an AHA event, but I thought some members of the Teaching and Learning community would have an interest in participating in this webinar about the general process of Tuning (not the AHA project itself), hosted by the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment.
    If anyone does participate, please post to the group about how it went.  I have an inescapable scheduling conflict, but am interested in what other groups and individuals have to say about this type of process. Let us know!

    Thanks,
    Julia

     

     

    TUNING USA: A CRITICAL PATH TO IMPROVING QUALITY IN U.S HIGHER EDUCATION

    Hosted by NILOA

    Wednesday, April 23, 2014, 1:00 p.m. Pacific

    "Tune in" to Tuning USA and IEBC experts in the field to learn how this vital strategy has tremendous potential to improve the quality of higher education in the United States.

    To register, click here:https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7271512755758032641

    Tuning USA is building momentum in the United States after Tuning Europe, founded in 1999, became an international phenomena in transforming the foundation of higher education overseas.

    Brought to the U.S. by Lumina Foundation, and facilitated by the Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC), Tuning USA is a collaborative faculty-driven process that identifies what a student should know and be able to do in a chosen discipline when a degree has been earned. The process is designed to make higher education outcomes more transparent to all stakeholders, including faculty, students, employers, and parents, and to ensure the quality of degrees across institutions.

    LEARN HOW TUNING USA

    • Has had a major impact on educational institutions in Europe
    • Provides clear expectations for, and pathways to, degree completion;
    • Streamlines the process for students transferring credits between institutions;
    • Helps ensure that the knowledge and applied skills associated with coursework align with civic, societal, and workforce needs.

    TAKEAWAYS!

    Learn the value Tuning USA brings to improving quality in U.S. higher education and the challenges it faces.

    • Learn how Tuning addresses vexing challenges in higher education
    • Learn the key role of the Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC) has in growing Tuning USA
    • Learn what role you can play in informing colleagues about Tuning USA

    Webinar includes a Question and Answer Session

    Presenters: John Yopp, Ph.D., manager of strategic partnerships for IEBC's Tuning USA work funded by Lumina Foundation, and associate provost for educational partnerships, emeritus, University of Kentucky, along with the IEBC team.

    Dr. Yopp brings a wealth of experience and leadership in teaching, research, administration, and education reform at the state, national, and international levels. He is the recipient of many awards, including most recently, the Transatlantic Leadership Award from the European Association for International Education.

     

     

     

     

    learningoutcomesassessment.org

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    Julia Brookins
    American Historical Assoc.
    Washington DC
    jbrookins@historians.org
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