FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT PLAN

 

Learning objectives:

• Students will learn how to interpret and apply statistics, and statistical techniques used in Psychology.

• Students will learn how to communicate scientific data and statistical analyses.

• Students will learn how to critically evaluate research reported in scientific journals.

 

Learning activities:

• Practice questions (2 points per assignment up to 16 points – 5%):

          Students will be given the opportunity to gain points by answering problem sets and questions posed during 12 class periods throughout the semester. These assignments will not be indicated on the schedule or informed of during class, and therefore would take the form of “pop-up” quizzes. Each assignment will consist of 2-4 questions and will be worth 2 points. Since it is likely that students will be unable to attend each and every class period even though there will be 12 assignments presented, only points of the 8 assignments with the highest scores will be incorporated in to the final grade. Therefore, the maximum number of points a student can gain from this type of formative assessment is 20 points. The assignments will be graded based on the accuracy of the answers. The assignment will be presented for 15 minutes of the class period. The assignments will take the form of small problem sets based on the topic covered during class. That is, I will cover the concepts, show students some examples on how to calculate statistical values, provide them with a few opportunities to practice in class and give them similar problem sets to give them an opportunity to practice and actively transfer what is being learned in class. Students will be expected to work on their own and submit before students’ discussion and providing general feedback to the class.

          This form of assessment will be administered throughout the course, approximately one quiz per week (3 class periods per week). I will target the main topics and attempt to include at least one problem set for each main topic (e.g., frequency distribution, normal distribution etc.). This learning activity will align with the first learning objective of teaching students to interpret and apply statistics by using statistical techniques used in Psychology.

          I can assess student performance on these assignments to gain an understanding of which areas students are having trouble grasping or transferring. Since the class I’m hoping to teach will have 25-30 students, I will be able to provide individual feedback within a week to students. If there seems to be a common misconception or an area harder to be understood, I could address these issues in class. I think the use of such frequent, low risk assessments will be helpful to understand where each student is in their learning levels and track their progress throughout the semester.

 

• Worksheet assignments (2 points per worksheet – 4%):

         Students will be given the opportunity to work in groups to solve problem sets posed during 8 class periods throughout the semester. However, points of the seven best assignments will be counted towards the final score. The assignments will be indicated on the syllabus and be administered for each main topic. The worksheets will include problem sets based on the content covered in earlier class and will be worth two points per worksheet. Students will be given 15-20 minutes during the class period to work in self-selected groups of 3-4 students to work on the problem sets. Each student will then complete a worksheet and submit it before students’ discussion and providing general feedback to the class. This will give students the opportunity to transfer their knowledge and be engaged on group discussions. This learning activity will align with the first learning objective of teaching students to interpret and apply statistics by using statistical techniques used in Psychology. This activity will also meet an additional learning objective of teaching students to work in groups and improve group skills.

         This will help me assess student performance and get a sense whether students are gaining by working in groups. I will also be able to provide feedback within a week to students individually. Similar to the practice questions, this low risk assessment too, will help me identify areas students may be having difficulty in grasping and/or understanding.

 

• Homework assignments (10 points per homework – 23%):

          Students will be assigned 8 homework assignments throughout the semester. Homework assignments will be made available via Blackboard and students will have about a week to complete the assignment. The assignments will be graded based on the accuracy of the answers. Homework assignments will include problem sets, similar to those practiced in class. However, these problem sets will be developed to be a little more challenging than the ones they complete in class, giving them an opportunity to practice more analysis and synthesis type of questions. Students will also be required to identify the meaning of the results and to use the American Psychological Association (APA) format to report data. These assignments will also include questions testing the understanding of the theoretical background of the statistical concepts which may be tested by recall and comprehension type of questions. I hope to introduce and provide resources on the “Bloom’s taxonomy” during a class period at the start of the semester. On each homework assignment, students will be required to write a question related to the theory learned in class and provide an answer to the question. They could also write a question they have about the material from the specific chapter and attempt to answer that questions to the best of their ability, based on the resources they have. Students will gain one point for writing a higher order question and half a point for writing a lower order question. Students will gain one point for accurately answering the question and/or providing an answer supported by empirical evidence and half a point for attempting to answer the questions even if it consists of inaccuracies and/or not supported by empirical evidence. This will motivate students to think on a higher order cognitive level and give them an opportunity to use the resources they have to come up with a reasonable answer. Student will be asked to limit their questions and answers to a maximum of 8 sentences, so that they will be required to present their views concisely. An analytical rubric will be made available on Blackboard for each homework, the day after the due date.

         This assignment will be administered every 3 to 6 weeks, depending on the importance of the topic of instruction. This learning activity will align with the learning objectives of students learning to interpret and apply statistics and to communicate scientific data.

         These assignments will help me understand the ability of the students to transfer what they learn from one context to another. Using Bloom’s taxonomy to categorize their questions will help me understand how each student is thinking about the content and whether it is promoting higher level cognitions. Their questions and answers on theory will help me understand how well the students understand the concepts and whether there are any misconceptions that need to be addressed. I can also provide descriptives to the students to show them how many of them are thinking on the higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy to motivate them to aim for higher level cognition questions.

 

• Writing assignments (10 points per assignment – 11%):

          Students will be required to complete four writing assignments throughout the semester. Students will be assigned a research article for each assignment. Students will be required to write a short summary of the article suitable to be posted on a scientific blog. The assignments will be graded based on the accuracy of the information and the writing style. Guidelines will be made available in a timely manner. Students will be expected to identify the important components of the research article (hypothesis, method, results and implications) and limitations and strengths of the methods used in the study. Students will be encouraged to read up at least one other article that either supports or refute the findings of the assigned article. Students will also be asked to suggest a follow-up idea which is feasible. This will provide the students an opportunity to be creative while encouraging them to think like a scientist. Students are expected to use the APA format accurately to cite the references. Students will be advised to use simple language and avoid complex scientific terms to communicate the scientific findings to the general public. This piece of writing is not expected to be formal however should be grammatically correct. Students will have the opportunity to turn in first drafts of each writing piece before the deadline stated on the syllabus. Students will receive feedback within two days following the due date. Students will receive three points for submitting a reasonable first draft. The remaining seven points will be awarded once they submit the final draft.

         A writing assignment will be due once in every 4 weeks. This assignment will align with the learning objectives of being able to communicate scientific data and learning to critically evaluate research reported in scientific journals.

         This assignment will help me understand what information the students are paying attention to when writing up the assignment and what important information they are missing out on. It will also give me information on their ability to read and accurately understand scientific articles. It will also give me an opportunity to know their ability to pay attention to the important questions that needs to be researched further in the literature. I will have an opportunity to provide feedback to students on their scientific thinking and their ability to explain research to the general public. Having the students submit a first draft before submitting the final draft would give me the opportunity to provide them with feedback at least one week before the due date and guide them in their writing.

 

REFLECTION

          Highly-structured courses consisting of activities that promote active learning, opportunities to practice answering questions and more frequent assessments have been found to decrease failure rates (Freeman, Haak & Wenderoth, 2001; Haak et al., 2011). A highly-structured course could be developed by including low risk formative assessments in a course. The formative assessments listed above are low risk assessments as these count between 4%-23% towards the final grade. Some assessments require individual work while others require group work. Working in groups, discussing with peers and arriving at answers have been found to be effective in instilling deep understanding (Smith et al., 2009). Worksheet assignments that will be administered throughout the semester will provide the students with opportunities to work in groups and arrive at answers. However, students should also be able to arrive at correct responses on their own. For this purpose, it is necessary to assess students on their individual performance. Practice questions and homework assignments will help assess the learning and progress of each individual student. It is also important to use questions that assess higher order cognitive skills more often to enhance student learning (Crowe, Dirks & Wenderoth, 2008). The writing assignments will help students learn, practice and improve their ability to communicate science to others. These assignments will provide feedback to the students which has been shown to support enhanced retention (Butler, Karpicke & Roediger III, 2008) and to the instructor about student learning and progress.

 

References

Butler, A. C., Karpicke, J. D., & Roediger III, H. L. (2008). Correcting a metacognitive error: feedback increases retention of low-confidence correct responses. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 34(4), 918.

 

Crowe, A., Dirks, C., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2008). Biology in bloom: implementing Bloom's taxonomy to enhance student learning in biology. CBE-Life          Sciences Education, 7(4), 368-381.

 

Freeman, S., Haak, D., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2011). Increased course structure improves performance in introductory biology. CBE-Life Sciences                     Education, 10(2), 175-186.

 

Haak, D. C., HilleRisLambers, J., Pitre, E., & Freeman, S. (2011). Increased structure and active learning reduce the achievement gap in introductory biology. Science, 332(6034), 1213-1216.

 

Smith, M. K., Wood, W. B., Adams, W. K., Wieman, C., Knight, J. K., Guild, N., & Su, T. T. (2009). Why peer discussion improves student performance on in-class concept questions. Science, 323(5910), 122-124.