(by Katy Hanggi, Aron Pease, and Michelle DiMeo)
Assessment figures centrally into our teaching in many ways: we assess our students’ work, but we also reflect upon our roles in the classroom. When we incorporate technology into our classes, we introduce assignments that use new modes of communication which demand new ways of grading. It is important to reflect on how different forms of technology affect the delivery of content. We must also be conscious of assessing students’ use of technology, rather than the technology itself. The WOVEN pedagogy allows us to develop richer communication assignments, but it makes assessment more complex.
In this week’s D-Ped, we will reflect on these issues by asking:
- How do we develop rubrics or criteria to assess the diverse media students use?
- How standardized should our classes be?
- If we move away from standardization, how do we measure students’ achievements?
- What strategies do we use to manage grading?
- How does assessment change what we do?
- What is the value in more traditional forms of assessment?
- How can we undertake formal evaluation of our teaching?
Please read “How to Measure” by Cathy Davidson, which we have emailed to you. Cathy Davidson’s chapter provides a history of assessment in higher education and new alternatives to standardization.
