Diversity in Assessment Methods: Finding a Balance to Improve Student Engagement
Speaker: Divya Balasubramaniam, Saint Joseph's University
In an ever-emerging environment of students with diverse capabilities, experiences, interests, and learning styles, one of the primary goals of a teacher is to create a safe and engaging classroom environment for all students to demonstrate what they know and can do. As a teacher, how do we effectively assess our students’ learning outcomes? As the old idiomatic phrase states, “Don’t put all eggs in one basket.” This session intends to guide our audience to examine their own assessment practices as teachers, expand their awareness of the ways they connect with their core teaching values and the strengths of their students, and create ideas to arrive at a stable set of authentic assessment methods to accomplish their teaching goals and develop students with transferable skills for a professional career. For instance, I create assessments in my courses that provide opportunities and tools for students to work well in teams (either as leaders or team members). In this session, we will discuss several additional examples that support various assessment methods beyond the typical quiz/exam and strike a balance to improve student engagement.
Session objectives include the following:
- Learn best practices and strategies for creating authentic assessments for improved student engagement
- Strike a balance on quantity vs. quality of assessments
- Assessments as a medium to develop students with transferable skills for a professional career
Session objectives will be achieved via presentation with examples and assessment methods highlighting the strengths, challenges, and opportunities to improve student engagement for all students.
In an ever-emerging environment of students with diverse capabilities, experiences, interests, and learning styles, one of the primary goals of a teacher is to create a safe and engaging classroom environment for all students to demonstrate what they know and can do. As a teacher, how do we effectively assess our students’ learning outcomes? As the old idiomatic phrase states, “Don’t put all eggs in one basket.” This session intends to guide our audience to examine their own assessment practices as teachers, expand their awareness of the ways they connect with their core teaching values and the strengths of their students, and create ideas to arrive at a stable set of authentic assessment methods to accomplish their teaching goals and develop students with transferable skills for a professional career. For instance, I create assessments in my courses that provide opportunities and tools for students to work well in teams (either as leaders or team members). In this session, we will discuss several additional examples that support various assessment methods beyond the typical quiz/exam and strike a balance to improve student engagement.
Session objectives include the following:
- Learn best practices and strategies for creating authentic assessments for improved student engagement
- Strike a balance on quantity vs. quality of assessments
- Assessments as a medium to develop students with transferable skills for a professional career
Session objectives will be achieved via presentation with examples and assessment methods highlighting the strengths, challenges, and opportunities to improve student engagement for all students.