Aligning Course Goals,

Assessment, and Instruction

Tim SlaterTim SlaterUniversity of WyomingUniversity of WyomingExcellence in Higher Education Endowed Professor Excellence in Higher Education Endowed Professor of Science Educationof Science Education

CCognition in ognition in AAstronomy, stronomy, PPhysics & hysics & EEarth arth sciences sciences RResearch (CAPER) Teamesearch (CAPER) Team

http://www.uwyo.edu/caper

CAPER Team

University of Wyoming SMTC

Cognition in Astronomy, Physics, & Earth sciences Research

ResearchCurriculum

Faculty TrainingEvaluation

http://www.uwyo.edu/caper

List the Big ThreeList the Big Three

• On a sheet of paper, write out the THREE (3) most important ways you want your students to be different after they take your course?– No, you don’t have to share these with anyone if you

don’t wish to.

– Yes, you actually have to write something down so you have something to edit.

What do people write down?What do people write down?

≈ 50% List one or more of several important scientific concepts

≈ 30% Cite improved attitudes toward science and/or how science & technology is interrelated to society

≈ 20% Describe how students attend critically and lifelong to news stories (or recognize junk science)

What evidence could you What evidence could you present to a skeptical present to a skeptical

colleague that you achieved colleague that you achieved your stated goals?your stated goals?

• Distribution of final course grades?

• The average of your final exam scores?

• Your course evaluation forms?• “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”

Work with those around you to generate some extraordinary evidence

So what?So what?

• If you know how you want students to be different AND

• If you know what evidence will convince the most skeptical colleague THEN

• Implement the RULE OF FIVE

Rule of Five Rule of Five • If you want students to provide clear evidence

that they have met your goal, then they need to have at least FIVE opportunities to interact with an idea before you ask them to generate the assessment evidence

Crude RULE OF FIVE ExampleCrude RULE OF FIVE ExampleGOAL: Students will be able to critically examine

newspaper articles

1. Select an article and describe why it is directly relevant

2. Write a brief summary of an article

3. Discern between two articles which one is scientifically-based

4. Write a personal reaction to an article

5. Create an hypothetical news release/article for a new scientific discovery

KEY: Students need to have scaffolded interactions with at least five different articles in order to approach mastery

Aligning Course Goals, Aligning Course Goals, Assessment, and InstructionAssessment, and Instruction

• You only have time to enact a few really life altering ideas

• Clearly stated goals are important for you and your students

• You have to establish BEFORE the class starts what clear evidence looks like

• Students need

repeated, scaffolded interactions with an idea to gain mastery – one activity is not enough

Tim Slater, University of Wyoming, tslater@uwyo.edu