Embedding Agronomy Learner Outcomes in

Courses and Course Syllabi

Agronomy Outcomes AssessmentMichelle D. Cook

Iowa State UniversityGraduate Research Assistant

mcook@iastate.eduMay 14, 2003

Please Tell Us Your Name, Area of Specialty, and One

Personal or Professional Goal You Have for the

Summer.

Workshop Background

• Endowment Grant – Outcomes Assessment Project– Develop and initiate a systematic and

continuous approach for outcomes assessment

• 2006 Higher Learning Commission (NCA) Accreditation Visit– Demonstrate that we are fulfilling our

educational mission by providing evidence of student learning and teaching effectiveness

• Faculty Interviews and Syllabus Review

Outcomes Assessment Jargon

• Intended learning outcomes– “Statements describing [faculty] intentions

about what students should know, understand, and be able to do with their knowledge when they graduate” (Huba & Freed, 2000, p. 9-10).

• Outcomes assessment– “The systematic collection, review, and use of

information about educational programs undertaken for the purpose of improving student learning and development” (Palomba & Banta, 1997, p. 4).

• Embedded measures– “Assessments that make use of student

work samples and performances generated through regular coursework that can be examined not only to assign the students a grade, but also to see what they reveal about the effectiveness of the teaching-learning process” (Wright, 1997, p. 574).

Outcomes Assessment Jargon (Cont.)

Workshop Overview

• Learning outcomes– Participants will

• Be able to identify departmental learner outcomes to include in your courses and course syllabi

• Be able to identify assignments and experiences to help students achieve the outcomes identified for your courses

• Be able to identify potential assessment methods for evaluating how well students achieved an outcome

Workshop Overview (Cont.)• Workshop activities

– Participants will• Select departmental learner outcomes to

address in your courses• List current course assignments and/or

experiences that help students achieve the outcomes

• Be exposed to examples of various course assignments designed to help students achieve the outcomes

Workshop Overview (Cont.)

• Workshop activities– Participants will

• Be exposed to examples of various assessment methods to evaluate how well students achieved an outcome

• Discuss learner outcomes as well as both current course assignments and/or experiences and measures in small groups

Identifying Departmental Learner Outcomes

• Rationale– Course

• “Plan your course with process, content, and product goals in mind” (Grunert, 1997, p. 6).

– Course Syllabus• What functions does the course syllabus

serve?

What Departmental Learner Outcomes Did You

Select for Your Course? Why?

Assignments And Experiences

• Rationale– Coherence in learning

• “[T]he curriculum should be structured in a manner that sequences individual courses to reinforce common outcomes and that consciously directs instruction toward collective ends” (Ewell and Jones, 1996, p. 18)

– New approaches to assessment• “Postsecondary assessment done right must be rooted in

the course and in the classroom” (Wright, 1997, p. 573). • Embedded approaches – addresses student motivation,

time, authenticity, discipline fit

Technical Knowledge Examples

• Departmental Learner Outcomes– Understand the scope of agronomy and its

relationships to other disciplines and professions (1).– Understand basic technical principles and methods

relating to crop marketing methods and strategies (3l).

– Understand the effects of the abiotic environment on crops and soils—water, atmospheric pollutants, heat and cold—and methods that ameliorate such stresses (6).

• Assignments and/or Experiences– Class field trip to Ames Barilla Plant and study

questions

Technical Knowledge Examples (Cont.)

• Departmental Learner Outcomes– Develop a basic understanding of plant principles (2a).– Develop a basic understanding of soil principles (2b).– Develop a basic understanding of water principles (2c).– Understand basic technical principles and methods

relating to cropping/rotation systems (3f).– Understand the soil as a resource upon which ecosystems,

agriculture, and other land uses depend (6).– Understand, in modern perspective, the basic principles

important to sustained production and land use (8).

• Assignments and/or Experiences– Soils, soil water, tillage and seeding, and cropping systems

units and class discussion.

Professional Skills Examples

• Departmental Learner Outcomes– Be competent in the use of electronic

mail (21a). • Assignments and/or Experiences

– The student must email an electronic copy of the forage of the week short paper as an attachment on the due date.

Professional Skills Examples (Cont.)

• Departmental Learner Outcomes– Be able to work effectively in a team

situation as a participant (17b).• Assignments and/or Experiences

– Scavenger hunt, photographing landmarks on campus as a team. Each photo must include at least one of the team members, one photo must include all the team members.

Perspective Example• Departmental Learner Outcomes

– Possess an awareness of the global extent of agriculture and of crop, soil and climate diversity in the world (33a).

– Recognize the interdependence of economies, cultures, and politics at all scales from local to international (34).

– Understand agronomic practices of other parts of the world in their political, cultural, and economic contexts (35).

• Assignments and/or Experiences– Lecture, laboratory, course learning objectives (e.g.,

Characterize the importance of Brazil, Asian countries, and Middle-Eastern countries as wheat importers), and laboratory study questions (e.g., It is estimated that at one time 85% of Iowa was covered with warm-season prairie grasses. Why did introduced forage grasses replace these native species?)

Ethics/Values Example

• Departmental Learner Outcomes– Be able to deal with moral, ethical, and legal conflicts

(36a).– Recognize a conflict of interest situation involving

oneself and ones client or employer (36b).– Differentiate between the public good and a personal

goal (36c). – Appreciate the responsibility of the individual to society

in sustainable management of soil, plant, water, energy, and wildlife resources (37a, b, c, d, e).

• Assignments and/or Experiences– Class and laboratory discussions and feedback on

drafts of the teams’ recommendation reports.

Diversity Examples

• Departmental Learner Outcomes– Appreciate that our cultural diversity adds

richness to our lives (39).– Value the humanities, arts, and recreation

as meaningful activities that enrich our culture (40).

• Assignments and/or Experiences– Site visits including the ballet, museums,

churches, a Tartar khanate, architecture.

Diversity Examples (Cont.)

• Departmental Learner Outcomes– Acknowledge differences in political,

cultural, religious, and ethnic beliefs and practices.

• Assignments and/or Experiences– Oral presentation as part of pre-travel

preparation. Selected topics have included religion, folklore, food, and arts.

For Each Of Your Learning Outcomes in Each of Your

Courses, What Assignments or Experiences Have You

Designed to Help Students Achieve the Outcome?

Measures to Assess Learner Outcomes

• Rationale– “Whenever you formulate learning goals you

should simultaneously address assessment procedures” (Grunert, 1997, p. 7).

– After developing intended learning outcomes, “[t]he second element of the assessment process is designing or selecting data gathering measures to assess whether or not our intended learning outcomes have been achieved” (Huba & Freed, 2000, p. 11).

– Direct and indirect assessments of student learning

Measures Used to Assess Outcomes

• Examples– Technical Knowledge

• Field trip study questions• Soils, soil water, tillage and seeding, and cropping

systems units - Exams

– Professional Skills• Email – yes or no• Scavenger Hunt – find all required landmarks,

include a team member in each photo, one photo with all team members

– Perspective• Exams and study questions

Measures Used to Assess Outcomes (Cont.)

• Examples– Ethics/Values

• Assess recommendations based on if they are agronomically sound, environmentally responsible, socially acceptable, and economically feasible.

– Diversity• In-country – student questionnaire, journal of

observations and impressions• Pre-travel – presentation required but not formally

assessed

What Measures Are You Using to Assess Each Intended Outcome?

What’s Next?

• Complete Undergraduate Teaching Faculty Learner Outcomes Survey– May 30, 2003

• Complete an Outcomes Assessment Course Description Form for each undergraduate course– June 25, 2003

• Distribute Agronomy Learner Outcome Matrix (MC)– July 11, 2003

What’s Next (Cont.)?

• Include selected list of departmental learner outcomes in course syllabi– August 22, 2003

• Small Group Conversations– Over the course of the summer– Format (e.g., mid-morning coffees, brown bag

lunches)?– Topics (e.g., measures, mid-semester

feedback)?

Closing Reflection

How will you use the information presented today in your courses?

What aspect of embedding Agronomy learner outcomes into courses and course syllabi do you need to learn more about?

References

Ewell, P. T., & Jones, D. P. (1996). Indicators of “good practice” in undergraduate education: A handbook for development and implementation. Boulder, CO: National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS).

Grunert, J. (1997). The course syllabus: A learner-centered approach. Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing.

Huba, M. E., & Freed, J. E. (2000). Learner-centered assessment on college campuses: Shifting the focus from teaching to learning. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Palomba, C. A., & Banta, T. W. (1997). Assessment essentials: Planning, implementing, and improving assessment in higher education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Wright, B. D. (1997). Evaluating learning in individual courses. In J. G. Gaff, J. L. Ratcliff, and Associates (Eds.) Handbook of the undergraduate curriculum: A comprehensive guide to purposes, structures, practices, and change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.