Interact at the Center » Assessment

The New Blooms Taxonomy

garciav — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 14:48:00 +0000

For over half a century the work of Benjamin Bloom and his colleagues has played a major role in understanding substantive thinking about planning and evaluation in an educational atmosphere. Bloom’s Taxonomy was originally designed for educators to think about objectives, communicate with one another, and formulate a curriculum. With advances in technology following the release of Bloom’s Taxonomy, there now exists a New Bloom’s Taxonomy.

This new approach to the classic taxonomy incorporates emphasis on contemporary research in learning and metacognition to evaluate learners’ experience and how it has been enhanced through the use of technology. The table below shows the changes made to the classic taxonomy for technology-using educators. In all, using the elements of The New Bloom’s Taxonomy could be beneficial when used in higher education because it serves a way for students to think deeply.

Reference:
Cochran, D., Conklin, J., & Modin, S. (2007). A New Bloom: Transforming Learning. Learning & Leading with Technology, (5), 22-25.

For more information about the original and New Blooms Taxonomy go to:
http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/bloomrev/index.htm

How can the the original and New Bloom’s Taxonomy help you assess students knowledge in the classroom? How is either taxonomy useful when developing a new course? Click on the COMMENTS link below to get started!

Assessment: University Learning Outcomes Rubrics

garciav — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 15:44:00 +0000

Are you familiar with the BGSU University Learning Outcomes rubrics? The six rubrics provide a guide for faculty in these areas: Inquiry, Creative Problem Solving, Decision Making, Write, Present, and Participate and Lead. According to SAAC (Student Achievement Assessment Committee):

“When distributed together with an assignment, rubrics help students to clarify the standards that will be used when their work is evaluated. If rubrics based on these prototypes become widely used, students will experience a greater consistency of expectation about faculty goals for their learning within majors and across the curriculum.”

Faculty are encouraged to adapt the rubrics as needed to suit the student outcomes.

How do you use these rubrics in your courses? What other types of rubrics do you use and for what type of learning outcome?

For more information on rubrics, explore these additional resources:

San Jose State University’s Developing and Applying Rubrics includes understanding, including, and creating rubrics. Examples of holistic and analytical rubrics are also provided.

A free, handy, online resource for creating and modifying rubrics is Rubistar.

Authentic Assessment Toolbox – Rubrics – A website by Jonathan Mueller.

Scoring Rubrics: What, When and How? – An article by Barbara M. Moskal

Schuh, John H. “Introduction to Rubrics: An Assessment Tool to Save Grading Time, Convey Effective Feedback and Promote Student Learning.” Journal of College Student Development, v. 47 issue 3, 2006, p. 352-355.

Valuing Student Learning: What’s your Assessment Model/Theory?

garciav — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:14:00 +0000

It is undeniable that effective forms of assessment help improve the learning process by keeping the student and the teacher on the same track. We want to hear from BGSU faculty and graduate students about the multiple forms of assessment being used on-campus. What have you found that works in assessing learning beyond the traditional multiple choice testing and research paper writing?

Read More Information:
Bollag, B. (2006). Making an art form of assessment. Chronicle of Higher Education, 53(10). Click here for article

Types of Assessments

9 Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning. (AAHE, 1991).

Share your opinion and experiences by leaving a comment below:

Is the Future of Interactive Learning Just a Click Away?

garciav — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 18:19:00 +0000

The newest classroom technology trend in keeping the attention of millennial generation learners is Audience-Response Systems. These wireless handheld devices are not just being used for “America’s Funniest Videos” anymore. Several manufacturers are selling these devices for use in the classroom- one for each student. These devices allow instructors to pose questions to the entire lecture and see if students really comprehend the learning. Harvard’s Eric Mazur, in his Foreword for “Clickers in the Classroom,” advocated for these devices stating: “After an instructor has been exposed to the feedback this method of teaching affords, it is impossible to go back to the passive lecture format and remain ignorant about what goes on in the minds of students.”

Resources
Conoley, J., Moore, G., Croom, B., & Flowers, J. (2006). A toy or a teaching tool? The use of audience-response systems in the classroom. Techniques: Connecting Education & Careers.
Available online: BGSU Libraries

Bruff, D. Classroom Response Systems, Vanderbilt Center for Teaching.
Click here for article.

Krueger, C. (October 3, 2005). Remote: New tool for alert classes. St. Petersburg Times Online.
Click here for article.

Share your opinion and experiences by leaving a comment below:
For those using “Clickers” in your classroom now: Are these handheld response devise purely entertainment, or do they really enhance learning? How so?