The modern classroom is at a crossroads – intersected by demands for students to demonstrate engaged learning and for faculty to enhance teaching quality. Students complain about repetitive and redundant content with questions such as, “We’ve already learned this in the last course?”, “Why do I need to know this?”, and “How will this information ever help me to get a job?” Likewise, faculty express concerns about students’ academic readiness, learning gaps, and ability to apply concepts.
Demands on faculty are numerous, leaving little time to connect with colleagues who long to identify sustainable solutions to such issues. Sometimes this impacts efforts for curriculum restructuring, aligning program and course learning outcomes, implementing program changes, and piloting new teaching strategies.
As we reflect on our teaching practices and student learning, we must think strategically about alignment of learning outcomes and how to infuse our instructional methods with the right balance of rigor, engagement, and accountability that will provide meaningful results. To simply take action for compliance purposes, is a “checkbox” approach that often results in a cobbled plan for making connections between student learning and program improvements. Faculty often become frustrated and refer to such activities as a waste of valuable resources.
However, there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Over the past decade, several faculty at CMU have developed strategic approaches to enhance learning and are sharing their results at national conferences and here at CMU. For instance, faculty are using ePortfolios to engage students in reflection of their learning while using the information to enhance curriculum and teaching strategies. Other faculty have used a tiered approach throughout their program to assess learning at specific intervals resulting in higher scores on certification exams. One program has even remapped their entire curriculum to ensure alignment of learning outcomes in order to strategically identify gaps which led to the restructuring of courses across the program.
CMU is making great strides toward strengthening connections between student learning and program improvements. Faculty seldom question the importance of assessing student learning; they are concerned with collecting meaningful data more efficiently, improving strategic approaches toward decision making, and utilizing resources to maximize their efforts.
The CMU Assessment Council in collaboration with the Office of Curriculum and Instructional Support provides resources to support faculty and enhance student learning. On January 10, 2020, they will host the 6th Annual Assessment Retreat in the University Center, Rotunda. This year’s theme is Making the Connection, and activities will focus on how assessment is used to enhance curriculum, engage faculty in pedagogical discussions across disciplines, support program planning for future learners, and much more. The retreat is for all faculty and staff, as we collectively strive to enhance student learning through effective assessment.
To register, please visit the CIS Events Page.