What Would Confucius Say about Assessment? A Practical Approach Jackie skrzynski, CA And Gladys tOrres Baumgarten, ASB

Why Confucius? One of the greatest philosophers/ teachers in Chinese history The first Chinese thinker to introduce concepts that became fundamental to Chinese philosophy: Benevolence Propriety Ritual In final years, worked on many texts/documents he had acquired in his journeys Benevolence -

Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance. As teachers, student outcomes have always been the backbone of course content. Individual assessment has as well. But…when the “culture of assessment” is fully embraced, then program modification will likely be required. The individual responsibilities continue, but the program modification will be superimposed upon these and will require individuals to work as a group/ “in tandem” toward achieving what may have originally been viewed as an individually-generated student outcome.

Wherever you go, go with all your heart Commitment to teaching => commitment to assessment (including closing-the-loop activities) Closing-the-loop activities require a psychological shift. It is NOT an individual activity. Requires coordination and being a part of a “team” Commitment to learning goals => commitment to closing-the-loop activities

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. Make it as easy as possible to close the loop. Discuss and agree upon actions in convening group. Be as concrete as possible. Ex. (Revise assignment to cover X) Identify time frame for implementation (next fall) Remind everyone in early fall about action. Remind again as needed. Facilitate action as much as possible. (distribute revised assignment in early fall) Don’t overcomplicate actions. See list. Note actions are tangible. “Revise an assignment to cover X”

He who learns but does not think, is lost He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger. Once your group has agreed upon actions, and you have done all you can to facilitate implementation, then wait. When that learning outcome cycles back for assessment, you will be able to tell if your actions had an effect. Discuss the new findings after you had implemented actions. This is perhaps the best way to increase participation. These can (hopefully) demonstrate the actions benefitted student learning. Think of findings as feedback/comments on a paper.

When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps. Assess how the closing-the-loop recommendation was communicated. Are there more effective – or other - ways to communicate & remind faculty? Was the timing of the communication good? Could it be improved upon? Use multiple assessment measures – a combination of direct and indirect measures – especially if results seem to be inconclusive Part of “closing-the-loop” is also documenting what assessment measures worked/ did not work! Share best closing-the-loop practices across the schools (as in today’s session!)

A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions Developing program mission & goals Developing student learning outcomes Aligning curriculum with learning outcomes Strategies for assessing learning outcomes Developing a plan Closing the loop Make gradual, incremental changes to a course or program. Easier to do Better assessment program A superior man is modest in his assessment plan, but must exceed his/her plan by going the extra mile in “Closing the loop” –

The Final Five Clarity: Have clear actions Confucius: Assessment/ Closing-the-Loop To practice five things under all circumstances constitutes perfect virtue These five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness. Clarity: Have clear actions Build consensus: develop actions as a group to increase buy-in Facilitate: Make the actions as easy to implement as possible Communicate: Send reminders and check in from time to time Discuss positive results to reinforce actions/Repeat Clarity, buy-in, ease of implementation, check-in with your group from time to time, discuss positive results to encourage participation

Final Thought - “Our greatest glory is not never failing, but in getting up every time we do!” Confucius

Closing-the-Loop Best Practices in Other schools Discussion