David Steer Department of Geosciences The University of Akron Learning objectives and assessments May 2013

Essential and enduring knowledge Abilities Skills Attitudes Learning Goals Learning goals identify what the learner should know and be able to do at the end of instruction Your overall learning goals must … Encompass the five overarching goals Be achievable Be scaled appropriately

Specify a level or standard Include conditions where appropriate Contain active verbs Are measureable Can be measured by more than one assessment means Focus on one major element (don’t join elements that cannot be measured by a single method) Learning Goals Good Goals You already have learning goals that you developed during the last session

Identify Course & Module Learning Goals Identify learning objectives for individual lessons Determine how to assess and measure student success on goals and objectives Design teaching resources and materials to match assessments Plan Instructional Strategies to implement teaching resources

Cognitive: What do they know? Affective: What do they care about? Behavioral: What can they do? Learning Objectives Learning Objectives are the intended results of the teaching activities

Describe conditions under which behavior is to be performed Use action verbs State Criteria Add the product, process or outcome Learning Objectives Writing Learning Objectives From Climate Unit: After completing this unit, students will be able to correctly distinguish between forced and unforced climate change.

Learning objectives describe measureable geoscience literacy goals Instructions and/or rubrics provide guidance for how students meet learning goals Learning objectives and goals are appropriate for the intended use of the course/module Learning objectives and goals are clearly stated for each module in language suitable for the level of the students Learning objectives and goals address the process and nature of science and development of scientific habits of mind Learning Objectives What is required from the Materials Development Rubric? Must score 13/15 on this section

Developmental: lower level tasks required before moving on Mastery: complex tasks likely to have varying levels of progress Learning Objectives Learning Objectives target different levels of learning Learning objectives support your learning goals.

Learning Objectives This afternoon you will develop learning objectives that support your learning goals Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating Creating memorization and recall getting the meaning of using knowledge taking apart information reorganizing information generating, producing Mastery Developmental See the Bloom’s Taxonomy: A Framework for Learning Handout

Learning Objectives What questions do you have about learning objectives? Learning objectives form the basis of assessment.

Summary Identify Course & Module Learning Goals Identify learning objectives for individual lessons Determine how to assess and measure student success on goals and objectives Design teaching resources and materials to match assessments Plan Instructional Strategies to implement teaching resources

Formative: While the learning is occurring Purpose to monitor student learning Immediate feedback Help students & faculty identify weaknesses Low stakes Summative: After learning has occurred Purpose to evaluate learning against some benchmark High stakes (graded) Assessment There are two broad categories of assessments:

Assessments measure the learning goals Assessments are criterion referenced Assessments are consistent with course activities and resources expected Assessments are sequenced, varied and appropriate to the content Assessments address goals at successively higher cognitive levels Assessment and Measurement What is required from the Materials Development Rubric? Must score 13/15 on this section

Learning Goal: To empower students to correctly explain the role of uncertainty in climate science. From Climate Change Module Learning Objective: At the conclusion of the unit, students will correctly identify factors that contribute to differences in reflectivity on the Greenland ice sheet spatially and temporally.

In class activity: Reflecting on what is happening to Greenland's ice From Climate Change Module Greenland ice sheet albedo for elevations between 500 and 1000 meters, March 2000-July From Box et al., 2012, Greenland ice sheet albedo feedback: thermodynamics and atmospheric drivers, The Cryosphere Discuss, 6, Scientists use a variety of methods to investigate ice sheet changes. In this exercise, you will look at a graph and map data to think about how, if at all, the Greenland ice sheet seems to be changing.

Learning Goal: Students will be able to correctly describe the range of possible hurricane impacts to an area, and be able to communicate those hazards to a general audience. From Hazards Module Learning Objective: At the conclusion of the unit, students will be able to calculate when/where to evacuate based on competing and ambiguous data, (including calculating timing based on population, roads available, cars/hour)

Homework Activity: Calculating Hurricane Rick From Hazards Module Quantifying risk is an important way to understand and compare the significance of natural hazards from a societal perspective. Before our next class, calculate your risk from hurricanes. Return period of hurricanes passing within 50 nautical miles of various locations on the U.S. Coast from the National Weather Service. If the return period is 50 years, the frequency is 1/50y. [Source:

Enough assessment opportunities to conclusively demonstrate the level of learning achieved Learning Objective level Both formative and summative Module/course goal level: Summative These assessments need to show what students know and are able to do as related to the broader goals Assessment and Measurement What will the assessment team need?

Pre- & Post-course Geoscience Literacy Assessment (GLE 8 MC questions) Two post course short essay questions Pre- & post-course survey (related to project evaluation) Assessment and Measurement What other assessment data are collected?

Assessments What questions do you have about assessments?

Summary Identify Course & Module Learning Goals Identify learning objectives for individual lessons Determine how to assess and measure student success on goals and objectives Design teaching resources and materials to match assessments Plan Instructional Strategies to implement teaching resources