Assessment of Service Learning Projects Not necessarily the “answer” but some questions and suggestions David Mogk Dept. of Earth Sciences Montana State University

ASSESSMENT—What is it?  Collection of evidence to answer a question or solve a problem  Diane Ebert-May  I use “evaluation” to assign “value”— good/bad; final grade, ….  Resources (Assessing Student Learning)  Starting Point Module on Assessment   Cutting Edge Observing and Assessing Student Learning

Why do Assessment?  Accountability  To administration, funding agency, community client  To Demonstrate  Change—from initial state to final product  Impacts (on students, community)  Benefits (e.g. to convince skeptical colleagues;  To Achieve Buy-in from students; to recruit future partners…  To review, reflect upon, revise, and improve on-going projects

How Will the Assessment be Used (and by whom, and for what purpose)?   Formative—   ”road checks”, are we on course? (feedback for project leaders)?   Summative—   measures of success (for project leaders, administrators, benefactors)   Longitudinal—   long term impacts (faculty, institutions, community)

What Type of Evidence “Counts”?   Approaches (multiple, independent lines of evidence—like your research!)   Self-reporting; (journals, interviews…)   External Observers (surveys, evaluation forms)   Automated (e.g. web statistics)   Quantitative; rubrics; how many…?   Narrative/anecdotal   Pre- Post- activity to measure Δ; baseline needed   Comparative   demonstrating changes pre- and post-project   Outcomes-based   demonstration of quality of products/results

What Are Your Project Goals? Assessments must be well-aligned with goals (How will you know….)   For Students   Content Mastery? (e.g. compare with GCI?)   Skill Mastery?   technical, communication, quantitative, graphic, information access and vetting, interpersonal skills   Affective Aspects   Engagement with science, connection to community, pride in work, personal growth—self-confidence…. Willingness to undertake service projects in the future? Ownership? Responsibility?   For Department/Institution/Course/Curriculum   Recognition of institutional contribution to community?   Met course goals (syllabus); contributed to curriculum?   For Community   Mission Accomplished? Lasting benefits?

Hard-Earned Advice   Make sure that the expectations of all parties are aligned!   Your standards are clearly articulated   Students know what to expect (uncertainty is the great killer of these types of projects)   What will the product look like, how it will be evaluated? Provide examples!   Community partners know what the expected product will be. No Surprises!   Assessments   Must be built into the plan from the beginning, not an afterthought   Can be embedded, and can be done continuously through the life cycle of the project;   Intervene early if things go awry!

Some Strategies I’ve Used   Semester-long SL Project   Small groups: periodic self evaluation and peer evaluation   to make sure all are satisfied that all are contributing   Equal participation is different than equitable—let students play to their natural strengths; all contribute in different ways!   Group captain reports to me; responsible for group product   I intervene when needed.   In the working world, fortunes sink or float according to ability to work in groups with diverse backgrounds/abilities   Road checks; timetable w/ goals   Info by X date; text by Y date; final product by Z date…..   Consequences for missed deadlines.   Quality of final product   Product score based on rubric   All get same credit if all did work; credit distributed proportionally if peer reports show someone “slacked”

Collaborative/Cooperative Learning  Using Cooperative Learning to Teach Mineralogy (and other courses too!), Srogi and Baloche  Starting Point Module on Cooperative Learning  Preparing Students for Collaborative Case Studies

SL Public Presentations  Poster or oral presentations  Scoring rubric for content and presentation (my standards)  Text, voice, graphics…  External judges (professional standards)  Scientific accuracy, ….  Community Review forms  Interest, value….  Solicited letters from community partners  Evaluate the quality of the product  Evaluate the process

Assessment is important at many levels… Use the right tool for the job  Students  Learning outcomes  Personal development  Project  Formative—project stayed on course  Summative—measurable outcomes were achieved  Longitudinal—long-term impacts  Community  Real benefits were realized