1. Linking Content Objectives and Assessments to Increase Student Learning Adriana Brandt Dee Murray Angie Child

2. Session Objectives ● I can explain why establishing learning objectives for each class session is important, and why I should share these with objectives with my students. ● I can identify and describe appropriate assessment strategies for determining if students have met the objectives I’ve established. ● I can develop a sample objective for a class session in my discipline, and create an assessment that tells me whether or not students reached learning at the desired level.

3. Why do daily objectives matter? Why should we share them with learners? Clear objectives:  Make learning transparent to the learner  Focus learning experiences on the knowledge and skills you want learners to learn  Facilitate metacognition for both instructor and learner  Give focus to feedback and assessment

4. Agenda or objectives?  p. 35, even problems  Lab #28  Chapter 4  Film + discussion  Quiz  Write and balance chemical equations.  Explain the significance of the protagonist’s point of view, and compare this element to other works s/he has read.  Apply cinematographic vocabulary to the analysis of a short film.

5. How SMART are your objectives? S : specific M : measurable A : attainable R : realistic, relevant (to you and the learner) T : timely, trackable

6. How do I write an objective? Objectives are for the learner. They should be concise and written in language that the learner can understand. Objectives should use verbs that promote active engagement in the content and in the class, and that are measurable.

7. Say more about those verbs… Strive for active verbs in objectives (e.g. discuss, apply, explain, create, analyze, justify, compare and contrast) Avoid passive verbs in objectives (e.g. know, understand, appreciate, learn)

8. What is an example of an appropriate university course objective? Students will explain the rationale for historical thinking, and apply the essential elements involved in historical thinking.

9. Your turn!  Think about a class session you’ve recently taught, or are about to teach.  Develop one or two sample objectives that align with that class session.  Once you’ve written your objective, find a partner from another discipline to review your objective and provide feedback.

10. Pause and (self-)assess Assess/evaluate your written objective. Is it SMART? S : specific M : measurable A : attainable R : realistic, relevant (to you and the learner) T : timely, trackable

11. Aligning Assessments to our Objectives Now that we have clear and measurable objectives written… Assessment Objective

12. Why align assessments to objectives?  Reveal how well students have learned what we want them to learn (content validity).  Accurately measure student success of the learning outcomes.  Gain useful assessment data to make generalizations about both our students and our teaching.

13. Assessments should be learning focused Ask yourself: What kinds of tasks (assessments) will reveal whether students have achieved the learning objectives I have identified?

14. Can I see an example? Lesson Objective : Students will explain the rationale for historical thinking, and apply the essential elements involved in historical thinking. Assessment : Students will exhibit their understanding of each of the 5 elements of historical thinking by providing examples to a small group of peers.

15. Your turn!  Using the objective you wrote with Dee, write an assessment that aligns with the learning and will tell you whether or not the learning has taken place.  Once you’ve written your assessment, find a partner from another discipline to review your assessment and provide feedback.

16. How did we do? ● I can explain why establishing learning objectives for each class session is important, and why I should share these with objectives with my students. ● I can identify and describe appropriate assessment strategies for determining if students have met the objectives I’ve established. ● I can develop a sample objective for a class session in my discipline, and create an assessment that tells me whether or not students reached learning at the desired level.