Students as Creators: Alternative Assessments For Learning.

Dr. Barry Ryan.

College of Sciences and Health,

Dublin Institute of Technology.

The Chicken or the Egg?

Assessments….

…..of learning?

An age old question?

……for learning?

Image attribution Judy Inky

Students….

…..knowledge consumers?

…..knowledge creators?

Consuming knowledge

Creating knowledge

Students: Creators vs Consumers.Image attribution Halmeoni

Image attribution Geralt

Biggs (2003): “Learning cannot be transmitted by direct instruction, but is created by the students

learning activities”.

Neary (2009): “Real Life, Complex and Unstructured

research-like activities”.

Students: Creators vs Consumers.

Why are computer games so popular:

• Challenging, but achievable with practice• Incrementally harder with each level• Rewarding upon completion

Students as Creators: Multi-Level Approach.

Image attribution: http://www.sohood.com

Level One: Digital CitizensEngaging and interacting during class; collaborating and communicating outside class

Students as Creators.

Movement Making Serious Play

Level Two: Science CommunicationBiochemistry videos communicating complex content in an engaging and understandable way.

Students as Creators.

Assessment for Learning Environment

Example Level Two: Science Communication

Example Level Two: Science Communication

Assessment for Learning Timeline and Logistics

Opportunities for Learning during assessment

Example Level Two: Science Communication

Ethically sourced data.Constant Comparison Method* Analysis.

*Strauss, A.L. and Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. (2nd Ed). Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage.

Example Level Two: Science Communication

Project Analysis and Evaluation

Emotions of Learning

Active Learning

Group Based

Learning

Technology Enhanced Learning

Reflection

Example Level Two: Science Communication

Project Analysis and Evaluation: Key Themes

Most perceived learning took place when students were happiest.

Example Level Two: Science Communication

Key Theme: Emotions of Learning

Example Level Two: Science Communication

Key Theme: Active Learning

Digital Natives, Digital Migrants, DigitallyAware?

Example Level Two: Science Communication

Key Theme: Technology Enhanced Learning

Project was too bigto complete alone.

“I liked this assessment, it didn’t feel like an assessment; but I stilllearnt lots, had some fun and made new friends in my class”

Positive View No Conflict

Example Level Two: Science Communication

Key Theme: Group Based Learning

“This assignment challenged me but made me realise my capabilities went, and can go, much futher”.

“It gave me a chance to look back at what, why and how I learnt”.

Image attribution: 8300 Pixabay

Example Level Two: Science Communication

Key Theme: Reflection

Level Three: Authentic LearningAdvanced topic, assessment student specific and student centred.

Students as Creators.

Peer Learning Reflective Writing

Student designed

assessment

Example Level Three: Scenario Based Learning

Tina Overton (University of Hull): Dynamic Problem Based Learning

Helen Keegan (University of Salford): Alternative-Reality Game-based Learning

Image attribution: Nemo and Openclips: Pixabay

Example Level Three: Scenario Based Learning

Authentic Learning: Real Life Scenarios

Friday (PM)

Friday (AM)

• Present ideas to peers• Discuss choices• Constructive criticism• Plan for next stage

• Digest memo• Align to previous memos• Identify tasks• Allocate tasks and plan• Logistics and timelines

• Individual research• Group meetings• Adapt to add-on memo

Example Level Three: Scenario Based Learning

Authentic Learning: Real Life Scenarios

• Memo One: Form group + review current research areas

• Memo Two: Prepare presentation on new target product

• Memo Three: Develop digital portfolio to document development

• Memo Four: Prototype logistics for small scale production

• Memo Five: Annotated review of process related publication

• Memo Six: Market comparison and patent database review

• Memo Seven: Science communication for product marketing

Image attribution: Openclips Pixabay

Example Level Three: Scenario Based Learning

Idea development, production process creation and communication

Peer Feedback:‘Two Stars and a Wish’

PAL: Student designed learning activities

Example Level Three: Scenario Based Learning

Peer Interaction and Peer Assisted Learning

Responsibility

Group Based Learning

Industrially Relevant Learning

Personal Development

Reflection

Project Analysis and Evaluation: Key Themes

Example Level Three: Scenario Based Learning

Example Level Three: Scenario Based Learning

Key Themes: Reflection and Responsibility

Reflection

“I now realise that working as a group forcedme to acknowledge one of my own (big)personal flaws; I am a control freak!”

Responsibility

“This assignment offered a lot of freedom,encouraging us to think outside the box, andto not rely on stagnant SOPs or templates”

“I feel that I took the reins in this particularaspect of the project”

Image attribution: 8300 Pixabay

Example Level Three: Scenario Based Learning

Key Theme: Personal Development

Personal Development

“I believe I benefited greatly from thisassignment. Although at times, I feltoverwhelmed, I do feel it’s one of thoserare occasions that I have developed bothacademically as well as personally”. Image attribution: PublicDomainPictures Pixabay

Group Based Learning

“I really enjoyed the team meetings.Hearing other group members give theirideas, taking them in and giving my opinionwas what I found to be the real highlight ofthe project”.

Image attribution: PublicDomainPictures Pixabay

Example Level Three: Scenario Based Learning

Key Theme: Responsibility

Industrially Relevent Learning

“I found the scenario based learning avery effective way to learn, as makingpresentations, discussing choices andhaving to back up points was verysimilar to work I did on work placement.It’s a very industry style approach tolearning and collaborating information”. Image attribution: TPSDave Pixabay

Level Four: Designers and Developers of the Curriculum:• Example: Laboratory redesign to incorporate PBL and evaluation.

Students as Change Agents.

Laboratory redesign to incorporate PBL and evaluate.

Brief: Introduce a more student centredapproach to first year UG labs.

Change Agent:Evaluate the common methods employed to ‘activate’ students Rationalise and develop a suitable approach for TFCH1003Trial and EvaluateRecommendations and integration.

Students as Change Agents.

Result: Evolution of a traditional lab into a PBL/POGIL lab.

1. Initial workshop to introduce concept2. Memos to drive inquiry and guide student learning3. Student driven lab and evaluation

Laboratory redesign to incorporate PBL and evaluate.

Remove ‘cook-book’ nature of labs

Students as Change Agents.

Method: Develop a POGIL* approach to labs*Process Orientated Guided Inquiry Learning

Conclusions: • Initially struggled with ‘lack of structure’• Improved ‘perceived’ learning• Something different or real alternative?• Bias (Moderator Acceptance) and Scaleability

Laboratory redesign to incorporate PBL and evaluate.

Evaluation

Students as Change Agents.

Ethically collected data via survey and focus groups. Image attribution Geralt

Are these not some of the key skills we want every student to develop in every module?

Students as Creators.

• Analyse and synthesize several multimodal sourceson the subject content.

• Brainstorm, conceptualize, create, implement andevaluate their idea(s).

• Reflect and refine not only their design, but alsotheir understanding.

To effectively create, or re-design, as part of an assessment astudent must:

‘The longest journey starts with a single step’ -Lao-tzu

Students as Creators: Alternative Assessments For Learning.

Image attribution Eric Wongmama

Finally, another age old analogy….

Is incorporating an assessmentfor learning approach a….

Sprint or a

Marathon?

Consumers Creators Peer Assisted Change Agents

of for

Thanks and acknowledgements:

Students as Creators: Alternative Assessments For Learning.

Image attribution Nemo

Liam Reid (DT422 Pharmaceutical Healthcare Graduate, 2013).

All the staff and students based at DITs Cathal Brugha St campus.

The support and guidance from the Learning, Teaching andTechnology Centre, Mount St, DIT.

Comment, Questions, Collaborations?