Funke 5th Posting

a. What did you learn during the fifth week about your classroom assessment experiments? Talk about your personal experiences with assessment in the classroom. I used the electronic mail feedback but they have a week to reply with the deadline of the 25th so no Reponses yet. It was basically, “If you were the university internship supervisor, what would you do differently from the current guidelines to make the internship experience be most meaningful to students? Students liked the rubrics I provided. I still have more to do.

b. Talk about two or three concepts, issues, or CATs described in the readings for this week that really struck you as important new information. I am interested in the one I described above but I’m concerned the students will say “don’t change anything, it is fine”. Clickers are not in our texts and you all know of my interest in these. I was at a conference last week and sat in on a clicker demonstration and the instructor says he has great success with them, students love them, etc. I asked him if the novelty wore off but in his experience this has not happened.

c. Talk about your self-reflections in planning classroom assessment techniques in other courses you are teaching (maybe in the summer or next fall). What kinds of plans are you beginning to contemplate?
I do want to continue to work on the internship. I found some good syllabi on the web. I liked one of UGA's public health internship requirements that called for students to create a poster (research conference quality) of their internship experiences. I'd like to see something like this done in my department and have the finishing interns present it to current students. Now, faculty are present for the internship wrap up meetings but I think our students would get more benefit. They would get ideas about placements, tasks, projects, and would learn the skills needed in the internship that might shape some of their academic efforts.

d. What are the core skills, dispositions, and knowledge sets exhibited by a faculty member engaging in learner-centered assessment activities?
It is someone who is brave; open-minded; experiential; not afraid to be challenged or wrong; who can keep his or her ego out of things; who understands that the proof is in the pudding. The "true" phrase is "the proof of the pudding is in the eating." The true quality of something can only be judged when put to use; or summed up as "results are what count." I think only learner centered assessment activities allow us to taste the pudding.

e. What do you need to do in the next few days to be ready for your final presentation on February 25 (Monday) or February 29 (Friday)?
Perhaps some clarity or mind and inspiration. I hope to get more direction on this at the 6th session. Autumn said only 5-6 minutes for the presentation, which can actually make it more difficult.