"This resource is a well constructed introduction to learner-centered assessment, complete with practical, ready-to-implement assessment techniques. Designed to bring you up to speed quickly, the book is grounded in the principles of constructivist learning theory and continuous improvement. It helps you to connect with what you already know about assessment, integrate that knowledge with new information, and try new approaches to enhance your students' learning. You see clearly what it means to shift from a teacher-centered paradigm of instruction to a learner-centered paradigm."--BOOK JACKET.
The authors--a once-skeptical chemistry professor and a director of assessment sensitive to the concerns of her teacher colleagues--use a personal voice to describe the basics of outcomes-based assessment. The purpose of the book is to empower faculty to develop and maintain ownership of assessment by articulating the learning outcomes and evidence of learning that are appropriate for their courses and programs. The authors offer readers a guide to the not always tidy process of articulating expectations, defining criteria and standards, and aligning course content consistently with desired outcomes. The wealth of examples and stories, including accounts of successes and false starts, provide a realistic and honest guide to what's involved in the institutionalization of assessment.
Praise for Leading the Learner-Centered Campus "This book moves far beyond previous thinking about change. Many in higher education want to create more learner-centered campuses but grapple with how to do it. Harris and Cullen show us how to lead the change to more learner-centered campuses and offer very practical tools for getting there from here. Every campus that takes student learning seriously should be having the conversation that this book advances and supports." John Tagg, author, The Learning Paradigm College "This is a dynamite text for all leaders in higher education who want to implement change. It starts with a deceptively simple idea that change needs to be 'learner-centered,' not just in the classroom, but in every aspect of a campus. Achieving that end is far from simple, but the authors make clear that it's well within reach if readers pay close attention to the wisdom in this book." Thomas Ehrlich, senior scholar, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and former president, Indiana University "At a time when most of higher education is seeking effective ways to maximize the value of student-centered learning, Harris and Cullen provide a comprehensive road map for completing the kind of paradigm shift that can accomplish just that ... This book merits the attention of everyone with a stake in the future of higher education." Anthony J. Diekema, former president, Calvin College "If higher education is going to provide what students will need in the twenty-first century, it'll have to complete the transition from teaching to learning that Barr and Tagg proposed back in 1995. Leading the Learner-Centered Campus is an indispensible resource for professors and administrators who are committed to the success of today's college students." Jeffrey L. Buller, author, The Essential College Professor, The Essential Academic Dean, and The Essential Department Chair
In this much needed resource, Maryellen Weimer-one of the nation's most highly regarded authorities on effective college teaching-offers a comprehensive work on the topic of learner-centered teaching in the college and university classroom. As the author explains, learner-centered teaching focuses attention on what the student is learning, how the student is learning, the conditions under which the student is learning, whether the student is retaining and applying the learning, and how current learning positions the student for future learning. To help educators accomplish the goals of learner-centered teaching, this important book presents the meaning, practice, and ramifications of the learner-centered approach, and how this approach transforms the college classroom environment. Learner-Centered Teaching shows how to tie teaching and curriculum to the process and objectives of learning rather than to the content delivery alone.
The focus of this book is on exploring effective strategies in higher education that promote meaningful learning and go beyond discipline boundaries, with a special emphasis on Subjectivity Learning, Refreshing Lecturing, Learning through Construction, Learning through Transaction, Transformative Learning, Using Technology, and Assessment for Learning and Teaching in particular. The research collected in this book is all based on empirical studies and includes research methods and findings that will be of great interest to teachers and researchers in the area of higher education. The main benefit readers will derive from this book is a meaningful insight into what other teachers around the world are doing in higher education and what lessons they have learned, which will support them in their own teaching.
Developing Learner-Centered Teaching offers a step-by-step plan for transforming any course from teacher-centered to the more engaging learner-centered model. Filled with self-assessments and worksheets that are based on each of the five practices identified in Maryellen Weimer's Learner-Centered Teaching, this groundbreaking book gives instructors, faculty developers, and instructional designers a practical and effective resource for putting the learner-centered model into action.
Over a decade ago, Barr and Tagg (1995) declared that a shift had occurred in higher education from an instruction paradigm to a learning paradigm. A central element in this new paradigm is learner-centered assessment. While a growing body of literature suggests that this approach to assessment is a best practice in higher education pedagogy, it is still unclear whether faculty members have embraced it fully. Using data from the 1993 and 2004 "National Study of Postsecondary Faculty", this study examines the extent to which faculty members employ learner-centered assessments in postsecondary classrooms and compares use of select assessments from 1993 to 2004. Findings show stable to increased use of some assessment techniques over the decade as well as differences by faculty gender, discipline, and institution type. Implications for faculty members, student learning, and institutional policy are discussed. A list of NSOPF Teaching Field Variables to Biglan Categories is appended. (Contains 5 tables.).
The widely used STEM education book, updated Teaching and Learning STEM: A Practical Guide covers teaching and learning issues unique to teaching in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines. Secondary and postsecondary instructors in STEM areas need to master specific skills, such as teaching problem-solving, which are not regularly addressed in other teaching and learning books. This book fills the gap, addressing, topics like learning objectives, course design, choosing a text, effective instruction, active learning, teaching with technology, and assessment—all from a STEM perspective. You’ll also gain the knowledge to implement learner-centered instruction, which has been shown to improve learning outcomes across disciplines. For this edition, chapters have been updated to reflect recent cognitive science and empirical educational research findings that inform STEM pedagogy. You’ll also find a new section on actively engaging students in synchronous and asynchronous online courses, and content has been substantially revised to reflect recent developments in instructional technology and online course development and delivery. Plan and deliver lessons that actively engage students—in person or online Assess students’ progress and help ensure retention of all concepts learned Help students develop skills in problem-solving, self-directed learning, critical thinking, teamwork, and communication Meet the learning needs of STEM students with diverse backgrounds and identities The strategies presented in Teaching and Learning STEM don’t require revolutionary time-intensive changes in your teaching, but rather a gradual integration of traditional and new methods. The result will be a marked improvement in your teaching and your students’ learning.
