In my culinary classes, the students are evaluated by attendance, participation, cleanliness of their work station, written tests and practical exams. It is always difficult to get a concensus on the balance between written and practical exams and how much each should be worth. On the one hand, we all feel the students should be able to cook, but on the other hand, the knowledge and analytical skills are also very important especially if you are going to be in any management position.
Hi Sabrina:
Variety rules! The more ways we can evaluate a student the better chance we have of obtaining a true grade. There's literally a laundry list of methods, each with a purpose.
So, like a buffet table, there are a lot of choices. We have to selct the methods that will give us the most information. We want to make sure both teacher and student are "satisfied" with the "bellies full" (of knowledge.
Regards, Barry
Regards, Barry
In my classes I use a variety of assessments so as to accomodate all the different learning styles in my class. This helps with test anxiety because if they bomb a test they have other ways of showing me that they have a solid understanding of the material.
Hi Donna:
Great, these are all necessary and important.
I look at the course objectives (CO's) and student learning outcomes (SLO's); then I consider the media I have access to. From there my lessons are developed. Therefore my grading is based on objective course material expected of all students, is fair, frequently assessed (so correction in thinking or application can occur), and of course, based as much as possible on job readiness. Some courses are less applicable to the work setting, but still the CO's and SLO's should form the foundation of assessments.
Regards, Barry
My evaluation methods depend on the type of class; with a lecture class I will use written assignments and quizzes and for lab classes I use practical or hands on evalutions in addtion to some written quizzes and tests.
Depends on the material...For in-depth material I'll quiz the students at various points to assess their progress...otherwise usually at the end of the block of instruction or course.
When I compose a test or exam, I try to take into consideration the different learning styles as well as other dynamics of the class. For example, if I find that I have a few students where English is their second language, I may choose to use simpler terminology on the test. As for learning styles I make sure that I have a written response section, a reading section and a hands on section of the test.
I have found grading on the point system to be most effective and advantageous for both student and instructor. The student knows upfront what each assignment holds point-value wise, and can put forth as much or little effort accordingly. For testing purposes, I find using multiple choice, short answer and essay all incorporated into one test works best for my students. I also do all my test take-home exams which really allieviates the stress that often comes with tests. I have office hours that are consistant every week where students can come to me with any questions or comments about the class or grades.
For me, the total points evaluation is best. I want to show how each assignment/task contributes to the whole learning experience.
I try my best to reduce stress in the classroom. That said, I try to implement a lot of low stakes writing assignments and give them ample time to review material in the classes before midterms and finals. A great deal of time is spent clarifying concepts that might still confuse them.
Hi Michael:
These all seem like great and specific methods to evaluate for your class.
For me, and in a more general way, I think evaluation systems should measure the degree to which a student has met the objectives, learned the material, or mastered a skill. The challenge for the teacher is to determine which methods will achieve that in a fair, efficient, consistent, and objective manner.
Regards, Barry
I teach an clinical Laboratory Class. I grade them on Clinical and classroom participation, attendance,Clinical Competencies, tests, Medical Terminology, Spelling Tests on Medical Terms, LRC assignment, and of course the Final Exam. I also do a 2week mid module progress report,letting each student know where they stand in class, grade, absenteism, participation and so on. Every now and then i will give bonus questions to help them a little if the test is hard.
Hi Roger:
Using a variety of evaluation methods give the teacher the best overall view of the student's overall performance results.
Learning is defined as the gain of knowledge, understanding, or skill by study or experience. Evaluations allow teachers to meaure to what degree the student achieved these.
Regards, Barry
I teach an intro to computers course. I am bound by the school's syllabus which requires evaluation by exams, quizzes, homework and projects. However, I determine quite a bit within those parameters. I construct the exams, quizzes and projects. If I see a class is struggling in an area or needs additional training in Excel, for example, I will tailor the course materials and evaluations in that direction.
I don't believe an exam's single purpose is to measure learning. By the questions I ask I can emphasize aspects of the course I want the students to remember.
I like to use the projects to focus the students on what they need to learn from the course material. I will also structure the quizzes and exams to reflect what the students focused on with the projects. In this way the evaluation methods support the course material as well as reinforce each other.
V/r
Roger
Hi Earle:
This is a good idea. A variation is to incorporate several methods of assessment in one test, such as multiple choice portion, essay portion, matching portion, true and false portion, labeling portion, worked problem portion, and so on. By adding some variety, it gives more opportunities for studnts to demonstrate what they've learned. All evaluations should ccurately measure the degree to which the student has learned and met the course learning objectives.
Regards, Barry
I will always vary my evaluation methods. Some students are better test takers, some students are better writers, some need more time to reflect. By varing the methods I can be more balanced in grading and not unnecessarily penalize a student.
Hi Casey:
My suggestion for evaluation is closer to a skill cheklist, like, where would you find..., or what three resources can you locate...? etc.
The pre and post idea is good too. It reinforces how much they've benefited from your efforts, and also reveal the significance of your demonstrations.
Regards, Barry
Hi Sharon:
I like the building process that's the basis for your model. I would guess that shortcomings can be worked on in between practicals in order to maintain the highest levels of achievement, as measured by your escalating practical appear to do.
Regards, Barry
Even though as a librarian, I only have the opportunity to teach one-shot information sessions, I need to strongly consider adding some type of evaluation method pre and post these workshops. It just seems that I have a lot of material to cover in just an hour and a half (if I am lucky) session so I just dive right into the demonstration. However, I know that if I offered pre and post evaluations, I might choose to emphasize something a little more and revamp future sessions backed on feedback. I guess I could do a quicker type of pre evaluation game of sorts and a little more formal post evaluation. I will seriously consider this for future sessions.
I work at a culinary school where evaluations are daily and cumulative. Practicals are weekly and because their product improves from week to week the expectation level increases as the weeks progress. By the final practical I expect my students to be turning out product that is marketable in a high end establishment in order to be given the highest grade.
