In my classes which are lab oriented, I need to know if the student is understanding both the lecture material as well as the hands-on exercises so I sometimes give them a lab practical along with a written exam.
In an effort to standardize student experiences across all LCB campuses, assignments, evaluations, and tests have been determined for me already. I am the ultimate deciding factor in my class, however, and I set standards for practical evaluations I then need to enforce equally.
I do attempt to flesh out areas that my standardized syllabus may not address completely... many culinary students are tactile learners, and some are excellent in the kitchen but have weak test taking skills. I need to strive to find a balance so everyone's grade ultimately reflects what they worked to earn.
Teresa,
Practice is wonderful. I think the more practice we can build into the curriculum, the better we will be preparing our graduates for their chosen career or work setting.
Barry Westling
It depends if you are evaluating a test or a practical. I follow the schools policy's and incorporate extra credit and do a check off sheet for practicals. This allows a lot of practice
Kesa,
I agree a blend of assessment provides a more comprehensive approach to evaluation. In the end, it comes down to "have we accurately and failry measured the degree of learning that has (or has not) occurred.
Barry Westling
Clay,
Yeah, we need to keep in minb we are preparing students for a career, or at least a job in a career area. So our evaluation system has to be set in a way that truely and accuretly measures the degree of learning (or lack of) in order to be fair to all, none the least being the eventual employer.
Barry Westling
Student evaluation should provide feedback on how well the studetns are learning. Performance evaluation is probably the best way to evaluate students. Interactive learning and discussion throughout formulates a good foundation for how well students learn and can help determine which way is best, testing, summative examination, or quizzes building to a final grade are some choices.
As an instructor for a graphic design program, I evaluate students the way they will be evaluated in the professional world. Were the directions followed, was it presented professionally and on time and how creative was it (did it go beyond the easy solution). In my view this criteria will help students get a position and maintain it.
Abel,
Good psychology.ry to not use "test" or "quiz" but rather "assdessment, self-assessment or checking for5 understanding". Treue, students may see this as semantics, but I think it reinforces why we assess (to measure learning) more than grading assignments or performance.
Barry Westling
In our clinic students have what they call competencies and that is the way that they are evaluated. The competency could either be passed or repeated, but we don't use the word fail. Instead we tell the student it's a teaching moment.
Amanda,
Practical skills are as important to evaluate as textbook or theory material. Ultimately, good students will master both. Assessing therefore should include a good balance of assessment types to measure learning in both domains.
Barry Westling
I teach ultrasound so I vary my evaluations between written tests and scan evaluations. I feel that the students need to be prepared for the written registry exam upon completion of their program but that they also need to have the clinical skill to succeed in the field of sonography. Therefore, I find it most beneficial to the students to weight the scan evaluations and written tests equally.
Samuel,
Nice! Informal evaluations are just as effective as formal ones, especially if the student appreciates the effort made, and responds to the advice and suggestions given.
Barry Westling
I like to give pre assignments and see what they know. I also like to give constant private advisements throughout the phase especially if a student is not doing well. It gives the student the opportunity to fix a downward slide they might not be fully aware of. This also keeps you in good standing with your institution and all the student body.
I don't everything is done by the school I get a sheet that list the items that the student has to perform If they do it correctly they get the top amont of points if they dont they get the next amount of points. if they fail I have to work with them until they can pass
Dennis,
Yeah, you know probably more than anyone how students will want to jump the gun and just start writing unless the instructor reinforces the proven process for effectively writing essays and term papers. So a good evaluation system would and should weigh the different components based on their relative importance in relation to meeting the course goals and objectives.
Barry Westling
Because I teach mostly writing courses, almost all assignments are demonstrations of student abilties to write cogent, well-organized, and engaging essays. However, I often given students short vocabulary tests over words we discuss in class. Sometimes we do grammar tests, but I use these not as major grades but as a chance to go over grammar issues. I also evaluate students on various stages of the writing process: for example, outlines, rough drafts, revised drafts may receive different evaluations. This way, I show students the value of the process of planning and composing in addtion to the final draft of their work.
Tim,
There are many ways to evaluate students, and if there is a lot of technical stuff to master, then personal observation is perfectly suitable. The main thing is that whatever system is used, it accurately and fairly measures learning. To have a great evaluation system that misses the boat does no one any good.
Barry Westling
Student evaluation is usually determined by the course content and the learning objective of the course. As a technical instrutor, the majority of my evaluation methods are hands-on tasks that students must successfully complete. Additionally, written quizzes and/or exams are also used to verify the student's retention of the instruction.
Eddy,
I think even in settings where the grading criteria is already fixed, we can still be creative by assessing students informally, even throughout the lecture, demonstration, discussion, or whatever activity is occuring. This checking for understanding is simply a way to present material and frequently stop and check where students are in their understanding, live, in real time, as the instruction is occurring.
Barry Westling
