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Education Sciences
Special Issues
Consequential Assessment of Student Learning
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Consequential Assessment of Student Learning

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2016) | Viewed by 70985

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Natasha Jankowski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Associate Director, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA), Research Assistant Professor, Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership (EPOL), College of Education, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL61820, USA

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Education Sciences focuses on meaningful assessment of student learning. Although assessment of student learning has been occurring for several decades, the use of evidence of student learning to inform program, institution, and individual student learning remains limited. In a time of increased transparency of evidence of student learning, external accountability pressures, employer and student demands, and the unbundling of the faculty role the value and purpose of assessment as a means to enhance and improve student learning is tantamount. Thus, this Special Issue addresses a shift occurring in the field, from undertaking assessment as a reporting function and helps to squarely position assessment within an improvement function.

Contributions are invited that outlineintentional movement from assessment as a compliance activity undertaken to advance external accountability efforts towards assessment, which fosters the improvement of student learning at various levels within and among institutions of higher education. Of particular interest are papers focused on using evidence of student learning to advance learning improvement, the use of assessment evidence to inform curriculum design or redesign, and the active engagement of faculty in improving student learning across programs and courses. Further, examples of the active engagement of students in the assessment process are welcome as they related to improving student learning or reviewing evidence of student learning.

Natasha Jankowski
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • assessment
  • evidence use
  • curriculum design
  • student learning

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

903 KiB  
Article
Learning and Living Overseas: Exploring Factors that Influence Meaningful Learning and Assimilation: How International Students Adjust to Studying in the UK from a Socio-Cultural Perspective
by Georgia Taylor and Nadia Ali
Educ. Sci. 2017, 7(1), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci7010035 - 1 Mar 2017
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 21703
Abstract
There is a considerable amount of research investigating students’ transition from college to university but it is important this focus is directed specifically towards the transition of international students, as the difficulties they face are profound. The literature surrounding international students seems to [...] Read more.
There is a considerable amount of research investigating students’ transition from college to university but it is important this focus is directed specifically towards the transition of international students, as the difficulties they face are profound. The literature surrounding international students seems to lack an in-depth understanding of how multiple contextual factors influence how students adjust to Higher Education. Therefore, the present study utilizes Bronfenbrenner’s (2009) ecological theory of human development in order to understand both immediate and distal environmental influences and how they interact to impact on the individual’s development from a holistic perspective. Five international students participated in a time line interview. Findings suggest that international students face a number of challenges when transitioning from their home country to study in higher education in the UK, particularly in the areas of language competence; cultural assimilation and social relationships. This in turn prevented meaningful learning occurring. Applying Bronfenbrenner’s theory, the participants’ broader environment was analysed, which encouraged an examination of the challenges they faced which regards to cultural influences, government influences and university policies, as well as influences from within their immediate environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Consequential Assessment of Student Learning)
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248 KiB  
Article
How the Mastery Rubric for Statistical Literacy Can Generate Actionable Evidence about Statistical and Quantitative Learning Outcomes
by Rochelle E. Tractenberg
Educ. Sci. 2017, 7(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci7010003 - 24 Dec 2016
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 7373
Abstract
Statistical literacy is essential to an informed citizenry; and two emerging trends highlight a growing need for training that achieves this literacy. The first trend is towards “big” data: while automated analyses can exploit massive amounts of data, the interpretation—and possibly more importantly, [...] Read more.
Statistical literacy is essential to an informed citizenry; and two emerging trends highlight a growing need for training that achieves this literacy. The first trend is towards “big” data: while automated analyses can exploit massive amounts of data, the interpretation—and possibly more importantly, the replication—of results are challenging without adequate statistical literacy. The second trend is that science and scientific publishing are struggling with insufficient/inappropriate statistical reasoning in writing, reviewing, and editing. This paper describes a model for statistical literacy (SL) and its development that can support modern scientific practice. An established curriculum development and evaluation tool—the Mastery Rubric—is integrated with a new, developmental, model of statistical literacy that reflects the complexity of reasoning and habits of mind that scientists need to cultivate in order to recognize, choose, and interpret statistical methods. This developmental model provides actionable evidence, and explicit opportunities for consequential assessment that serves students, instructors, developers/reviewers/accreditors of a curriculum, and institutions. By supporting the enrichment, rather than increasing the amount, of statistical training in the basic and life sciences, this approach supports curriculum development, evaluation, and delivery to promote statistical literacy for students and a collective quantitative proficiency more broadly. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Consequential Assessment of Student Learning)
262 KiB  
Article
Evidence of Sustainable Learning from the Mastery Rubric for Ethical Reasoning
by Rochelle E. Tractenberg, Kevin T. FitzGerald and Jeff Collmann
Educ. Sci. 2017, 7(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci7010002 - 23 Dec 2016
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 6880
Abstract
Interest in sustainable learning has been growing over the past 20 years but it has never been determined whether students—whose learning we are trying to sustain—can perceive either the sustainability of their learning or any of the features of this construct. A four-item [...] Read more.
Interest in sustainable learning has been growing over the past 20 years but it has never been determined whether students—whose learning we are trying to sustain—can perceive either the sustainability of their learning or any of the features of this construct. A four-item survey was developed based on a published definition of “sustainable learning”, and was sent to the 12 graduate students who have completed a new seminar in ethical reasoning. A thematic analysis of the narrative responses was submitted to a degrees-of-freedom analysis to determine the level and type of evidence for student perception of sustainability. Respondents (n = 9) endorsed each of the four dimensions of sustainable learning—and each gave examples for each dimension outside of, and after the end of, the course. One respondent endorsed all dimensions of sustainable learning, but was uncertain whether the course itself led to one particular sustainability dimension. While these results must be considered preliminary because our sample is small and the survey is the first of its kind, they suggest that graduate students can and do perceive each of the four features of sustainability. The survey needs refinement for future/wider use; but this four-dimensional definition could be useful to develop and promote (and assess) sustainable learning in higher education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Consequential Assessment of Student Learning)
204 KiB  
Article
Reevaluating Bloom’s Taxonomy: What Measurable Verbs Can and Cannot Say about Student Learning
by Claudia J. Stanny
Educ. Sci. 2016, 6(4), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci6040037 - 12 Nov 2016
Cited by 85 | Viewed by 34016
Abstract
Faculty and assessment professionals rely on Bloom’s taxonomy to guide them when they write measurable student learning outcomes and describe their goals for developing students’ thinking skills. Over the past ten years, assessment offices and teaching and learning centers have compiled lists of [...] Read more.
Faculty and assessment professionals rely on Bloom’s taxonomy to guide them when they write measurable student learning outcomes and describe their goals for developing students’ thinking skills. Over the past ten years, assessment offices and teaching and learning centers have compiled lists of measurable verbs aligned with the six categories that comprise Bloom’s taxonomy. The author analyzed 30 compilations posted on web sites and evaluated how well these verbs aligned with categories in Bloom’s taxonomy. The author discusses the value of Bloom’s taxonomy as a heuristic for writing student learning outcomes and other factors faculty should consider when they articulate learning outcomes to describe levels of expertise attained by students who complete an associate’s, bachelor’s, or graduate degree. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Consequential Assessment of Student Learning)
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