Kim's+reflections

** Kim’s reflections from Feb 23rd class **

Chapter 6 was a good chapter because it is hard to talk about assessment in one chapter! People spend years studying assessment and how tests may or may not be a valid measurement of what someone has learned. Also Smith & Ragan's discussion of performance assessments fits pretty well with what happens in the corporate world regarding how one is evaluated and measured at work. I remember completing performance reviews for people who worked for me, and they are not easy to do. The forms (complete with check boxes) are mostly behaviorally based and can be at least 8 pages long! But like criterion-referenced assessments, performance reviews when done well in a company, align with the goals and objectives the individual is given (or co-creates with their manager) at the beginning of the year. Then you are measured against how well you did at completing those goals when you are reviewed or evaluated at the end of the year. I think criterion-referenced tests are more equitable and they work fairly well in the corporate world.

Personally, I like portfolio assessments because they give people a chance to showcase work done over a period of time instead of one semester or one class or one fiscal quarter.

Speaking of assessments, I have a book I like called //Classroom Assessment Techniques// (CAT) (1993) by Thomas Angelo and Patricia Cross. While it may seem old, it’s a wonderful resource that offers a systematic approach to formative evaluation ( we cover formative evaluation in chapter 19). CATs are short easy to use “instruments” that provide teachers & instructors with immediate feedback regarding how well students are learning. For example, the one minute paper, or the muddiest point, or using a one sentence summary are quick ways to help students articulate where they may be struggling or to demonstrate what they are learning without doing a full blown assessment. I like to call these ** “time-out” assessments ** because when things aren’t going as I think they should in my online class, I write “Ok, let’s take a time out, I need to see where everyone is at…” and then I have them do a short CAT exercise designed to give me quick feedback about their progress. Quick self-reflection that certain CATs provide help students refocus their energies and better understand where they are at too.

Having Sam speak was terrific! He was so passionate about his dissertation work despite the challenges, that I found myself getting excited about the dissertation process rather than being afraid of it. His insights helped me see the dissertation journey more as an adventure that will no doubt have it's ups and downs. I have shared his fish tank story with a few friends and we all just shake our heads that he didn't give up at that point.
 * Dr. Sam Helms **

His advice was sound and sincere. I took away **MANY** useful tips including the graduate school audit suggestion and the idea about staying flexible. If I can’t get my dissertation done in 9-10 months, that’s OK. But keep setting goals! Don’t give up and ** listen to your committee! **