The Unstated Impact of Assessments on Student Learning

Description

A man is standing under the light of a streetlamp searching for something when a passerby asks, “What are you looking for?”
“My keys.”
“Did you drop them here?”
“No, but this is where the light is and it’s easier to see.”

Many instructors assess their students under the light of the streetlamp without considering the unstated impact their assessments are having on student learning.

Whatever you choose to test becomes the de facto learning objectives for a curriculum. The way you choose to assess it becomes the de facto teaching and learning philosophy.

In this *interactive virtual workshop, we explored how backward design and self-assessment can help us as instructors establish meaningful learning that reaches beyond the lamplight and how we can help students become agentive learners.

Biographical Statement

Troy L. Cox, PhD, has worked at Brigham Young University since 1996 and is currently serving as the Associate Director of the Center for Language Studies and as the TESOL MA Graduate coordinator. He conducts and publishes research in language proficiency, assessment, language acquisition, self-assessment, and objective measurement. He regularly consults with ACTFL and has facilitated workshops throughout the United States and in Europe on language proficiency and Rasch measurement.