We stumbled across this [old but] great article about assessing student learning. Since we value student assessment a great deal (after all, that’s what SAGrader is all about!), we wanted to summarize the nine main points from the article and direct you to the full version, should you wish to read it.

Check out the summary below or click here to visit the source and to read the original article.

1. The assessment of student learning begins with educational value. Assessment is a vehicle for educational improvement. Educational values should drive not only what educators chose to assess but how they do it.

2. Assessment is most effective when it reflects an understanding of learning as multidimensional, integrated, and revealed in performance over time. Learning is a complex process that entails knowledge, abilities, values, attitudes, and habit of the mind – each something that affects both academic success and performance beyond the classroom. Assessment should take each of these things into consideration by employing diverse methods.

3. Assessment works best when the programs it seeks to improve have clear, explicitly stated purposes. Assessment is a goal oriented process and entails comparing educational performance with educational purposes and expectations.

4. Assessment requires attention to outcomes but also and equally to the experiences that lead to those outcomes. Looking at where students “end up” is only part of the puzzle. To improve outcomes, educators must look at what students experienced along the way.

5. Assessment works best when it is ongoing not episodic. Although one-time assessment instances can be better than none, assessment is most powerful when it entails a linked series of activities over time.

6. Assessment fosters wider improvement when representatives from across the educational community are involved. Student learning is a campus-wide responsibility, and assessment is a good way of enacting that responsibility. While any assessment effort may start small, the aim should be to involve people from across the educational community over time.

7. Assessment makes a difference when it begins with issues of use and illuminates questions that people really care about. To be the most useful, assessment must be connected to issues or questions that people really care about. The point of assessment isn’t to gather data and return “results”, but rather a process that starts with the questions of decision makers, involves them gathering and interpreting data, and informs and helps guide them to make continuous improvements.

8. Assessment is most likely to lead to improvement when it is part of a larger set of conditions that promote change. Assessment alone changes little. Its greatest contribution comes on campuses where the quality of teaching and learning is valued and worked at. Such campuses push to improve educational performance and the quality of education.

9. Through assessment, educators meet responsibilities to students and to the public. There is a certain responsibility of educators to public stakeholders. The responsibility goes beyond reporting information. Rather, educators are obliged, on behalf of themselves, their students, and society to improve. And, those who are accountable to these educators are obligated to support their attempts at improvement.

The way we learn and soak up information is always changing, along with the technology we use to access that information. Innovations in education (and in this case, those with an added entertainment factor) are always hot topics. In the past we’ve mentioned textbook alternatives, and today we introduce a new approach altogether.

In this post, I’m excited to share some Q&A with Bradley Inman, the CEO and founder of Vook, a “new innovation in reading that blends a well-written book, high-quality video and the power of the Internet into a single, complete story”. Here Inman tells us about the story behind Vook, the future he sees for the company in general and its products in higher education, and shares a bit of advice for innovators in any field. Enjoy!

What is the story behind Vook? Tell us about the people behind the idea and how you turned the idea into a reality.
I founded Vook in 2008 after seeing the value proposition of enhancing the reading experience beyond text. Previously, I founded TurnHere, an online video company that produces high quality content for publishers and other businesses, and this experience helped show me the great opportunities that existed with online video and its ability to enhance the reading experience with multi-media. Combining book + video led to the name Vook, and in 2009 we launched our first vooks in collaboration with Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette and others. In 2010, we’re focused on developing relationships with publishers, agencies and authors of all kinds and continuing to release new vooks in a variety of genres throughout the year.

I noticed only a few available vooks. What’s in the lineup to be released soon?
We are growing very quickly and plan to release over 500 titles in 2010. We recently developed a publishing technology tool called MotherVook, which will allow us to streamline the creation of an individual vook. The MotherVook technology will make it very easy, fast and cost-effective to integrate the author’s text with professional video and other multi-media elements in the creation of each vook and will ultimately allow Vook to publish hundreds of titles each week. …continue reading

It’s about time we posted something fresh on here! We hope you enjoy these tips on how to market your classes to students!

Semester after semester, students sign up for classes. Most are ones they need, but some of them are classes they actually want. These classes are the ones that they squeeze into their schedules because they seem interesting or fun, and classes that they might actually get excited for (yes, I said excited)!

But there is a problem with classes that students only “want” and don’t “need” – interest can dwindle, schedules might not allow, or awareness of the class might fade. So how do you keep prospective students interested in taking your classes when they don’t “need” the credit, then actually get them to enroll? Here are a few helpful tips to keep those students enrolling!

Make the class interesting. It’s true. Students talk. They often gripe about classes and course work. But believe it or not, when they actually like classes, students talk about those too. Think of them as your customers. You are there to teach them something and make it as painless as possible (and dare I say, maybe even fun?!). If they have a great experience, they’ll talk about it with their friends or even recommend it.

Go door to door. Spark interest in prospective students by visiting related classrooms to share a little information about the class or classes you’re offering. For example, if you teach Buddhism of East Asia, talk to your colleagues that teach other Asian religion classes about briefly speaking to their students before or after class.

Get recommendations. Have the other instructors in your department recommend your class to their students at the end of each semester. Instead of going into a classroom and giving a pitch for your class yourself, have your peers do it for you.

Accept non-majors. When students want to mix up their schedules, they often look for classes that are different from those they have already taken or the courses they are currently in. Sometimes, they are in a completely different field of study and have absolutely nothing to do with the rest of that student’s coursework, but that’s the point. Make your class non-major friendly by allowing non-majors to enroll in and take the course without having to jump through too many hoops.

Pick the right time. Unless you work on a campus where students magically wake up at dawn, do not, I repeat, do not schedule your class for 8:00am. No matter how interesting your class is, sleeping in is a tempting option, especially if it’s during a class that isn’t needed to graduate. That being said, students also don’t want to stay on campus any later than they have to, so don’t pick times much later than 5:00pm.

Have you ever seen a loss of interest in the classes you teach? What have you done to create awareness and to get students to enroll?

Good morning and happy Friday! Here are some good reads we found this week. Enjoy!

10 Youngest College Graduates in U.S. History (and Where They Are Today)
Why is it that people are so fascinated by child prodigies? Who knows! But I admit, I find them interesting. Here is a post that talks about the ten youngest people to graduate from college in US history.

MILLENNIALS: A Portrait of Generation Next
Generational differences are an interesting thing. Being able to understand one group and how they function can help you better connect with those that are part of that group, whether it be in a work or educational setting.

The Case Against College Education
We certainly believe in higher education, and, well, education in general. This article, however, presents an interesting view of getting a college education and suggests that maybe getting that degree just isn’t for everyone.

101 College Blogs to Put You in the College Mood
We love blogs and bloggers, especially those in higher ed. Check out this list of 101 college blogs!

In celebration of Women’s History Month in March, we want to remember some influential women from the history of education and recognize the inspirational leaders in education today. These women have paved the way, and continue to do so, for the women leaders and educators of today and tomorrow.

Emma Hart Willard (1787-1870) — Willard started the first school for females, offering an equal or better education than men received at the time. She helped give young women the opportunity to have an education at a time when they were expected to learn only the rules and ways of the house and home.

Sarah Pierce (1767-1852) — Pierce founded the Litchfield Female Academy, the first school dedicated to the higher education of women. Students from across the United States and from around the world came to study at her school.

Nannie Helen Burroughs (1879-1961) — In addition to being a church leader and suffrage supporter, Burroughs founded the National Training School for Women and Girls as a national model school for the teaching of African American women at the time. Burroughs trained her students to become respectable employees and emphasized the important of bring a proud black women to all students by teaching African-American history and culture.

Mary Mason Lyon (1797-1849) — Lyon founded Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, the first college for females. The school was aimed at middle-class girls of the day because Lyon felt that educating this particular group of women would have the greatest influence on changing the standards for women overall.

Diana Oblinger — Educause’s President and CEO, Oblinger previously served as the company’s Vice President and was responsible for the association’s teaching and learning activities and the Educause Learning Initiative. Oblinger has held positions with both Microsoft and IBM, and has served as a faculty member at two universities and as an Associate Dean at the University of Missouri. Oblinger currently serves on a number of boards and is a frequent keynote speaker. She has written a number of books and received several awards because of her work in the fields of education and education technology.

Rosabeth M. Kanter — Kanter, a professor at the Harvard Business School, has been recognized as one of the “50 most powerful women of the world” as well as one of the “50 most influential business leaders in the world”. Having written or contributed to 18 books and receiving 23 honorary doctoral degrees, Kanter continues to teach and inspire the business leaders of tomorrow.

Katherine C. Boles — Boles writes and teaches about teacher education, school reform, and new forms of teacher leadership. Her work advocates real and positive changes in public policy with the aim of restructuring the field of teaching. She cofounded the Learning/Teaching Collaborative, a professional development school that ties public schools and colleges in the Boston area together.

We appreciate all of the energy and work these women have poured into improving the lives of women and the field of education!

Who inspires you? Leave a comment below on the people (men and women) who have inspired you as an educator.

50 Social Media Innovators in Higher Education
A list of the top social media innovators among the nation’s colleges and universities. It covers everything from active Twitter feeds to Facebook fan pages to videos and blogs.

2 Emerging Technologies That Will Impact College Campuses
If you work on a college campus, this is a good article for you! The article brings to your attention six technologies you should pay attention to and about how long it’ll take for each to be used on college campuses regularly.

Social Media in Higher Education: Two Perspectives
Take a look at social media in higher education from two different points of view – a student and an administrator.

Can higher education produce better/faster startups?
What can higher education do for startups? Can colleges offer the tools and resources necessary to crank out not only smart kids that enter the working world as managers but ones that start their own companies?

Interested in higher education? If you tweet, these people (and organizations) are worth following.

@WomenInHigherEd – The only national monthly practitioner’s newsjournal dedicated to enlightening, encouraging, empowering and enraging women on campus.

@ProfHacker – Tips, tutorials, and commentary on pedagogy, productivity, and technology in higher education

@chronicle – The leading news source for higher education.

@markgr – Higher ed web professional, Director of Web Services at UB, Noel-Levitz consultant, speaker, uwebd overlord, lacrosse coach, tennis player, dog rescuer

@EducationSector – Education Sector is an independent think tank that challenges conventional thinking in education policy. Visit our Web site for more information about our work

@NSNS – The National Student News Service covers student issues, student activism, and the latest trends in campus politics from around the nation.

@UVenus – Radically reinventing education. GenX women from around the globe creating and inspiring solutions via Social Media!

@timeshighered – Higher Education news, views and reviews for the UK and the rest of the world

@rpetersmauri – Instructional designer and eLearning professional focused on k-20 education, social media and tech.

@ITJil – Instructional Designer @ the Univ of Southern Miss. Interested in all technology, especially VR.

Happy Friday! We hope you had a productive week. Here are a few interesting reads we found this week – enjoy!

How to Teach with Google Wave
Though it’s an older article, it’s full of good stuff about using Google Wave in your classroom. One of Wave’s biggest advantages? Allowing classes from different colleges to easily work together.

Technology and education continue to merge
This article starts with pointing out a simple fact – technology is changing the way we educate and learn. We know it’s changing how we learn, but what about where we learn? Is online education really the future of higher education? Online enrollment is growing immensely and it’s something educators should take note of.

Are They Students? Or ‘Customers’?
A great discussion on whether or not students should been seen as customers as well as students, and thus have more say in what and how they are taught, and how they are assessed.

Annual Poll of Freshman Shows Effects of Recession
Finances are more of a concern than ever for college kids. Parents without jobs, not being able to find jobs themselves – it’s hard entering the job market today as it is. It looks like these students might have the same job market problems over the next few years, with a lot more debt from the start.

It seems as if textbooks are a thing of the past. If you’re looking to incorporate textbook alternatives into your classroom but don’t know where to start, here are a few ideas.

PDFs – You can share chapters or excerpts from books, articles, or just about any other type of document by creating a PDF and sharing it on your content management site.

eBooks – I think it’s safe to say that a large number of students own their own computer and most students at least have access to one. Websites like eBooks.com and CourseSmart offer a wide range of academic books and textbooks that are, for the most part, cheaper than traditional textbooks but still perfect for the classroom.

Hybrid eBooks – Companies like Flat World Knowledge and Vook offer ebook type products, but with additional features and tools like video (Vook) and the ability to edit text as needed (Flat World).

Additional Resources – Not all classes need textbooks, electronic or otherwise. I’ve taken quite a few, actually, that include handouts from the instructor, some articles or PDFs posted online, and a few supplementary, read-at-will sources. Not a single textbook involved. In some cases, I learned the most in these types of classes. Finding the best resources to use takes some time on your part, but your student will appreciate not having to spend the big bucks for a textbook they might have never used in the first place.

What textbook alternatives do you use? Share with us in the comments or tweet @SAGrader. We’d love to add your ideas to the list!

Do you ever have a class period where it feels like your students are asleep? You’re introducing an exciting new topic but no one seems to be interested. You throw out a question but no one volunteers an answer. How do you get your students to wake up and speak up during class?

Here are a few tips to help you inspire your students to volunteer their thoughts and answers, without making it terribly painful.

Engage your students. If you can do this, you’re golden. If you’re engaging your students in a conversation throughout class, they’ll be tuned in to what’s going on. They will be thinking about what you’re saying and putting thought into the ideas that you bring forward. When you ask a question, chances are someone will be able and willing to answer.

Teach with energy and excitement. Professors that get excited about the subjects they teach are far more fun and interesting to listen to than someone who drones on in a class he really didn’t want to teach in the first place. I speak from experience. I never honestly thought I would leave an econ lecture feeling happy that I came to class and like I learned something valuable…until I met Dr. Lee. She would get so excited about economics that not only did I enjoy class, I enjoyed learning about the concepts she introduced.

Use real world examples. Another of Dr. Lee’s many teaching talents was her ability to use real world examples. Real world examples of economic situations aren’t hard to come by, but no matter how simple, they help students to learn and apply concepts to what really matters – the real world. Plus, when a student can see how something applies directly to his or her life, it makes more sense and sticks a bit better in the brain.

Ask good questions. There is a difference between a good question and a bad one. Good questions are capable of sparking conversations, thoughts, and sometimes lead to even more questions. Ask questions that students want to answer, discuss and debate.

Give students an idea of what to expect. If you have a good syllabus, students should know what to expect during class before they arrive. Encourage them to read the chapter or look through assignments and practice questions before class starts so they are aware of what you’ll be talking about and have more confidence to share ideas and answer questions.

Respond well to wrong answers. Don’t embarrass a student if he volunteers a wrong answer. Maybe he misunderstood your question. Or, maybe he was just wrong. Either way, if you make him feel stupid, he’ll be much less likely to raise his hand the next time around.

Don’t catch your students off guard. If students know you randomly call on students throughout class, it may make them nervous. Instead of being truly engaged, they take unnecessary notes to refer to in case they are called on. The down fall? It’s likely that nervous students will only pay attention to what’s going on until they are called on. After that, they know they are off the hook (for the most part) and will tune the rest of the lecture out.

Walk amongst your students while lecturing. Instead of standing at the front of your classroom, connect with your students a bit more by walking up and down aisles or moving around by the front row. This makes you seem more down to earth and willing to interact on the same level with your students.

Poll your students. This is a great way to get your students to participate in class discussions without making anyone feel targeted. Plus, it’s a way to hear from everyone at once!

What are some other ways you get your students to speak up during class? Share with us in the comments!