Measuring Instruction in Higher Education: Summary of a Convening

What will it take to improve the quality of instruction in higher education? An important first step is the ability to measure quality. A variety of measurement systems exist, but how informative are they, and how can we bring greater coherence to instructional measurement in higher education?On November 17 -- 18, 2014, the William T. Grant Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation sponsored a convening of experts on education and the learning sciences to address these questions and to guide possible future initiatives by the foundations.The report examines incentive structures in colleges and universities, looks at the goals toward which instructional measurement can be directed, describes past and current research on instructional measurement, and summarizes potential future initiatives

New creative careers: the problems of progression and uncertainty

This chapter presents findings from research which we conducted with participants who were current and former art college students, practitioners in different areas of creative arts and design, and therefore workers in a relatively newly named part of the economy, the ‘creative industries’. Originally identified by New Labour as a significantly successful new sector, they have subsequently received considerable attention from policy-makers and also academic commentators, in the UK and elsewhere. The list of creative industries cited by New Labour (DCMS 2001) also corresponds closely to the subject areas and activities of many art college courses, indicating how these institutions function as a vocational training ground and entry point for the creative industries. In this chapter, we discuss special issues which our research raised in relation to creative working; the implications of our research findings for vocational learners themselves and for course providers, teachers and institutions; sources of advantage and disadvantage for learners, as indicated by our research, and some further implications for those aiming to assist and expand lifelong learning opportunities

Student Attitude to Audio Versus Written Feedback

First year Biology at the University of Glasgow consists of two courses, 1A and 1B, with an annual intake of 750-800 students. Both courses consist of lectures, practical lab sessions, tutorials and discussion groups. With such large numbers of students, teaching methods and delivery continually change and develop to ensure best delivery of the course content. As such, assessment and feedback systems also need to remain current and accessible to all. Timely, instructive and developmental feedback on student work is arguably the most powerful single influence on a student’s ability to learn. As part of the transition from school into university, feedback is a recognised method of maximising student potential (Hattie and Timperley, 2007). Research shows that increasing student numbers and associated rise in marking workloads, means that feedback can be slow in returning to the student and lacking quality/detail (Glover and Brown, 2006). From the markers perspective there is some evidence that students fail to engage with, misinterpret or ignore written feedback. We have carried out a pilot study to apply, and attempt to build upon, principles of good feedback practice to the assessment of coursework. To do this, an essay assignment was submitted online by Biology 1A students, marked and written feedback provided to all. A randomly selected group of students (10% of the cohort) also received audio feedback (electronic audio files were imbedded into the student work and returned to them by e-mail) on their submitted work. All students then completed an anonymous ‘Feedback’ questionnaire detailing their experiences with the feedback they received, with additional questions that were answered solely by the ‘audio group’ asking more specific questions about the effectiveness of the audio feedback. To carry out this study, new technologies were utilised and these will be demonstrated at the meeting along with the study conclusions. Hattie, J. and Timperley, H. (2007) The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77, 81–112 Glover, C. and Brown, E. (2006). Written Feedback for Students: too much, too detailed or too incomprehensible to be effective? Bioscience Education, 7

An evaluation of the effectiveness of social equity strategies for Maori students in the School of Science and Technology

In 1991 the School of Science and Technology (SOSAT) at the University of Waikato had a very low participation rate of Maori and students from other non-dominant ethnic groups. This situation was serious enough to concerned the then Dean of the School and strategies were developed to change this situation. Four major strategies are used to encourage, support and retain Maori students to successfully pursue and complete a degree in Science. They are: the Te Putahi o te Manawa programme - a mentoring programme; a scholarship and grant writing strategy (in particular assistance with Tuapapa Putaiao Maori Fellowships(TPMFs) administered by FRST); school visits; and field trips with secondary schools in the Waikato region that have a high proportion of Maori students. The Maori & Psychology Research Unit (MPRU) was contracted by Gary Bramley of the Equity Office of the SOSAT to conduct this evaluation. Evaluative information was gathered through administering questionnaires, completing key informant interviews, and completing focus group interviews. In this evaluation we sought to determine the effectiveness of the social equity strategies for Maori students in the SOSAT at the University of Waikato

Lessons Learned from Efforts at Institutional Change: Case Studies of Six OCEPT Institutions

As one part of a multifaceted evaluation of the Oregon Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (OCEPT), a case study approach was used to enable a deeper understanding of how a diverse group of six institutions attempted to achieve OCEPT goals and to learn more about factors that facilitated or hindered their efforts. Multiple sources of data were used, with heavy reliance on a series of on-site interviews. The analytical framework included a depth and pervasiveness typology of institutional change and a view of change as encompassing meaning, organization, and effects. While goals and accomplishment levels, as well as the depth and pervasiveness of change. varied across the six institutions, OCEPT-influenced changes most likely to be sustained included: new kinds and levels of faculty collaboration; peer-led teaching and learning approaches, and attention to evidence that these approaches positively affect student course performance; increased faculty awareness of their role in teacher recruitment, with related changes in classroom practices; and, continued strengthening of access to infomiation and academic advising for those preparing to become teachers. These institutions, however, did not make significant progress on one major goal of the project—to increase the numbers of underrepresented groups interested in teaching careers. Change was affected by the compatibility of OCEPT goals with institutional and faculty culture, as well as by local collaborative leadership, the size and complexity of the institution, the presence of boundary spanners, and how OCEPT resources were used

Assessing context-based learning: Not only rigorous but also relevant

Economic factors are driving significant change in higher education. There is increasing responsiveness to market demand for vocational courses and a growing appreciation of the importance of procedural (tacit) knowledge to service the needs of the Knowledge Economy; the skills in demand are information analysis, collaborative working and 'just-in-time learning'. New pedagogical methods go some way to accommodate these skills, situating learning in context and employing information and communications technology to present realistic simulations and facilitate collaborative exchange. However, what have so far proved resistant to change are the practices of assessment. This paper endorses the case for a scholarship of assessment and proposes the development of technology-supported tools and techniques to assess context-based learning. It also recommends a fundamental rethink of the norm-referenced and summative assessment of propositional knowledge as the principal criterion for student success in universities

Closing the Gap: Meeting California's Need for College Graduates

Estimates the state's shortage in highly educated workers in 2025 and outlines ways to raise college attendance rates, transfer rates from community colleges, and graduation rates from four-year institutions to help close the gap. Discusses policy issues