Teaching metacognition and self-regulation through structured reflection can help students become better learners as they navigate the crucial weeks leading up to the end of the semester. Much has been said about cultivating a growth mindset, particularly in times of stress or anxiety, but this paradigm really goes hand in hand with metacognition and self-regulation […]
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A major concern for many college instructors is how to grade fairly and efficiently. The simple answer is to employ rubrics. Usually rubrics are defined as a detailed breakdown of point distribution, with evaluative criteria that explains that distribution. More importantly, rubrics help us to clearly communicate focused, meaningful and consistent feedback. Rubrics can also […]
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End of semester, summative course evaluations are a commonly expected event that provide students the opportunity to rate an instructor’s teaching effectiveness as well as the course’s impact on their own learning and success. At Notre Dame these are called Course Instructor Feedback (CIF) forms. Typically, these evaluations are used as part of formal promotion […]
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Posted in Assessment Strategies on Oct 14th, 2019
As we reach the midpoint of the semester, where tests are as numerous to the students as the falling leaves, it is fitting to look back to October 1924 and the eloquent words of Grantland Rice…Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as Famine, Pestilence, […]
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Posted in Assessment Strategies on Oct 7th, 2019
As we near fall break, you may find that your grading is piling up quickly, and if you’re like me, you’re probably wondering how to keep it from taking over your life. What follows are some concrete strategies to make grading more efficient, without sacrificing the quality of feedback you give on student work. Add […]
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Posted in Assessment Strategies on Mar 4th, 2019
This blog post is partially based on the Kaneb Center’s workshop on rubrics: https://kaneb.nd.edu/programs/workshops-we-can-offer/using-grading-rubrics/ Imagine you’re staring at a pile of essays to grade — or presentations, or projects, or lab reports. It’s a mixed bag. Some are written superbly well but are riddled with factual errors and leaps of logic. Others hit all the […]
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At this point in the semester, both you and your students probably have some ideas about what is working well and what could be improved in your classroom. If you have not done so already, take some time this week to check in with your students. As I was speaking with a couple of my […]
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Requiring an early assignment be handed in and graded provides a mutual check-in for you and your students. You students will get a preview for the bigger assessments later in the semester. They will understand the kinds of questions you ask, the amount of time it takes to complete assignments in your discipline, and the […]
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My first boyfriend’s car was his family’s old SUV named Bessie. Having moved the kids across the country for college, carried the family on many happy vacations, and suffered the daily commute, it had exceeded the promised 200,000 mile lifespan. Like any teenage male with a secondhand car, Bessie’s owner dreamed of installing a new […]
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Posted in Assessment Strategies on Apr 25th, 2016
Now that spring sunshine has arrived, some instructors’ thoughts have turned more darkly to the stack of final grading they will soon face. Here are a few quick tips to make the most of these final moments of the semester: Use Rubrics Studies tout the benefits of rubrics in grading reliably, increasing transparency, and promoting […]
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