Assessment [process] determining the quality of a performance, work product, or skill through measurement and analysis, and giving feedback that documents progress (strengths) and makes suggestions for improving future performance (areas for improvement) in ways that will help the performer improve his or her future performance
Evaluation [process] for determining the whether standards for quality of a performance or a product have been met. An effective evaluation process includes the use of reliable data for the conduct of the evaluation, the establishment of predefined benchmarks against which performance is measured, and the monitoring of product or performance outcomes.
Performance Criteria articulation or description of the expected level of quality in a performance. Strong performance criteria take into consideration the multiple dimensions of the performance. Ideally, when performance criteria are selected, none overlaps another. An example of one performance criteria for writing a term paper might include: The credibility of the writer is established because each item of key supporting evidence is properly cited and referenced.
Measure/Measuring [process] determining a value on a scale of quality
Standard/s define quality based on what is to be reported by an evaluator. Standards depend upon the existence of a scale that describes how quality is to be judged (revisiting the example of a term paper, the quality is "credibility", a potential standard is, "author is credible" and the scale might range from "completely", which is the highest level of performance to "not at all", which is the lowest level of performance.)
Active Learning
a mode of learning which puts learners in situations where they are asked to take responsibility for their own learning, thus becoming highly engaged in the construction of knowledge
Activity Sheet
an element of activity design shared with students, it is a form comprised of one or multiple pages given to students which explains the purpose and relevance of the activity and which may include instructions or questions, or spaces for students to record their observations, results, and/or assessments.
ADDIE Model of Instructional Design
a model of instructional design that begins with a consideration of the outcomes ultimately desired from the program, course, or activity, and uses them as a basis for design and as a standard against which to measure success. ADDIE stands for the five stages of development: analysis, design, development, improvement, and evaluation.
Assessment/Assessing
a process for determining the quality of a performance, work product, or skill and giving feedback that documents progress (strengths) and suggests ways to improve future performance (areas for improvement) in ways that will help the performer improve his or her future performance
Assessor
—the person who is giving the assessment feedbackAssessee
—the person whose performance, work product, or learning skill(s) is being assessedContinuous Assessment
—assessment conducted on an ongoing basis during the process or performanceCourse Assessment System
—a mechanism by which students and faculty can track student performance during the course and identify opportunities for improvement. The assessment system should relate to the course performance measuresFormative Assessment
—assessment given during the course of a performance or course to help the assessee to prepare better for a final or summative evaluationPeer Assessment
—feedback is given by a colleague or peerSelf-Assessment
—is related to metacognition and insight, and has to do with looking objectively at one’s own performanceReal-time Assessment
—feedback is given at the time of the performanceSII Method
(of Assessment Reporting)—a method of recording and reporting assessment findings which includes a description of the strengths of the performance, the areas in which the performance may be improved, and insights the assessor had while observing and reflecting on the performanceBest Practices
a management idea which asserts that there is a technique, method, process, activity, incentive or reward that is more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method, process, etc.
Bloom’s Taxonomy
(of Educational Objectives)pedagogical framework for classifying explicit formulations of the ways in which students are expected to be changed by the educative process. Objectives are classified into domains (cognitive, affective, social, and psychomotor) and are ranked within those domains from simplest to most complex.
Knowledge → Comprehension → Application → Analysis → Synthesis → Evaluation
Broad Learning Goals
general expectations of the course within a larger program that serve as a starting point for formulating learning outcomes.
Classification of Learning Skills (for Educational Enrichment and Assessment)
an organizational scheme for instructional design, building on Bloom’s taxonomy, that helps educators and learners identify the most comprehensive list possible of transferable learning skills that apply to multiple disciplines and which are needed for successful performance in work and in life.
: a sphere of functioning performanceDomain
Cognitive—skills related to thinking and attaining knowledge
Affective—attitudinal skills predominantly related to emotional (affective) processes
Social—interpersonal skills
Psychomotor—skills deal with one’s physical development, wellbeing, and skill in working with objects and using tools
Collaborative Learning
an active learning method in which students learn in small groups. Group members are allowed to organize as they please, with little imposition of structure or team roles by the instructor.
Concept Model
any construct that illustrates a concept; can be formed using language, physical objects, mathematics, or pictures. Examples include Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs, a model of a molecule, or a double helix.
Cooperative
Learninga method of learning which uses small-group activities to maximize individual and group learning in instructional settings. Each student has a specific responsibility within the group. Students complete assignments together and receive a common grade.
Course Design (see Instructional Design)
the planning process and the product resulting from determining course learning outcomes, content, methodologies, and activities that will be included in the course as well as plans for assessment and evaluation.
Course Design Template
formal presentation of each of the items in the course design methodology for public discussion or individual study.
Course Intentions
rationale for a course (often not explicitly stated to students) that includes its relationship to other courses in the program, connection with faculty research interests, contribution to institutional service learning, role in recruiting mentors and graduate students, impact on department development activities, and importance in data collection for program accreditation
Critical Thinking
thinking in a challenging or skeptical way by identifying ambiguities and assumptions, finding contradictions, examining the logic leading to a conclusion, judging whether a statement is overly general, critiquing the application of principles and concepts, deciding whether a definition is adequate, and determining whether a statement is relevant or reasonable
Critical Thinking Questions
a tool used in designing guided-inquiry learning activities that guides students to explore and observe, then to invent or develop an understanding of relevant concepts, and finally to apply this new understanding. Three types of questions are used: directed, convergent, and divergent.
Design/Designing
a systematic, interactive, and iterative development of a process, system, or product to meet a set of specifications for a specific function or end
Empowerment
increased capability resulting from expanded ability, willingness, support, and resources required to act. Empowerment is the key that puts a person in a position of being in control of a situation rather than being controlled by the situation.
Evaluation/Evaluating
a process of determining the quality of a performance, work product, or learning skill based upon a pre-determined standard and mutually-understood criteria in order to decide whether or to what degree it meets a standard
Facilitation
actions taken to help others learn or perform. In a learner-centered paradigm, facilitation takes the place of teaching, stressing the centrality of the learner’s work in the learning process while the facilitator’s role is to take actions to assist in this process.
Facilitator
the person who
is in charge of pacing the activity, observing and assessing the process, and who is responsible for ensuring that the group or individual best meets the criteria set out in the activityFacilitation Plan
a written plan, developed before a facilitation event wherein the facilitator anticipates and decides in advance how to address predictable learner needs.
Forms of Knowledge
knowledge identified and classified to help those who design curricula and establish performance criteria to thoroughly inventory and clarify all of the skills and subject matter learners need to build so that no skills or concepts are inadvertently ignored, and so that facilitators are aware of all of the points of growth that may be required in a learning situation. These are categorized under the headings of concepts, processes, tools, contexts, and ways of being.
—a generalized idea about something or a classification label.Concepts
Processes—sequences of steps, events, or activities that, over time, result in changes or products
Tools—any devices, implements, instruments or utensils that serve as resources to aid in accomplishing a task.
Contexts—the situation or background that is relevant to the understanding of a concept or process.
Way of Being—the thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors characteristic within a culture, discipline, or knowledge area.
Rules—facts or conventions that govern knowledge construction or performance in a particular discipline.
Instructional Design
the determination and specification of the content, methodologies, activities, sequencing, evaluation, and assessment of the learning experience
Program Design—facilitating the fulfillment of program goals by laying out curricular and co-curricular learning experiences
Course Design—the planning of learning activities to meet course outcomes
Activity Design—the process by which learning experiences are planned to systematically take into account how learners make sense of new information, how they acquire new skills, or how they develop a new way of being, and design activities so that the learning leads to the achievement of the course and program outcomes.
Knowledge
awareness or possession of information about facts, ideas, skills, truths, and principles
Knowledge Skills/ Learning Skills
strategies embedded in a learner’s behavioral repertoire, transferable across disciplines and contexts, which enable him or her to improve mastery of subject matter. They are essential for constructing knowledge because they "modulate" or influence what learners can achieve at any level. These skills, once identified, can be consciously improved and refined, increasing the rate and effectiveness of learning.
Knowledge Table
(sometimes referred to as a knowledge map) a tool for analyzing specific cognitive schemes or frameworks within any particular area of knowledge, often for the purpose of setting learning goals. It is useful as a hierarchical inventory of the knowledge and skills students must master in order to achieve the learning goals for a program or course.
Learner-Centered
the idea in education that instructors and institutions should focus on what learners want and need.
Learning Activity
the core unit of instructional design which organizes a unit of time, in or out of class, to address a subset of course learning outcomes
Learning-Centered/Learning-Centered Teaching
a mode of instruction that views learning as a process worthy of explicit, conscious development. Due to the rapidly changing nature of our world, it is no longer enough for students to absorb a prescribed body of content knowledge and call themselves "educated"; they must be able to continue learning throughout life and to improve their skills in learning on a continuous basis.
Learning Communities
formal and informal groups who share common values and beliefs and who voluntarily invest time to work together, and actively engage in learning together.
Learning Model
a demonstration of one of the knowledge forms (concepts, processes, tools, contexts, and ways of being) around which learning activities are built.
Concept Model (concepts)
(contexts)Case Study
Methodology
(processes)Template/Tool
(tools)Profile
(way of being)Learning Object
a learning tool that illustrates a concept visually. A learning object may involve the use of pictures, graphic representations of data, three-dimensional models, or actual objects.
Learning Objectives
"explicit formulations of the ways in which students are expected to be changed by the educative process" (Bloom, 1956). Educational objectives indicate what students should attend to and put effort into learning.
Learning Outcomes
clear and precise articulations of what learners are expected to be able to do or achieve by the end of a learning experience.
Compentencies
—the collection of knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to perform a specific task effectively and efficiently at a defined level of performance.Movements
—documented growth in a transferable process or learning skill.Experiences
—interactions, emotions, responsibilities, and shared memories that clarify one’s position in relation to oneself, a community, or discipline.Accomplishments
—significant work products or performances that transcend normal class requirements and are externally valued or affirmed by an outside expert or client.Integrated Performance
the synthesis of prior knowledge, skills, processes, and attitudes with current learning needs to address a difficult challenge within a strict time frame and set of performance expectations.
Learning Styles
automatic, habitual patterns of learning or processing preferences, which are based on habituation of routines and which are acquired over a learner’s entire lifetime. Learning styles lead people to prefer and perform better in certain kinds of learning contexts over others.
Levels of Learner Knowledge
categorization of educational objectives to represent the increasing complexity in the way learners formulate, connect, and present their thoughts.
Level 1 Information
—gathering facts in specific contextsLevel 2 Comprehension & Understanding
—inferring relationships or connections between two facts or a fact to a context, identifying similarities and differences, understandingLevel 3 Application
—identifying explicit and implicit assumptions while using knowledge in varying contextsLevel 4 Working Expertise
—the ability to integrate knowledge with learning skills to produce a generalized solution to a problem, to solve complex problems by applying many kinds of knowledge and integrating these processes and tools, and to produce solutions that can be reused and transferred to similar situations with minimal adjustmentsLevel 5 Research
—systematic, unbiased investigation used to increase knowledge and understandingLevel 6 Assessment
—reflecting on one’s own or others’ performances, against pre-set criteria, to try to find ways to improveLong-Term Behavior
habitual behaviors and qualities educators want students to exhibit on their own after a course or program is completed. Long-term behaviors should align closely with expert profiles in various disciplines. Descriptions of long-term behaviors serve as the basis of instructional design, because they represent the ultimate goal of learning.
Methodology
an explicitly defined set of multi-step instructions for performing a complex process, designed to enable those who are novices in a skill area to work smarter without having to learn the steps through trial and error.
Model
n. an example for imitation or emulation; a description or analogy used to help visualize something (as an atom) that cannot be directly observed
v. to serve as an example or to demonstrate the way a process is done so that others may learn by emulating
Motivation
a complex amalgam of all the factors at work in a given point in time that influence an organism’s "movement" toward a goal.
Extrinsic Motivation
—a condition that pertains whenever an activity is done in order to attain an outcome separate from simply accomplishing the activity (such as a reward)Intrinsic Motivation
—the internal influences or stimuli active at a point in time that result in an organism’s "movement" toward a goal. Students who are intrinsically motivated to learn find value in the learning itself, not just the grades or credits earned as a result of learning.Performance Criteria
standards of performance, clearly and explicitly defined, which allow all involved (performer, assessor, evaluator, etc.) to have a mutually understood set of expectations by which performance may be measured, assessed, and/or evaluated. Performance criteria provide simple-to-understand, realistic, and measurable values of excellence.
Performance Measures
indicators, derived from performance criteria, which allow for comparison of actual performance against the standards set in the performance criteria (measurement of actual versus stated criteria).
POGIL (Process-Oriented Guided-Inquiry)
a philosophy and a strategy for teaching and learning encompassing specific ideas about the nature of the learning process and the expected outcomes, and a student-centered methodology and structure that are consistent with the way people learn and achieve these outcomes.
Problem Solving
a process whereby a "best" outcome is determined for some situation, subject to certain constraints, by finding, creating, or developing solutions to a question, matter, situation, issue, or person that is perplexing or difficult to deal with.
Process Education
™an educational philosophy, driven by studies of performance on educational processes that emphasize continuous development of learning skills, use of assessment principles, and mentoring to produce self-growth
Growth Environment—Process Education™ uses best practices informed by research and assessment to create learning environments that produce holistic transformational experiences. In these environments people feel safe, engaged, and challenged. These environments produce strong communities of diverse individuals which respect the perspectives, values, and beliefs of others while fostering important relationships.
Purposeful Design—the activities are learner-centered, collaborative, and often team and community based. Future performance is improved by strengthening targeted learning skills through the use of high performance expectations, a variety of assessment practices, and timely feedback. The development of learning skills is integrated with knowledge and reflective practice on learning to produce high levels of knowledge. These activities align under a strong design structure which communicates clear outcomes and performance criteria, and which employs assessment as well as evaluation. In educational settings, courses support program design; program assessment is the key to continuous quality improvement of student learning and growth.
Educator—the educator facilitates learning experiences with the mindset of a mentor, constantly helping learners to increase their ability to accurately self-assess and mentor their own growth in these targeted performance areas. Consistent with this approach, the educator also uses every experience to promote his or her own development. Additionally, the educator maintains a research mindset and employs action research to produce new knowledge that can improve learning and growth.
Organization—the broader institutional structure implementing Process Education™ continually and systematically supports professional growth through assessment, mentoring, and professional development. The organizational members constantly initiate projects, teams, and activities that improve quality in all dimensions of processes, systems, structures, and policies.
Contexts—Process Education™ is applicable throughout life, advancing the quality of individual and community life, from formal educational settings to home schooling, and within the home, in businesses, government, and community organizations.
Results—people become more independent, self-directed, and knowledgeable, and thus stronger performers. Ultimately the practice of Process Education™ produces life-long learners who habitually assess and improve their own performance.
Project Learning
systematic, unbiased investigation used to increase one’s personal knowledge and understanding
Research-Based
established on principles determined through systematic, unbiased investigation used to increase knowledge and understanding
Research Methods
loosely, the methodology (multiple-step models for complex processes) used in the engagement of systematic, unbiased investigation used to increase knowledge and understanding
5 Scientific Research Methods—Experimental, Correlation, Natural Observation, Survey, Case Study
Qualitative—Relating to the general qualities that can describe the level of performance or a product
Quantitative—Relating to the numerical values that can describe the level of performance or a product
Rubric
a scoring tool for measuring the level of performance achieved which describes in words what performance looks like for every performance criteria at every level.
Analytic Rubric—requires the measurer to score the level of performance for each component of the performance criteria
Holistic Rubric—
requires the measurer to score the overall process or product as a whole, without judging the components separatelySII Method
(of Assessment Reporting)a method of recording and reporting assessment findings which includes a description of the strengths of the performance, the areas in which the performance may be improved, and insights the assessor had while observing and reflecting on the performance, and their significance. (see Assessment)
Strengths—identify the ways in which a performance was of high quality and commendable. Each strength statement should address what was valuable in the performance, why this attribute is important, and how to reproduce this aspect of the performance.
Areas for Improvement—identify the changes that can be made in the future, between this assessment and the next assessment, that are likely to improve performance. Feedback in this section should identify issues that caused any problems and mention how changes might be implemented to resolve these difficulties.
Insights—identify new and significant discoveries/ understandings that were gained concerning the performance area; i.e., What did the assessor learn that others might benefit from hearing or knowing? Insights include an explanation of why a discovery/new understanding is important or significant and how it might be applied to other situations.
Skill Exercises
exercises within a learning activity that require students to apply new knowledge in simple situations and familiar contexts to allow them to build confidence and to strengthen understanding. Typically an activity should have two to five exercises.
Theme
an implicit or recurring idea; a subject or topic of discourse or of artistic representation