Yesterday I had one of what we call our “great meetings”. I met with two faculty (don’t worry, they shall not be named here) who identified some of their teaching challenges. We spent our time discussing the following topics: 1. Grading multiple choice exams. How can we cut down on grading time while also gathering…Continue Reading That’s What We Are Here For!
Are we ditching finals? (weep) Alternative Assessment Ideas
My own undergraduate experience, which was so long ago that we didn’t even know the word “blog”, was full of midterm and final exams. But of all of these tests, I remember only one: my Introduction to Biology final. I remember it because it was multiple choice questions from the exams we had taken over…Continue Reading Are we ditching finals? (weep) Alternative Assessment Ideas
Coming this fall to WPI…new options for student response!
Many faculty and students on campus have requested that WPI look into the possibility of using a virtual clicker system in the classroom. Virtual “clickers” allow students to use a mobile device (Smartphone, Cellphone, Laptop, Tablet, etc) to respond to questions posed by the instructor. The TTL team has completed a review of products that…Continue Reading Coming this fall to WPI…new options for student response!
Guiding Self and Peer Assessment – Two Technologies
Self and Peer writing assessments can be very powerful tools in the classroom. This type of an assignment can aid students in improving their editing and writing skills. Through Peer Assessment students learn to collaborate and provide constructive peer criticism. However implementing this type of review assignment in a classroom setting can be a rather…Continue Reading Guiding Self and Peer Assessment – Two Technologies
Moving Forward, Looking Back – Asking Adjunct Questions in Class
“It is one thing to find out, from asking a question, that the majority do not understand. It is quite another to then summon up one’s best elucidation of the point in question, ask another question, and find the majority still do not understand.” -Louis Abrahamson in Audience Response Systems in Higher Education: Applications and…Continue Reading Moving Forward, Looking Back – Asking Adjunct Questions in Class
Think clickers are just for your TV?
Think again! Personal Response Systems, often referred to as Classroom Performance Systems (CPS) or just ‘clickers,’ are becoming a common educational tool used in a myriad of classes. Students are given a small wireless polling device that bears a strong resemblance to a TV remote control. This polling device is used to submit responses to…Continue Reading Think clickers are just for your TV?