Assessment

Blog Post | January 2008

“Are you teaching today or are the students just doing a lab or taking a test?” I used to dread this question from a former principal when he wanted to observe a class. He was implying that the only classroom activity…

Coupling Scientific Journalism and Poster Sessions as Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Tools in the Nonmajors Science Classroom

Journal Article | June 2008

Scientific journalism, by definition, is writing concise, scientifically accurate, and engaging articles for nonexpert or lay audiences. When coupled with in-class poster sessions, it is a powerful and efficient…

Research and Teaching: Assessing and Refining Group Take-Home Exams as Authentic, Effective Learning Experiences

Journal Article | April 2015

The learning goals of a lower division honors course, Science as a Way of Knowing, include critical thinking, scientific literacy, quantitative reasoning, communication, and teamwork. To help students develop skills and…

Research and Teaching: Aligning Assessment to Instruction: Collaborative Group Testing in Large-Enrollment Science Classes

Journal Article | June 2015

The authors describe a collaborative group-testing strategy implemented and studied in undergraduate science classes. This project investigated how the assessment strategy relates to student performance and perceptions…

Development of an Instrument to Assess Student Knowledge Necessary to Critically Evaluate Scientific Claims in the Popular Media

Journal Article | April 2014

There are few instruments available that science educators can use to assess whether students can apply what they know about scientific practices to critique scientific media reports. In response to the need for valid,…

Science Sampler: Eratosthenes visits middle school—Assessing the ability of students to work with models of the Earth

Journal Article | March 2009

In the exciting, “out of this world” activity described here, students measure the Earth using meter sticks while measuring their shadows in two distant locations. To obtain the size of the Earth, students discover the…

Research and Teaching: The Effectiveness of Portfolio Assessments in Science—Integrating an Alternative, Holistic Approach to Learning into the Classroom

Journal Article | February 1997

One of the most interesting and controversial debates in science education today involves testing and grading strategies. This article describes the results on the effectiveness of using student-created portfolios for…