96 AEFIS Integration with Canvas with Laura Grossenbacher – 02.01.2018

At the February 1, 2018 Active Teaching Exchange, Laura Grossenbacher discussed her experiences assessing student outcomes and the challenges and potential of integrating AEFIS with Canvas rubrics to do so. View her presentation slides here, and check out the Exchange Notes here.

Takeaways:

• Assessment is about fairness — is one section easier or harder than another? Program assessment helps everyone be on the same page.
• Direct assessment (vs indirect) provides metrics that can span across courses.
• Each outcome has Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that show evidence of how well students in courses meet expectations.
• KPIs should be specific in student-facing rubrics so that all parties can see what their outcomes are and what the KPIs are.
• Automating outcomes assessment requires that instructors grade online or transfer grades to an online format. Canvas SpeedGrader makes this easy.
• Video feedback for students can help soften constructive criticism.
• Just because something doesn’t work out of the gate, doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea. Give it time to develop and mature.
• AEFIS is adjusting itself according to our needs
• The “Official Syllabus” tool added to Canvas guides instructors through the steps required by the UW for HLC accreditation (and isn’t as complicated as it looks).
• One pitfall to avoid is assessing what’s easiest to measure instead of what we should assess (which may be more difficult to quantify).
• Starting anywhere is better than not starting at all; people/departments who might not have highly developed program and course outcomes shouldn’t fear the mistakes that naturally occur during the growth cycle.

Examine the student assessment process more closely by visiting the Student Learning Assessment website and browsing the Provost’s Annual Assessment Report worksheet.

Active Teaching Labs are held Fridays from 8:30-9:45am in room 120, Middleton Building (1305 Linden Dr.) as well as some Wednesdays from 12:30-1:30pm in room 302 Middleton Building. Check out upcoming Labs or read the recaps from past Labs.

Similar to the Active Teaching Labs, Active Teaching Exchanges feature instructors sharing their teaching experiences with tools and techniques, but provide more time for discussion without the hands-on investigation time. Exchanges are are held Thursdays from 1-2pm in room 120, Middleton Building. See the full calendar of both events. Stay informed about upcoming Labs and Exchanges by signing up for regular announcements by sending an email to join-activeteaching@lists.wisc.edu.