Presented by Jenny Frederick, Yale University
Based on materials developed by:
Jenny Knight, UC-Boulder
Michelle Withers, WVU, Clarissa Dirks, Evergreen State U.

Why do science instructors need assessment?
A. To find out what students have learned
B.
To find out what students haven’t learned
C. To find out what students are confused about
D. A-C are correct
E. Can she use that word in public?

Learning Outcomes
You will be able to . . .
• Distinguish between summative and formative assessment
• Use Bloom’s Taxonomy to evaluate assessments
• Use the principles of backward design to align learning outcomes with formative and summative assessments
• Demonstrate different possible uses of formative assessments

Think-Pair-Share
• How do you know when you know something?
• How do you know when your students know something?
• How do your students know when they know something?
Buzzword: Metacognition

Formative: in class or before end of a unit
(quiz, homework)
Summative: at the end of a unit or course
(exam, final project)

THE MONTILLATION AND USES OF TRAXOLINE
It is very important to learn about traxoline. Traxoline is a new form of zionter. It is montilled in
Ceristanna. The Ceristannians found that they could gristerlate large amounts of fervon and then bracter it to quasel traxoline.
This new, more efficient bracterillation process has the potential to make traxoline one of the most useful products within the molecular family of lukizes snezlaus.
QUIZ:
1. What is traxoline?
2. Where is it montilled?
3. How is traxoline quaseled?
4. Why is traxoline important?
• Exams communicate what instructor finds important
• If you test students on fact-based knowledge, that is what they will study!

Misconceptions exercise
If a camera crew making a documentary on student misconceptions questioned your students at the end of your course, what would you be most embarrassed to find out that they didn’t know?
(Shout out your ideas)
Some objectives may be content-independent!
(see Vision and Change)

Backward Design:
Outcomes drive assessment and instruction
What should students know or be able to do by the end of your course?
How will you know if they get there?
What will you do to get them there?
Learning goals Assessments Learning activities
Know your objective: Bloom’s taxonomy can help

Pick the answer that best describes your understanding of Bloom’s taxonomy:
A. I know it and use it in my teaching
B. I have heard of it before
C.
It’s not at all useful to me
D.
Bloom’s what?

HOCS
LOCS
Bloom’s Taxonomy, 1956
*H/LOCS = higher/lower order cognitive skills

LEVEL
Remembering: can the student recall or remember the information?
Understanding: can the student explain ideas or concepts?
Applying
: can the student distinguish between the different parts?
: can the student use the information in a new way?
Analyzing
Evaluating
Creating view?
: can the student justify a stand or decision?
: can the student create new product or point of
TERMS USED define, duplicate, list, memorize, recall, repeat, reproduce, state.
What does PCR stand for?
What enzyme is used in
PCR?
PCR EXAMPLE classify, describe, discuss, explain, identify, locate, recognize, report, select, translate, paraphrase choose, demonstrate, dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch, solve, use, write.
appraise, compare, contrast, criticize, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test.
appraise, argue, defend, judge, select, support, value, evaluate assemble, construct, create, design, develop, formulate, write.
Draw out one cycle of PCR.
Given this genetic sequence, design primers for your PCR.
Given these starting conditions and these results, explain what happened.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of reverse transcriptase PCR for quantifying gene expression levels.
Design a PCR method for adding a tag to your target gene.

• At what Bloom’s level do you expect your students to perform?
• Do your exams demonstrate higher order cognitive skills?
• What do authentic scientists practice?
Refer to Bloom’s handout when designing assessments

Learning or
Course Goal
What will students learn?
Alignment: example (handout)
Outcome or
Objective
(content + behavior)
Summative
Assessment
(exam question)
Formative Assessment
(in class activity)
If they have learned it, what will students know and be able to do?
How will students demonstrate they know it or are able to do it?
What will students do to learn it?
Students will understand the transfer of information from DNA to proteins
Students will be able to predict changes in amino acid sequences caused by mutations
Students will predict the new amino acid sequence that results from a mutation in a given gene sequence
Students are given sequence of DNA and corresponding amino acid sequence. Students identify reading frame and predict amino acid changes due to mutations in that sequence

Backward design in action
Each group will choose1 learning objective
(samples provided)
As a group:
1. Come up with an activity your students could do (formative assessment) to help them achieve this objective
2. Write an exam question for this objective
(summative assessment)
3. Determine the Bloom’s level of the exam question

Black and Wiliam, 1998

Formative assessments help students…
• Confront misconceptions
• Figure out what they know & don’t know
(metacognition!)
• Construct new knowledge
• …and instructors gauge progress in learning

Pick the answer that best describes your understanding of Bloom’s taxonomy:
A. I know it and ways to use it in my teaching
B. I have heard of it before
C.
It’s not at all useful to me
D.
Bloom’s what?

Recap: Learning Outcomes
You are now able to . . .
• Distinguish between summative and formative assessment
• Use Bloom’s Taxonomy to evaluate assessments
• Use the principles of backward design to align learning outcomes with formative and summative assessments
• Demonstrate the different possible uses of formative assessments

What % of higher order Bloom’s level questions would you expect to find on an typical intro bio exam?
A. 0-20
B. 21-40
C. 41-60
D. 61-80
E. 81-100

Zheng et al., 2008 Science VOL 319

(Example method: clicker)

As the acorn grows into the tree, from where does the majority of the biomass come?
A. Air
B. Soil
C. Water
D. Sun
What do you do if students get this wrong?

Example method: Group Brainstorm

Genetic diseases, like Phenlyketonuria (PKU), confirm that there is a link between an individual’s DNA and that individual’s proteins.
Below is a DNA molecule and the amino acid sequence that would result from translating the DNA sequence.
3’CGTTTTACCAAACCGAGTACTGAG
5’GCAAAATGGTTTGGCTCATGACTC
TRP-PHE-GLY-SER
Which nucleotides are responsible for this particular sequence of amino acids?
As a group, write down what you know about DNA and proteins on one side of the white board.
On the other side, write what else you need to know to be able to answer this question.

Example method:
Group work followed by report-out

Based on your understanding of natural selection and traits that vary along a continuum,
1. Explain the changes that occurred in the tree and dinosaur populations over time.
2. Create a graph of the offspring’s height vs mother’s height of the original population, and the next three generations.
These represent the average for an entire population
What level Bloom’s is this question?
a. Higher order b. Lower order c. In between d. I need a coffee break
(AAAS 1999)

Example methods: clicker with peer discussion and revote problem solving with group participation

Clicker example dominant recessive
Initial
Imagine that earlobe attachment is dictated by a single gene (a simplification), yielding two traits: unattached and attached.
Unattached earlobes are due to the dominant allele (top picture)
Attached earlobes are due to the recessive allele (bottom picture)
After discussion
From this information, you can conclude: a. Attached earlobes are seen less frequently than unattached earlobes in a population b. Attached earlobes are seen more frequently than unattached earlobes in a population c. Either phenotype could be seen more frequently in a population: you need more information

Brainstorming/group work example
(For this exercise, pretend you are a student who is just learning about natural selection)
• Work with your group to modify the
100-meter dash such that it would become an example of natural selection.
I’ll write your ideas on the flip chart when you’re ready
Which are actual examples of natural selection, and why?

Reading assessment:
Scientific Teaching, Chapter 3

Tools to EnGauge Students:
Group Exercise
Pick one misconception for your group
1. Design a formative assessment to gauge student understanding of it
2. Write an exam question that will evaluate
Feel free to use Bloom’s handout

We can do better!
Set meaningful learning objectives
Design aligned assessments
Execute fabulous (and aligned) active learning formative assessments