Creating Effective Outlines and
Assessments
Dr. Maureen Reed, Director, LTO
New Faculty Orientation
August 23, 2011
Outlines at Ryerson must contain
(see Policy 145 for more detail):
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Course name, course number, semester and year
Prerequisites and exclusions
Professors name, contact information, office hours
Method of posting grades
Use of email instruction for faculty communication
Course calendar description
Course objectives and focus
Topics and schedule of topics
Type of teaching methods
Outside class activities, if any
Requirements for submission of work
Plagiarism detection tools used (Academic Integrity Office has a proper
statement)- deadlines for choosing not to be included in use of these tools
• Field placement and technology requirements
• Policy on use of electronic equipment in class
• Policy on missed work
Good course outlines consider
instructional design
The goals/objectives of the course are explicitly stated
Learning objectives
• To become familiar with the basic terms, concepts, principles, and
techniques of research methods and statistics
• To appreciate the relations between the hypotheses being tested
(question asked) and the most appropriate statistical test to use
• To become proficient in using SPSS software to conduct various
forms of basic data analysis
• To feel equipped by term’s end to apply the knowledge and skills
gained to better understanding the statistical methods and results
in published literature and to conduct one’s own analyses
• To understand how to interpret the results from these analyses
• All components of the course should consider
the objectives
• This includes the course content, assessments,
activities, feedback to students
• Outlines in different fields are slightly different
(you will have a chance to view some from
different fields)
Alignment
What are the desired learning outcomes?
Alignment
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Design assignments and exams to align with
your desired course outcomes
Clear expectations
Engage students with material
Encourage academic integrity
Fair and consistent grading
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Effective Assessments
Bloom’s Taxonomy:
• Synthesis (integrate learning from different
areas or solve problems by creative thinking):
"How would you restructure the school day to
reflect children's developmental needs?"
• Evaluation (judging and assessing): "Why is
Bach's Mass in B Minor acknowledged as a
classic?"
Information Literacy
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An information literate student is able to:
Determine the extent of information needed
Access the information effectively and efficiently
Evaluate information and its sources critically
Use information effectively to accomplish a
specific purpose
Understand the economic, legal and social issues
surrounding the use of information, and access
and use information ethically and legally
Information Literacy
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Information literacy-based assessments:
Encourage self-directed learning and critical
thinking
Favor analysis and interpretation over rotelearning
Require research and evaluation on a variety
of resources
Provide concrete feedback on progress
Effective Assessments
Information Literacy
• Follow a research trend.
• Select a present day issue or concern and then
search the past literature at five or ten year
intervals.
• Discuss how theories or attitudes have
endured or changed.
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Avoid cheating and plagiarism:
Make assignments unique and personal
Vary assignments and rotate tests
Request rough drafts or assign work in steps
Be specific about grading criteria
For more information, visit:
http://www.ryerson.ca/academicintegrity/
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Make assignments as specific as possible:
Use more obscure material
Pose a more focused question
Require application rather than explanation
Consider a tight comparison
Use a “touchstone” assignment
Effective Assessments
Academic Integrity
• Ask a question that requires application, rather
than explanation.
• Rather than: Explain the basic functions of the
vascular, skeletal, muscular and nervous systems
• Try: A cat jumps off the end of a table onto the
floor. Describe how its vascular, muscular, skeletal
and nervous systems contribute to this action.
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Break down assignments
Gives students time to ask questions
Encourage a simple, direct style
Emphasize ‘process’ rather than ‘product’
Incorporate low-stakes writing assignments
Provide models
Use explicit rubrics
http://www.ryerson.ca/studentservices/els/
Effective Assessments
EAL Learners
• Use familiar, high frequency words, rather
than low frequency, academic or idiomatic
language
• Rather than: “Mitotic cell division is initiated
in the ______.”
• Try: “Mitotic cell division begins in the
______.”
Accessibility
Universal Instructional Design creates barrier
free assignments that benefit all students.
• Present information in small chunks
separated by headers
• Put key tasks and dates in bold
• Use a large, clear font
• List assignment goals and evaluation criteria
• Provide access to instructions and
supplemental material in multiple formats.
Effective Assessments
Accessibility
• Provide examples
• Show different approaches to the assignment
• Get permission to share examples of previous
students’ work
• Post samples in an accessible electronic
format on Blackboard or class website