Electronic Portfolios and the Authentic Assessment of Economics Majors Steven C. Myers The University of Akron [email protected] myers

Electronic Portfolios and theAuthentic Assessment of Economics

Majors

Steven C. MyersThe University of Akron

[email protected] http://GoZips.UAkron.edu/~myers

Presented to the Robert Morris Conference on Teaching Economics: Instruction and Classroom Based Research

February 18, 2005

February 18, 2005Electronic Portfolios and Assessment

GoZips.uakron.edu/~myers

Robert Morris Univ.Teaching Economics Conference

Electronic Portfolios and theAuthentic Assessment of Economics

Majors

By the end of this presentation you will Be able to define an electronic portfolio define and explain authentic assessment Compare and contrast authentic and traditional assessment Know how to set up an authentic assessment Know that portfolios are authentic Learn four questions to guide your assessment stategy Understand how the Economics department at The

University of Akron is beginning its assessment strategy See an example of a student portfolio




An Electronic Portfolio is defined as

A collection of authentic and diverse evidence, Drawn from a larger archive representing what

a person or organization has learned over time On which the person or organization has

reflected, and Designed for presentation to one or more

audiences for a particular rhetorical purpose

Definition of the National Learning Infrastructure Initiative (NLII) cited by Barbara L. Cambridge, American Association for Higher Education (AAHE), “Economic Portfolios: Why Now?” on Educause Live, Feb 11, 2004.




What is Authentic Assessment?

Reference:Authentic Assessment Toolboxhttp://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox

Jon MuellerProfessor of PsychologyNorth Central CollegeNaperville, IL





A form of assessment using real world tasks application of essential knowledge and skills problems likely to be found after formal

education is completed demonstrations of mastery of competencies

Borrowed heavily from Jon Mueller




What is Traditional Assessment?

“the curriculum drives assessment”

The body of knowledge is determined first. That knowledge becomes the curriculum that

is delivered. The assessments are developed and

administered to determine if acquisition of the curriculum occurred.






“the assessment drives the curriculum”

First determine the tasks that students will need to perform to demonstrate their mastery

Then develop the curriculum that will allow that performance

And designed so that the acquisition of essential knowledge and skills must occur.





Attributes of Traditional Assessment vs Authentic Assessment

1. Selecting a response

2. Contrived 3. Recall /

Recognition4. Teacher-

structured5. Indirect evidence

1. Performing a task

2. Real-life3. Construction /

Application4. Student-

structured5. Direct EvidenceQuoted from Jon Mueller




Why Use?Authentic Assessments …

Are direct measures Capture the constructive nature of learning Integrate teaching, learning and assessment Provide multiple paths to demonstration





How do you create Authentic Assessments?

1. Set standards or proficiencies

2. Design authentic tasks

3. Look for achievement of criteria

4. Discriminate performance based on a rubric

--Jon Mueller




How do you create Authentic Assessments? 4 questions!

1. Set standards or proficiencies“What should students be able to do?”

2. Design authentic tasks“What indicates students have met these standards?”

3. Look for achievement of criteria“What does good performance on this task look like?”

4. Discriminate performance based on a rubric“How well did the students perform?”

--Jon Mueller




Are Portfolios Authentic? Considers process and development of skills Not just test scores Focuses on meaningful collection of student

performance Includes meaningful student reflection Includes evaluation of that work.

--Jon Mueller




Walstad suggests student portfolios in assessment of the economic major…

“Assessing the economics major is a more difficult challenge than assessing student performance in a particular economics course.

“Assessment using student portfolios offer a solution for evaluating whether a student has the attributes or proficiencies of an economic major.

“Those students with difficulties would be given time to prepare new items or revise previous work. The process of portfolio assessment … merits further exploration.”

William B. Walstad, “Improving Assessment in University Economics,” Journal of Economic Education, Summer 2001.




Bill McKeachie suggests… portfolios “…demonstrate the progress that

has been made, … the student’s best work, or better yet, the student’s descriptions of how the work helped his or her development” (p. 92).

He often finds evidence of learning he would have otherwise missed, but warns that “unless you provide instruction on how to construct a portfolio and describe the criteria you will use in evaluating it, assessing reliably will be difficult” (p. 94).

Bill McKeachie. McKeachie's Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers. 11th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002.




OK, with that motivation, lets address Assessment of the Economic Major…

1. What learning outcomes, standards or proficiencies do we care about?

2. How aligned are our processes to these outcomes?

3. How committed are we to continuous improvement?

4. How can we integrate undergraduate learning across the various major and allied courses ?

ZippyZippy




(1) What Learning Outcomes Do We Care About? The Hansen proficiencies…

“Completing the major, even with … grades that may suggest … mastery, does not mean that graduates are effectively equipped to use their knowledge and skills, … nor be good value to prospective employers, society and themselves.”

“… the economic profession gives too little attention to what we expect majors to do with their knowledge after they graduate.”

W. Lee Hansen. “Expected Proficiencies for Undergraduate Economics Majors,’ Journal of Economic Education, Summer 2001





“the proficiencies approach focuses on what graduating majors can do with the knowledge and skills they acquire in the major.”

“The question we face is how to best move towards a proficiencies approach to economics teaching and learning.”






… via the undergraduate curriculum: 1. Access to existing knowledge.2. Display command of existing knowledge.3. Interpret existing knowledge.4. Interpret and manipulate economic data.5. Apply existing knowledge.… via a Senior Project6. Create new knowledge.





(1) What Learning Outcomes Do We Care About? (an example for comparison)

Six Principles of Undergraduate Learning1. Core communication and quantitative skills2. Critical thinking skills3. Intellectual depth, breadth, and adaptation4. Integration and application of knowledge5. Understanding society and culture6. Values and ethics

ePort project of IUPUI




(2) How aligned are our processes to the Learning Outcomes?

Review the curriculum.1. What kind of

students are we producing?

2. How do we currently meet the Learning Outcomes in our present courses?

3. How can we insure that the current courses produce the desired learning outcomes?

What’s missing at UAkron? A Computer Skills for Economic

Analysis course. Doing economics Scaffolding computer skills Creating an electronic portfolio

A Capstone Course Senior project that creates new

knowledge. Perfecting the electronic

portfolio




2000 Curriculum revision

Electronic PortfolioCourse

Capstone Course




(2) How aligned…Why a course to scaffold computer skills?

1. Students can not adequately function in class or in the job market without good computer skills.

2. Students have different initial endowments of computer skills.

3. Too much class time wasted in upper division classes on computer skill scaffolding.

4. Professors will not require or expect a skill if they do not have the time to provide the scaffolding needed.

5. Professors may try and students get frustrated and the professor gets disappointed.

6. Too much opportunity for learning is missed without the requisite skill being assumed.




(2) How aligned…Why electronic portfolios?

1. Students learn to build and update a website.2. Students learn the value of appearance and

presentation of their work.3. All submissions to the portfolio is instantly

available to all faculty in the department including their advisor.

4. Students may choose to place their portfolio on the world wide web (but not required).

5. Students may represent themselves to potential employers by offering a web address or providing a CD.

6. The department requires the portfolio for graduation.




(3) How committed are we to continuous improvement? The faculty needs to know

whether students are achieving the Hansen proficiencies. At least one artifact per proficiency

required A written reflection on the artifact is

included An assessment of the artifact and

how it meets the Learning Outcome. Students demonstrate growth by the

progression of artifacts and reflections included in the portfolio.




(3) How committed are we to continuous improvement? The portfolio allows for both formative assessment

and summative assessment of competencies learned.

Begins as a course portfolio for assessment by the instructor.

The portfolio allows for formative and summative assessment of the major through graduation.

Becomes a comprehensive portfolio for assessment by the advisors and other faculty.

The portfolio allows for summative assessment of the curriculum in the department of economics.

Emerges as a professional portfolio to show employers.

Becomes an artifact in the department’s portfolio of portfolios for assessment by the faculty.

Provides authentic assessment and evidence for accreditation visits.




(3) How committed are we to continuous improvement?

PortfolioEvaluationForm




(3) How committed are we to continuous improvement?

Comprehensive Assessment (formative and summative) includes:

CATs (Classroom Assessment Techniques) During class, often applied

Graded Assignments (summative and mastery) SETs or Assessment of Learning

Midterm assessment End of course (college requirement)

Electronic Portfolios Once a semester

Exit Interview and Alumni Surveys At graduation and periodic intervals




Not on the web

On the web



















(4) How can we integrate undergraduate learning across the various major and allied courses?

Electronic Portfolios Heightens students’ perspective that

courses are indeed related across the curriculum.

Are available to all faculty who can look up students past work in relevant courses.

Other students can learn from prior students’ experiences.




(4) How can we integrate undergraduate learning across the various major and allied courses?

The Senior Project Culminates a theory track and a

quantitative track of study. Integrates by definition much of what

has been experienced before. Is the opportunity for the student to

“create new knowledge” (Hansen’s 6th) Becomes linked in the portfolio.




Reviews of Electronic Portfoliosfrom Syllabus, NLII, Educause, AAHE, …

Batson, Trent. “The Electronic Portfolio Boom: What’s It All About?” Syllabus, December 2002.

NLII. “Electronic Portfolios -NLII 2002-2003 Key Theme, National Learning Infrastructure Initiative” (website) at http://www.educause.edu/nlii/keythemes/eportfolios.asp, cited March 2004.

Barrett, Helen. “Using Technology to Support Alternative Assessment and Electronic Portfolios,” (website) http://www.helenbarrett.com/portfolios.html, cited March 2004.

Cambridge, Barbara L. Electronic Portfolios: Emerging Practices for Students, Faculty and Institutions, American Association for Higher Education (AAHE), 2001, 204 pp. (http://webcenter1.aahe.org/electronicportfolios)

Ittelson, John C. “Building an E-dentity for Each Student,” Educause Quarterly, Number 4, 2001.

Documents

Electronic Portfolios and the Authentic Assessment of Economics Majors Steven C. Myers The University of Akron [email protected] myers