Constructivism

Assessment Literacies?!

As part of the Alternative Assessment Institute 2022, Andrew G. D. Holmes and Dom Henri from the University of Hull, UK spoke about “Assessment Literacies/University Literacies.” This twenty-five-minute session started with the presenters describing the challenges of reducing the “hidden curriculum:” “tacit and unwritten ‘taken-for-granted’ aspects of the curriculum that some students know and some […]
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Grading Options

Today I watched the 2022 Keynote Speaker for the Alternative Assessment Institute, David Buck. Their title was “Ungrading: A Road to Equity.” They mentioned that “ungrading is a pedagogical mindset (philosophy) that de-centers the control-based function of grades to create space for learning that’s divorced from stress. The learning process is centered, students display agency, […]
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Practical News Storytelling

Catriona Forrest from the University of Glasgow, UK presented at the Alternative Assessment Institute 2022 on “Practical News Stories.” This course and assignments have developed over time. This masters of sociology course teaches research methods and practical journalism skills. The MSc Media, Communications and International Journalism Program has four core courses. They use a rubric […]
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Self-Assessment to Encourage Exploration of the Information Landscape

Marta Samokishyn and Victoria Tsonos from Saint Paul University presented at the Alternative Assessment Institute 2022 on Incorporating Alternative Assessment Methods. Saint Paul University is in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The presenters started by explaining that Saint Paul is a small bilingual Catholic university that offers all programs in English and French. The university has ~1,300 […]
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Asynchronous Alternative Assessments and Language

My good friend, co-facilitator, and blogger, Melanie Lenahan, shared the playlist from the Alternative Assessment Institute 2022. Yay! I now have 15 sessions + 1 keynote to watch. I started with Nadia Jaramillo‘s presentation entitled “Alternative Assessment in Asynchronous Courses.” Jaramillo is an instructional designer and was an instructor. They provided definitions and examples to […]
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Self-regulated Learning and Remote Instruction

Aaron Esparza and Jeff Olimpo examined how remote instruction during the pandemic influenced learning strategies of students. Their ASMCUE 2022 recorded poster session was entitled “COVID-19 Remote Instruction Prepares STEM Students for the Return to Face-to-Face Learning.” Esparza mentioned that they sought to challenge the deficit focused comments of remote instruction. They described how self-regulated […]
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Impact of Personal Medical Experiences on Engagement and Motivation in Science Courses

Porter Bischoff is an undergraduate student who spent months in the hospital as a child. They worked with Anette Lewis, Dr. Joshua Premo, and Dr. Brittney N. Wyatt on this educational study funded by NSF. They presented their work at ASMCUE 2022 as a recorded poster session entitled “Medical Experiences’ Influence on Science Motivation.” Bischoff […]
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A Hybrid Conjugation Lab

Tonight I watched the recording for the ASMCUE 2022 poster session “Hybrid Inquiry Based Lab Highlights Scientific Method Using Bacterial Conjugation as a Model.” Eileen M. Hotze from the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, was the presenter. Hotze spoke about the need for inquiry-based labs (IBL) and the […]
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The Parasitic Perspective

It was a good Thanksgiving! The kids ate and had fun… and are now asleep. Tonight I continued watching ASMCUE 2022 poster sessions. I watched the recording for the poster entitled “Student Driven Artistic Assignments for Complex Microbiology Processes.” Ryan Kenton is an Associate Professor at the University of Portland. Kenton believes that both science […]
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A Careful Assessment of a Lego Complement Activity

I started watching poster presentations from ASMCUE 2022. The first one with a video recording was entitled “Piecing Complement Together with LEGO bricks: Impacts on Interest, Confidence, and Learning in the Immunology Classroom,” presented by Joshua Baty, Suzanne Bohlson, Mallary Greenlee-Wacker, and Heather Bruns. Their research question was: does use of a 3D model help […]
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