Final Project

The end of the course has arrived, and with it, I have concluded with my final course project, a toolbox including four assessment tools matched with course objectives for my REA0007 redesign process.

It was hard work, but I love the idea of having tools outside of my LMS to utilize as assessment items for the course. 

Assessment Toolbox  

Pre-Course Survey

This week, we worked on a creating a pre-course survey to better know and assist our learners.  I modified an already existing survey a bit, and I find I still want to add more to my survey, but I do not wish to overwhelm my students. Therefore, I will continue to consider how to get what I really need to know to serve them and to help me understand their needs....along with helping me know how to communicate with them about items they may need to help them get started with the course.

Access my Pre-Course Survey here. 

Taxonomy Table

This week, we considered Bloom's Taxonomy and created a table for some of our planned learning objectives and activities.   I await feedback from both instructor and more of my peers.  I feel good about the table right now...but always room to grow and improve. 

Bloom categories/Revised Taxonomy	Learning objective verbs	Activity
Knowledge /Remembering (recall, list, define, identify, collect, label)	Identify Recall Label	Students will be presented with a graphic of the SQ3R process; students will recall the components in order to identify and then label the components.
Comprehension/Understanding (summarize, describe interpret, predict, discuss)	Summarize Discuss Describe	Students will participate in a discussion forum where they will adequately discuss, describe, and summarize the SQ3R reading process.
Application/Applying (apply, demonstrate, illustrate, classify, experiment, discover)	Apply Demonstrate	Students will apply and demonstrate understanding of SQ3R concepts to a reading passage activity (pre-made form to complete as they read a passage.)
Analysis/Analyzing (analyze, classify, connect, explain, infer)
Evaluation/Evaluating (assess, recommend, convince, compare, conclude, summarize)
Synthesis/Creating (combine, integrate, plan, create, design, formulate)	Design Create	After completing reading and other activities, students will design and create an illustrative concept map showing their understanding of the SQ3R reading process

Assessment Toolbox

This week, my team, Team Oscar the Grouch, made our initial Assessment Toolbox.  It was a great way to conduct some research and learn about online tools.  I was able to choose a tool I have used, like to use, and want to get back to using in my classes, especially my online classes.  My teammates also conducted some nice research that allowed me to gain further understanding of tools I have not used before....as did the entire class in small teams.  It was a great assignment in terms of viewing many mini-research projects presented by various team members.  

Our team chose to present our toolbox in Weebly.  
Team Oscar the Grouch Assessment Toolbox  

Concept Mapping

This week, we worked on concept mapping in order to consider a module objectives and activities and assessments associated with the module.  Since I am in redesign, and some of this content overlapped from the ID course, I mapped out objectives from an already existing module for my redesign process of a course that is running for the very first time this term.  This map includes some, but not all, of the objectives associated with this module.  It is something that made me focus on the assessments tied to the activities, and this may change in the future.  This is a draft of the map. I wait for feedback.

Click on the image to enlarge.
 

I had feedback, and I attempted to revise....I wait again for more feedback....

Click on the image to enlarge.

 

Teacher Centered and Learner Centered Assessment Inventory

During Week Two, we were asked to take a short interactive inventory to learn about assessment approach as either teacher-centered or learner-centered. The activity was quick and fun, and it helped me to consider my own approach and think about how my departmental assessments either fit into this approach or not and how I make them work for me and my students. 

Let's Go to the Movies!

During Week One, the class engaged in an icebreaker to get to know each other. The following response came from the discussion: "In a couple of paragraphs, one for a summary and another for your personal involvement, tell about your movie and explain why it's special to you."

Hi, All,
I love movies!  My sister worked in a movie theatre as a projectionist, and I used to preview many movies with her after hours....I miss those days! 
One of my go-to movies is Grease.   If you have not seen the movie, it is a tale of love set in the fifties with John Travolta playing "Danny" and Olivia Newton John playing "Sandy", who had a summer romance and then find each other again at the same high school...he is too cool for love, and she is a good girl.  By the end (with all kinds of fun events in the middle), they change for each other.  It is a musical, so prepare yourself!  I just love the high-school setting, and it makes me think of my own high school years!  Mine were a bit different from Rydell High, but fun nonetheless.  Watching the movie always brings me back to more carefree days when my sisters and I would watch the movie together....I still turn up the radio if I hear songs from the soundtrack, and I will always sit down and watch if it comes on the T.V.
I live in FL, but I came from NY.  I am married with two children, a one year old girl, Mary, and three year boy, Nathaniel.  They are my everything, and my life basically revolves around them now....I work full-time as a faculty member at Indian River State College, and I teach college-prep reading.
Nice to "meet" you all.
Good luck!
PS- I am also an 80's movie fan!  Love 'em!
Christin in FL