2. Kaplan Faculty are all specialists in their
fields
Most of us are not trained teachers
We are all working to better the program
As part of our Professional Development
program and to meet accreditation
standards, we must work to uniformly
assess the program and align our learning
objectives.
3. The reputation of our program is dependent
on our students entering the workplace with
the requisite knowledge and superior
performance standards.
Setting learning objectives will insure that
each graduate meets these standards.
Learning objectives must be set in the
following categories: declarative knowledge,
procedural knowledge and problem solving.
(Oosterhof, Conrad & Ely, 2008).
4. “Any knowledge that can be expressed
verbally, such as factual information and
explanations of principles, procedures and
trends” (Oosterhof et. al,2008, p.16).
Learning objectives for declarative knowledge
will include:
◦ Law terms and proper use of vocabulary
◦ Research sources and their hierarchy
◦ Civil and criminal procedural rules
◦ Understanding of judicial system in government
5. “Knowledge that involves doing something,
such as making discriminations,
understanding concepts, and applying rules
that govern relationships” (Oosterhof et.al,
2008, p.16).
Learning objectives for procedural knowledge
will include:
◦ Determining jurisdiction elements for a case
◦ Distinguishing between a subpoena and a summons
◦ Organizing documents for depositions
◦ Completing electronic filing of court documents
6. “Involved when one has a goal and has not
yet identified a means for reaching that goal;
requires use of existing declarative and
procedural knowledge” (Oosterhof et.al,
2008, p.16).
Learning objectives for problem solving will
include:
◦ Procedure for maintenance of privileged documents
in multidistrict litigation
◦ Organization of system to check potential client
conflicts
7. Learning objectives should logically flow from
the course curriculum.
In setting objectives, follow the tasks to be
learned in the order of the course.
Learning objectives should actively express
what a student will learn or be able to do by
the end of the course. For example “help
student to …”; “student will identify …”;
student will discover the …; “introduce
student to …” (Mihram, 2007).
8. Opportunity to assess student outcomes
through observation. An example of this
assessment would be having a student
participate in a mock trial.
Four components of Performance Objectives:
Type of capability – information,
discrimination, concept or rule
Behavior – learning outcome must be
observed by a specific behavior
Situation – context in which the behavior is
exhibited
Special Conditions –must be present to show
the objective from the learner’s behavior
(Oosterhof et.al,2008).
9. Use multiple measures of student
performance
Structure authentic assessments that are
based in real life
Assessments must be designed with the
question in mind –What do we want our
students to know and do at the end of the
course?
Assignments should have explicit, clear
directions and grading criteria (Palloff & Pratt,
2009).
10. Assessments must be constructed to align
with the outcomes of the course.
Assessments should meet the higher learning
levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy – application,
analysis, synthesis and evaluation.
By reviewing the different levels of learning,
instructors can create assessments that
“measure outcomes appropriate to the course
level” (Palloff & Pratt, 2009, p.23).
11. Formative assessments should be designed to
give a student a better understanding of the
standards required of them in a particular
discipline (Yorke, 2003).
In the legal studies curriculum, the formative
assessment must evaluate student performance
as it relates to an understanding of the applicable
rules and procedures.
For example, a multiple choice test that asks the
student to pick the best answer in light of
particular facts would assess understanding of
the rules.
12. Examine what a student has learned over a
longer period of time and review overall
application of the course.
Students examine a wide spectrum of rules and
concepts across several disciplines in light of
their own real life expectations.
Performance would be measured on how well
they apply the rules to the plan and their ability
to create a cohesive strategy.
A clear rubric for this assessment would be
essential for the student to gauge their
performance against that expected by the
instructor (Palloff & Pratt, 2009).
13. Allow the instructor to observe student skills in
action
Good at evaluating procedural knowledge
particularly application of rules and problem
solving
These assessments evaluate the learning process
not just the end product.
Scoring these assessments can be challenging
since a “holistic judgment” is made.
Rubrics are critical to guide students for the
overall task and expectation (Oosterhof et.al,
2008).
14. Students need to be empowered learners for
both learning and assessments.
Need to include activities with discussions,
collaborative activities and self-reflection
Peer review and evaluation will help students
develop good feedback skills.
Reflective journals can assist students in
evaluating their own performance over the
entire course. (Palloff & Pratt, 2009).
15. Online assessments go beyond standard test and
quizzes.
Instructors are encouraged to use additional methods
for student involvement and to measure learning that
require student reflection.
Instructors should provide opportunities to
demonstrate understanding through activities that
allow a student to apply a concept to situations. This
will assess a student’s abilities beyond rote
understanding.
Blogs, wikis and posts allow students to actively
participate with classmates and obtain instructor
feedback.
Reflective Journals and portfolios permit students to
self assess their program advancement (Palloff &
Pratt, 2009).
16. Assessments should strive at the course level
to measure the six levels of Bloom’s
Taxonomy.
Knowledge and comprehension can be
measured through traditional, objective
criteria. (formative assessments)
However, the remaining levels, application,
analysis, synthesis and evaluation will require
assessment through performance evaluation
criteria. (Palloff & Pratt, 2009).
17. Learner feedback can be utilized as peer review,
self-reflection, and assessment/instructor
feedback.
No matter how the student input is to be
incorporated, it needs to be closely regulated by
the instructor.
Peer review should follow a close rubric to be
sure that the responses are focused and useful.
Reflective Journals are helpful for self assessment
and are usually shared with the instructor.
Course and instructor evaluations are essential to
obtain information about particular assessments
and their usefulness to the student. (Palloff &
Pratt, 2009).
18. Student assessment should contain a
component for learner feedback.
These responses should be on a discussion
board so that the instructor can monitor
responses and intervene if necessary.
Instructor should set expectations for the
feedback:
◦ Responds to a question
◦ Reflects on what is being discussed
◦ Move the discussion in a new direction
◦ Ask a question or reflection for further thinking
(Palloff & Pratt, 2009).
19. Can be created to measure a single task or
complex-task performance
There must be a specific capability to be
assessed
Guidelines include:
◦ Describing the particular task
◦ Is the focus on the process or product
◦ Identify skills that will be verified
◦ Set clear instructions
(Oosterhof et. al,2008).
20. Challenges are present when the instructor cannot
observe student behavior.
Ambiguity in the assessment can be a major obstacle to
student success.
Clear directions and use of rubrics assist students in
meeting instructor expectations.
Increasing the number of observations of student work
will increase the opportunity to measure student
competencies.
Scoring plans will assist instructor in measuring more
complex summative and performance assessments.
Feedback also plays an important role in grading
student performance. Grading papers and tests require
more time from the instructor while a comment during
a discussion or experiment can be immediate. (Yorke,
2003).
21. Comparison with a Model – student work is
compared to a sample or model completed by
the instructor
Checklist - provides a listing of crieria that the
student must meet
Rating Scales – similar to a checklist but it
supplies a rating of how well the student
completed the task
Scoring Rubrics – supplies a range of how well
the student completed an activity but allows
several skills to be assessed at one time.
(Oosterhof et. al, 2008).
22. When assessments are complete the next
step is to determine if the assessment met
the learning objectives developed at the
beginning of the course.
Use multiple measures including all feedback
processes to review the assessments.
Check to see if the assessment practice is
reliable, valid and useful. (Palloff & Pratt,
2009).
23. We must continue to evaluate the tools for
assessment and whether they support the
curriculum. As an ongoing task we must review:
◦ Student surveys
◦ Alumni surveys
◦ Employer feedback and student job placement
◦ Professional standards
◦ Student performance on standardized tests
(Palloff & Pratt, 2009).
Then the process starts again!
24. Mihram, D. (2007). Assessment tools.
http://cet.usc.edu/resources/teaching_learning/docs/Assessment_Sept_
07_Final_.ppt
Oosterhof, A., Conrad, R., & Ely, D. (2007). Assessing learners online.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2009). Assessing the online learner. San Francisco,
CA: John Wiley and Sons.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy
Development. (2009). Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online
Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies,
Washington, D.C. http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-
based- practices/finalreport.pdf
Yorke, M. (2003). Formative assessment in higher education: Moves
towards theory and the enhancement of pedagogic practice. Higher
Education, 45(4), 477.