Education Commons^™

A Basic Investment In Mercy: Problematizing Assessment In The Basic Course, Kate Swartz

Basic Communication Course Annual

This essay addresses the assessment aspect of the Basic Course; namely, it problematizes our reliance as instructors on traditional grading schema that interfere with our students’ best interests. I address this problem with a mercy-centered approach that uses an ungrading assessment method. In doing so, I acknowledge potential issues with this approach as well as argue for its expanded use as a merciful, beneficial way to provide feedback.

Assessment ‘Responsabilities’ In The Basic Course: Evaluating Public Speaking Rubrics, Miranda N. Rouse

Basic Communication Course Annual

Procedures and practices that are ableist in the educational system have been long overlooked. Speakers having differing abilities than neurotypical or able-bodied individuals is often not something that is considered in basic course assessment tools. This is important to address because although there are institutional policies and procedures in place to help students with differing abilities, instructors of public speaking have the autonomy or power to determine how such accommodations will affect the speech grade determined by the assessment tool. Power relations are significantly complicated in educational settings when strict hierarchies are imposed, and when instructors abuse their authority, which …

Assessment Of Professional Counseling Dispositions: A Content Validity Analysis, Patrick R. Mullen, Jacob Joseph, Kaitlin Jones Hinchey, Morgan Walker, Jennifer Niles

Teaching and Supervision in Counseling

Counselor educators evaluate the professional counseling dispositions of trainees throughout their development within training programs. There have been few consistent articulations of professional dispositions as many programs and measures define them differently. In our study, we developed the Assessment of Professional Counseling Dispositions (APCD) and performed a content validity study of the measure. Our findings provide evidence for the content validity of the APCD. We discuss these findings, their implications, and future research using the measure.

Aha! Centering Student Voices To Better Understand An Instruction Program, Andrea Wilcox Brooks, Cathy Craig, Meredith Riney

Communications in Information Literacy

This article describes using aha moments as an assessment approach to gain a better understanding of student learning in relation to the six frames in the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Librarians asked students to share an aha moment following information literacy instruction sessions during the fall 2022 semester. Researchers coded responses to one of the six IL frames and found that student insights most often reflected learning aligned to the “Searching as Strategic Exploration” frame, though “Information Has Value” also had a strong presence. The results provided a holistic picture …

An Overview On The Validation Of The Critical Race Theory Measurement, Erica Campbell

Journal of Research Initiatives

The Critical Race Theory Measurement (CRTM) was developed to evaluate the understanding of the six major principles of CRT and the significance of race relating to the preparation of practitioners providing services to people of color. The objective of this study was to evaluate the scale's psychometric properties. The CRTM self-assessment instrument measures the six Critical Race Theory principles. It consists of 19 items assessing endemic racism, the social construction of race, differential racialization, convergence/determinism, racial narratives, and intersectionality. The validation of the CRTM was based on its administration to 175 social work and counseling practitioners. This paper discusses the …

Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (And What To Do Instead), Lori M. Costello

Journal of Applied Communications

Book review of Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead), edited by Susan D. Blum with a foreword by Alfie Kohn

An Analysis Of School Counselors Time Spent On Asca Aligned Activities, Jacob Olsen, Sejal Parikh Foxx, Claudia Flowers, Kaeleigh Hayakawa

Journal of Counseling Research and Practice

Multivariate regression analysis was used to examine variables that predict how school counselors spend their time on American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model aligned activities were examined using multivariate regression analysis. A sample of 4,598 school counselors participated in an online survey. The number of years licensed/certified, caseload size, school size, socioeconomic status of students, diversity of school, and secondary school level status significantly predicted how school counselors spend their time. Results provide an updated account of how school counselors spend their time and can inform professional development and strategies focused on improving time spent on ASCA aligned activities.

Assessment Of The Financial Performance Of Insurance Companies In Iraq, Maryam Muzahem Abbas, Feryal Salih Mahdi

Journal of STEPS for Humanities and Social Sciences

Insurance companies play an important role in providing services and supporting the state's economy, and they participate in achieving the goals of development plans in the economic field, in addition to realizing many social and economic benefits. Therefore, it has become important to continuously evaluate the performance of insurance companies' activity in Iraq to know the level of their performance. One of the most important of these assessments is financial analysis. It helps in analyzing and interpreting data in a way that helps management determine the level of performance and give an image and personality to it, so that strengths …

Securing The Right Skills: A Longitudinal Assessment Of College Students’ Writing And Public Speaking Self-Efficacy, T. Kody Frey, Jessalyn I. Vallade

Basic Communication Course Annual

This research investigated the developmental patterns of students’ writing and public-speaking self-efficacy throughout their experience in the basic communication course (BCC). Questions were posed regarding (a) whether students grew in their reported writing and public speaking self-efficacy over two semesters, (b) whether growth differed based on biological sex, and (c) whether affinity and apprehension (as sources of performance self-efficacy) played a role in student growth. Two multilevel models revealed significant differences in students’ initial status and rate of growth for each outcome. Specifically, sex, affinity, and apprehension influenced students’ starting positions in the course, while only apprehension had a significant …

Exploring How Student Athletes Balance Athletic, Academic, And Personal Needs Through Learned Needs Theory., Michael E. Rutledge Ii

Journal of Research Initiatives

The attempt to balance the requirements of athletic and academic demands prompts extensive research agendas from higher education and athletic stakeholders to examine how extrinsic and socio-environmental factors affect the desired outcomes of student athletes. Reputable motivation literature describes needs as the starting point of motivation and influences behaviors embedded within cultural and systematic structures. Thus, the purpose of this study is to understand how sport participation influences athletic and academic performance through Learned Needs Theory (LNT). This study provides insight to processes of motivation that contribute to knowledge, practical implications, and research that translates to research-based approaches to increase …

A Review Of The Ultimate School Counselor’S Guide To Assessment & Data Collection, Rawn Boulden, Brett Zyromski

Journal of School-Based Counseling Policy and Evaluation

Abstract

This review critiques Sandra (Sandi) Logan-McKibben and Jenna Marie Alvarez’s book: The Ultimate School Counselor’s Guide to Assessment & Data Collection, New York, NY: Springer, 168 pages, $45 (Softcover), ISBN: 9780826185532. We highlight the book’s potential for graduate student, counselor educator, and school counselor utility, and discuss potential limitations. Overall, this book helps fill a longstanding gap in the school counseling literature, providing readers clear and tangible tools and resources to augment one’s assessment and data collection efforts.

Metacognitive Awareness For Il Learning And Growth: The Development And Validation Of The Information Literacy Reflection Tool (Ilrt), Sara Robertson, Michele Burke, Kimberly Olson-Charles, Reed Mueller

Communications in Information Literacy

This article describes the development and validation of the Information Literacy Reflection Tool (ILRT), a metacognitive self-assessment for use with undergraduate researchers. It was developed as a teaching and learning tool with the intent to help students recognize and engage the metacognitive domain as a step toward developing personal agency and self-regulation as lifelong, metaliterate learners. Throughout the scale development, three studies were conducted with nine expert reviewers and 44 community college students to consider content and face validity and 542 community college students as part of an item-reduction and construct validation effort. The resulting scale is most appropriately construed …

Review: Implementing Excellence In Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion: A Handbook For Academic Libraries, Lalitha Nataraj

Communications in Information Literacy

Review of Lee, C., & Lym, B. (Eds.). (2022). Implementing excellence in diversity, equity, and inclusion: A handbook for academic libraries. Association of College and Research Libraries.

Assessing Media Literacy Competences: Reflections And Recommendations From A Quantitative Study, Sara Pereira, Pedro Moura

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The assessment of media literacy is a complex task, which might attempt to reconcile a research field traditionally developed within a critical paradigm with the task of evaluating and quantifying media literacy competences through essentially quantitative methods. Despite the lack of consensus regarding how to evaluate and measure media literacy, this goal is increasingly sought by political and regulatory stakeholders, as well as studied within the academic world. Based on one of such attempts, a study on the media literacy competences of 679 Portuguese teenagers, this paper presents a review and a reflection on the specific challenges posed by the …

Ungrading An Online Counseling Course, Leah K. Clarke

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

Ungrading, or alternative assessment, is an educational practice that is growing in use and can be effective in online counselor education. Alternative assessment aligns with social justice, competency-based, and community of learning educational philosophies. Assessment that is meaningful for teachers and learners can increase engagement, openness to feedback, and intrinsic motivation for counselors-in-training. A counselor educator describes how one online course was ungraded.

Instructional Resources To Assess Applied Projects As A Culminating Graduate Communication Student Experience, Michael G. Strawser, Bridget Rubenking, Kelsey Lunsford, Margaret Gravelyn

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This study reviews the traditional culminating graduate student experiences, theses, and comprehensive exams, as well as a newer, more professionally relevant option, applied research projects. We conceptualize applied projects as student-led, client-connected, hands-on, experiential projects that address a real-world communication problem or topic through the creation of relevant deliverables. We used Glassick et al.’s (1997) scholarship assessed model and the National Communication Association’s communication learning outcomes to determine perceived differences between culminating experiences. Survey results (N = 32) of recent alumni and current master’s level Communication students demonstrate near-equal ratings of applied projects and theses in their ability to both …

Introduction To The Special Section: Suicide Risk Assessment And Intervention In School Counselor Training, Lucy L. Purgason, Christian D. Chan, Bradley Mckibben

Teaching and Supervision in Counseling

This special section on school counselor preparation in assessing for crisis and suicide risk considers the impact of the perception of school counselor training and expertise related to suicide assessment and intervention. The collection of six articles focuses on considerations and best practices in assessing and intervening with PK-12 students experiencing suicidality, the unique considerations within a school setting, and corresponding implications for school counselor training.

Flexibility Is Key: Co-Creating A Rubric For Programmatic Instructional Assessment, Maya Hobscheid, Kristin Kerbavaz

Communications in Information Literacy

This paper describes a project undertaken at Grand Valley State University in which a co-creative model was used to develop a rubric for assessing student learning in library instruction. It outlines the design process as well as the training and support provided throughout implementation. It concludes with the authors’ reflections on the successes and challenges of the process and provides recommendations for future projects.

Building Librarians’ Research Skills Through Experiential Learning, Raeda K. Anderson, Katherine Fisher, Emily Williams, George Usmanov

Georgia Library Quarterly

Experiential learning programs are an effective method to teach data-focused research skills and statistical analysis. We examine the effects of a participatory research training program developed and executed by a data librarian and administered to library employees at a large academic library. The program aimed to improve research skills and increase research productivity. This study employs a survey within a concurrent mixed methods methodological framework to examine the outcomes of the training program. Our findings show that the program served as a low-cost, short-term, effective method of teaching data collection and quantitative analysis that increased participants’ knowledge of the research …

Evaluation Of The Educational Qualification Diploma Program In The Light Of National Academic Standards At Palestine Technical University, رندة العالم

Jerash for Research and Studies Journal مجلة جرش للبحوث والدراسات

This study aimed to evaluate the educational qualification diploma program in the light of the national academic standards at Palestine Technical University from the students' point of view. The study sample consists of all students enrolled and graduated from the program, who numbered (108), of whom (15) were enrolled in the program and (93) graduated from the program. The researcher followed the survey and descriptive approach. To achieve the goals of the study, the researcher prepared a questionnaire that consisted of 24 paragraphs. In light of the results of the study, the researcher recommends the following:

1. Urging the Ministry …

A Review Of Program Evaluation In School Counseling: Improving Comprehensive And Developmental Programs, Amanda D. Rumsey

Journal of School-Based Counseling Policy and Evaluation

This book review includes a detailed overview and discussion of Michael S. Trevisan and John C. Carey’s book: Program Evaluation in School Counseling: Improving Comprehensive and Developmental Programs, New York, NY: Routledge, 132 pages, $124.00 (hardcover), ISBN 9781138346574. The review includes strengths and potential issues regarding the text’s value and uses in graduate programs and school counseling practice. Overall, the book is a great resource and would be helpful knowledge for anyone working in the context of school counseling.

The Tasting Party Assessment: Can Educators Reliably Evaluate Preschoolers’ Willingness To Try New Foods In Group Settings?, Laura L. Bellows, Savannah Hobbs, Susan L. Johnson

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Food neophobia, defined as an unwillingness to consume novel and unfamiliar foods is common in young children. Assessment of neophobia or willingness to try new foods can be a challenge with this audience. With the increase in nutrition interventions focused on the young child, valid and reliable measures to assess willingness to try new foods that can be administered in groups by classroom teachers and Extension educators are needed. The Food Friends: Fun with New Foods (FWNF) program aims to increase children’s willingness to try new foods in childcare settings. The Tasting Party assessment was developed as the primary tool …

Evaluating The Trustworthiness Of Online Sources: Assessment For Students Of Universitas Indonesia, Yasmine Anabel Pandjaitan

International Review of Humanities Studies

In 2019’s presidential election in Indonesia, the Internet was flooded by unverified and contradicting claims, which only blurred the lines between fact, opinion, and straight-out hoax. This research investigates how an educated group (college students) evaluates online sources in the context of Indonesia’s political campaigns. An assessment was designed for the students to judge the credibility of five political news articles appearing online in April 2019, the election month. The framework used was inspired by similar assessments conducted by the Stanford History Education Group, researchers who study digital literacy among American students. For this research, fifty students from five faculties …

Thriving Instead Of Surviving: The Role Of The Reasoned Action Model In Assessing The Basic Course, Michael E. Burns, Kristen L. Farris, Mark Paz, Sean Dyhre

Basic Communication Course Annual

The current study investigates the use of the reasoned action model (Fishbein & Ajzen, 2010) as an assessment tool for the basic communication course. Specifically, this study examines how attitude towards behaviors, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control influence students’ behavioral intentions to use communication behaviors taught in the basic course outside of class. In addition to the stated variables in the reasoned action model, this study also examines how knowledge gain influences behavioral intention. Data was collected from 2,228 students enrolled in a basic communication course at a large southwestern university, and a random sample of 666 students was …

A 14-Year Empirical Analysis Of Undergraduates’ Pre- And Post-Test Scores In Three Introductory Communication Courses: Lessons Learned For Pedagogy And Assessment, Sherwyn P. Morreale, Pamela S. Shockley-Zalabak, Barbara Gaddis, Janice Thorpe M.A., Constance M. Staley, Erica Allgood

Basic Communication Course Annual

Conducting long-term assessment of the impact of students’ participation in introductory communication courses is an important endeavor for enhancing pedagogy and understanding the contribution of communication instruction to the student experience. This 14-year study reports data from a campus-wide assessment program extending from 2004 to 2018. The study analyzed a large sample of undergraduate students’ self-reported pre- and post-test scores on critical variables related to student outcomes in three introductory communication courses. The variables examined were demographic characteristics, self-esteem and communication apprehension in both the public speaking course and the business communication course, and self-esteem and willingness to communicate in …

The Impact Of Communication Center Visits On Students’ Performance And Engagement, Nate S. Brophy, Adebanke Loveth Adebayo, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study sought to empirically evaluate the extent to which visiting the communication center before delivering the first major speech in an introductory communication course improved students’ academic performance and engagement. A total of 262 students were included in this study, half of whom visited the communication center prior to their first speech, and half of whom did not. Between-subjects MANOVAs showed that students who visited the communication center had significantly higher speech grades, course grades, and attendance than students who did not. Likewise, those who visited the communication center also had higher levels of behavioral and cognitive engagement, but …

The Role Of Test Making In Learning Process, Dilbar Xasanova, Hugh Cartwright Cheonan Assistant Professor

The Light of Islam

Almost always with the word "test" a question comes to mind with four or fve possible answers. Students usually think of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) when they are told to get tested. Testing means testing students' knowledge using different types of question forms. The proposed article examines the academic performance test, which was developed by the administration of the Uzbekistan English Teachers Association (UZTEA) for Year 2 students of lyceums and colleges. The purpose of this study is to discuss test constructs and propose a more reliable version of them if the reason for the unsatisfactory results depends on the evaluation …

Making Methods Relevant: Undergraduate Research Methods And The Content Analysis Project, Kevin E. Courtright, David A. Mackey

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Innovative Pedagogy

Teachers of undergraduate research methods classes may struggle at times to keep their courses engaging and to have students view the material as relevant to the occupations they will soon enter. This article discusses a content analysis assignment and how it offers a way for students to demonstrate critical thinking and acquire data analysis skills. Through the use of multiple high-impact learning practices, the assignment requires students, individually or in a group, to identify data appropriate for content analysis and then, with faculty guidance, develop research questions, manage the data, conceptualize and operationalize themes, perform content analysis, draw conclusions from …

Measuring Numeracy: Validity And The Programme For The International Assessment Of Adult Competencies (Piaac), Samuel L. Tunstall

Numeracy

A tension raised in recent scholarship is that between numeracy as a social practice and numeracy as a functional skill set. Such frameworks for conceptualizing numeracy pose a challenge to assessment because what individuals do with numeracy is not the same as what individuals can do (or express) in an assessment setting. This study builds on work related to numeracy assessment through a validity examination of a portion of a well-known assessment: the OECD’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). In following a path set out by standards for assessment, I ask: What does the PIAAC numeracy …

Teaching Happiness: Developing And Assessing A Happiness Course, Charles Hammersley

Journal of Tourism Insights

Can “happiness” be taught? In the spring of 2015 the Northern Arizona University’s Parks and Recreation Management program introduced a new course, PRM 205 Happiness. A study of the fall 2015 PRM 205 Happiness courses (campus section and distance section) were conducted to determine if the PRM 205 Happiness course resulted in measurable changes in student “happiness” scores. Also, if there were any differences between campus and distance delivery modes and student “happiness” scores. A Pre-test / Post-test survey design using the Fordyce Emotions Questionnaire (Fordyce, 1988) was conducted on both a campus class (N=49) and a distance class (N=23). …