April 16, 2020

This message is distributed to All-Instructors, and SBADM-L.  (Click here to view description of distribution groups.)  

The following is being sent on behalf of the Instructional Support Team 
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Greetings from the Instructional Support Team! 

As midterms approach, today’s message focuses on assessments.

If you plan to use the GauchoSpace Quiz activity for assessment we recommend that a wide “open and close window” is in place to accommodate students in different timezones and variability of student internet and computer access. Within the “open and close window” you can set a time limit for a student’s attempt at the quiz. We also recommend using a large question bank and setting the quiz to pull questions at random from the question bank. Information on using the question bank can be found here.

For DSP time accommodations, overrides can be placed on the quiz. Instructions on setting these overrides can be found here.

(Re)Thinking about Assessments
It might be useful to re-think your assessment practices in the remote teaching environment. GGSE faculty member Jason Duque provides a useful revelation: 

“In education we talk all the time about ‘assessments drive instruction’, and what became clear [from my online course] is that assessment drives attention. That is, assessment drives students’ attention… [My quizzes] are an instructional tool, not just an assessment tool.” - audio interview with Jason Duque, GGSE

In any assessment instructors want to see that students are: 1) learning what they need to; and 2) can apply that learning in meaningful ways. Many faculty are modifying their assessment practices so that they ensure that students are demonstrating their learning through applications of concepts through regular quizzes or assignments rather than high-stakes exams.

Quizzes can consist of a randomized subset of multiple choice/true-false questions about the topic instead of offering only midterm(s) and final.  Many of these quizzes use settings within GauchoSpace to set time limits, automate grading, and provide feedback on student learning. This helps the instructor determine if there are any major misconceptions, while helping students keep up with course content and get ongoing feedback about their learning. 

Example from a lower-division STEM course - Instead of 3 large exams, students take 5 smaller non-cumulative exams (one every other week). Exams are made up of a set of randomized questions from a question bank and are open book and timed (within a 24-hour window). They are graded automatically. Students also have weekly homework assignments that are marked for completion to encourage students to keep up with the coursework.

Example from an upper-division STEM course - Instead of 2 large exams, students engage in weekly group projects that account for 80% of students’ grade. The group projects require students to engage with primary literature and each other and to connect the context from lecture and discussion section to the text. Students read assigned material, attempt assigned questions, organize a collective GoogleDoc, and then meet over Zoom to discuss details. Groups projects are scored based on the content of their answers and students’ impact on the project (using self- and peer-evaluation). 

Example from an upper-division Social Science course - Instead of a midterm, students participate in a weekly discussion forum made up of questions that would normally be short answer questions on the midterm. The forum questions ask students to apply the theory to their own life experiences, discuss from a variety of perspectives, or describe something to a particular audience. They are graded very quickly within GauchoSpace tools and help the instructor determine if there are any major misunderstandings that need to be addressed.

Example from a Humanities course - Instead of a final paper, students turn in a one page reflective analysis every other week that describes their ongoing progress as they apply new techniques to their practice. By periodically describing their individual application of techniques and concepts, students develop an increased awareness of their own learning processes (i.e., metacognition), while instructors determine if students are internalizing the relevant content. 

Gradescope: Another technology option
Gradescope is a program that can make grading more efficient. Gradescope integrates into GauchoSpace. Gradecope can support:

  • Fully online assignments, no paper required
  • Existing paper-based assignments
  • Combining online and paper-based approaches

Gradescope is offering webinars for new users that cover the grading and rubric-building workflow on Gradescope and walk attendees through both the instructor and student interface for creating and submitting assignments and viewing feedback.

Join One of the Available Webinars:

  • Thursday, April 16, 9am PT / 12pm ET
  • Thursday, April 23, 9am PT / 12pm ET
  • Thursday, April 30, 9am PT / 12pm ET

Register and reserve your spot here: https://info.gradescope.com/remote-assessments-workshops. 
*  Instructors are welcome to invite their TAs and grading staff.
** Recording of the session will be shared with all registrants. So we encourage you to register even if you can't make it to the live session.

UCSB Specific Getting Started with Gradescope guide available at:

 

Have a great end to the week!
The Instructional Support Team