Dr. Denise Stockley (Queen's University)
You have designed an innovative way of engaging students with challenging concepts, developed an experiential learning course, or included more group work in the curriculum of your program and you want to know whether your students are more engaged, whether they are able to apply these new concepts in the field, or whether their knowledge is deeper as a result of the changes you implemented.
In this workshop, we will explore embedded models of scholarship of teaching and learning designed to assess the impact of new teaching approaches. Embedding research starting at the initial stages of course and program design can allow you to effectively measure, for example, how students are progressing towards program or course outcomes; how effectively a new learning activity such as group work or community engagement is helping students develop their interpersonal communication skills; or how a new assessment is helping them develop their critical thinking skills. Measuring processes and outcomes from the initial stages of development, through delivery, to eventual redesign (1) improves outcomes and accountability; (2) increases flexibility; (3) provides real-time feedback which allows for responsive change; and (4) enables capacity building as an evaluation that focuses on process/use. The scholarly approaches to outcomes assessment presented in the session are applicable to both teaching and curriculum renewal, as well as professional development initiatives and other scholarly activities.