Learning and teaching with LAR: alternative assessments

This series will be providing options for alternative assessment in each upcoming bi-weekly. Please let us know if you would like one of your approaches shared by emailing learningandappliedresearch@okanagan.bc.ca   

Harvesting

Description: After an experience/activity in class, ask students to reflect on “what” they learned, “so what” (why is it important and what are the implications), and “now what” (how to apply it or do things differently).

Benefits: This activity fosters reflection, a central element in metacognition, which encourages learners to consider not only what they have learned, but how that knowledge was acquired and how this learning can now be applied.

When this might be useful: This approach can be applied to lectures, labs, shop activities, case studies, group tasks or research projects. Short podcasts or video recordings placed within an assignment drop box in Moodle could be a unique way to capture these reflections.

Profiles of Admirable Individuals

Description: Students write a brief profile of an individual that they admire in a field related to the course. Students assess their own values and learn which best practices from the field are relevant to the theory presented.

Benefits: By encouraging choice and learner autonomy, this activity provides an opportunity for students to personalize course content by investigating individuals they are most interested in.

When this might be useful: Soliciting learners’ preferences in their selection of topics aligns with the Universal Design for Learning principle of providing multiple means of engagement by providing options for recruiting interest (CAST, 2018). This approach is also an excellent way to invite greater diversity into course material.  

Want to read more? Check out more alternative assessment suggestions from Learning and Applied Research published in February.