Teach.Learn.Share

Leveraging assessments to help students learn to recognize bias

Low or no-stakes assessment tasks give students the opportunity to focus their practice on what they aim to learn and allow them to try their hand at failing. When what they’re learning means recognizing implicit biases in themselves and others, it’s key that students have multiple opportunities to practice developing this skill. In this episode, Dr. Alissa Levine describes her multi-pronged approach to assessments that help students recognize bias and understand the impact it can have on their future professional practice as dentists.   
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Flexible formative assessments: How to keep exam preparation focused on learning

Quizzes are a tried-and-true way to prepare students for higher-stakes exams, but do they allow you to assess the progress of students’ learning? To ensure her students’ learning is on track, which in this case means thinking critically about the immune system, Dr. Jasmin Chahal has her students design concept maps, draw cartoon diagrams, and write problem-solving exam questions. In this episode, we learn about the flexible and creative formative assessments Jasmin gives her students, which allow them both to show their learning in different ways and to prepare for their exams. Jasmin also shares insights into coordinating with TAs and clearly communicating expectations with her students in a large science course. We learned about this practice from a former student of Dr. Chahal’s who has continued to use some of these strategies throughout her undergraduate studies!  
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A different take on two-stage exams: How collaboration can further assessment for learning

In this episode, we learn about a two-staged mid-term exam where students do a collaborative version of the exam before trying their hand at an individual exam. For Dr. Laura Pavelka, having students work collaboratively and ask questions in an introductory science course were key in helping students understand how science works, so she designed those elements into her assessment strategy. Easing exam-related student anxiety was another motivating factor. Tune in to hear Laura share her tips on managing in-class time, fostering student collaboration, and galvanizing technology to help run a two-stage mid-term for a class of 600 students.  
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Welcome back! More conversations reshaping assessment for learning coming your way

Welcome back to Teach.Learn.Share’s exciting new miniseries! Join us over the next five episodes as we delve into creative, concrete, and transferable assessment strategies centered around assessment for learning. In each episode, we sit down with instructors from various Faculties at McGill University to explore a new strategy, discussing its design and implementation. Listen in as instructors share what works and where the challenges lie in assessments for large and small classes, as well as in individual, peer and authentic assessment strategies. Don’t miss out—subscribe now and be part of the conversation reshaping assessment for learning in higher ed! 

Integrating principles of well-being and assessment, with Professor Andrea Creech

Do the assessment choices instructors make support students’ learning and their well-being? To close our five-part miniseries, we wanted to hear an instructor’s perspective. In this episode, we’ve invited Dr. Andrea Creech, Professor of Music Pedagogy at the Schulich School of Music, McGill University, to join the conversation. Andrea shares insights into how assessment forms an integral part of her pedagogy, which is shaped and guided by principles of well-being. These principles include self-efficacy, autonomy, purpose, and a sense of belonging in an academic community.
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Learn more on our blog Teaching for Learning @ McGill 
 
References 
Boucher, M. (Host). (2021-present). Le musicien stratégique [Audio podcast]. Vontpi Production. https://musicienstrategique.com/le-balado/ 
 Lerman, L. (2022). Critique is creative. Wesleyan University Press.   
 

Striking the right balance on assessment and well-being, with grad students Sakina Rizvi and Connor Sin-Chan

Getting assessment right—being fair, consistent, equitable, and conscientious of students’ and instructors’ well-being—leads to healthier learning environments in university settings but is a difficult balance to strike. In this episode, we talk to two graduate students who share their experiences with the assessment and well-being connection in their contexts. We also discuss fairness and reliability in grading, student-instructor dialogues around assessment, and the positive impact small incremental changes in assessment practices can have on students’ well-being. 
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Learn more on our blog Teaching for Learning @ McGill 

Assessment, learning, and student well-being, with undergraduates Jordan Leeson and Hyeonwoo Park

Interested in knowing what students think about sharing the responsibility of improving assessment practices in higher ed? In this episode of our miniseries on assessment and well-being, we ask Jordan and Woo to explain their perspectives on the emotions bound up with assessment and their potential impact on learning. Listen to Woo and Jordan describe hurdles they’ve faced, as well as assessment tasks that challenged them academically, allowed their creativity to flourish, and provided opportunities for life-long learning. 
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Learn more on our blog Teaching for Learning @ McGill. 
 
References 
Boswell, M. & Feldman, J. [National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)]. (2020, Dec. 1). Grading for equity: What it is, why it matters, how it transforms schools and classrooms [Video]. 
Rust, C. (2002). The impact of assessment on student learning: How can the research literature practically help to inform the development of departmental assessment strategies and learner-centred assessment practices? Active Learning in Higher Education, 3(2), 145-158. 

Inclusive assessment practices for healthier learning environments, with Char Lewis-Sutherland

Assessment can often stir up negative emotions. But what if we can reframe the way we think about it? Assessment has long been equated with what’s wrong, what needs to be “fixed” or “bettered.” In this episode, Char Lewis-Sutherland, a Senior Advisor in McGill’s Equity Team, will challenge us to think, dialogue, and act creatively on assessment. They offer insights on inclusive and anti-racist assessment practices that promote healthier learning environments by effectively supporting all students. Char also offers tips on how to keep the focus on learning and not on measuring shortcomings in or out of the classroom. 
View the transcript.
Learn more on our blog Teaching for Learning @ McGill. 
 
References 
American College Personnel Association (ACPA). 
Cohen, G. L., Steele, C. M., & Ross, L. D. (1999). The mentor’s dilemma: Providing critical feedback across the racial divide. Personality and social psychology bulletin, 25(10), 1302-1318. 
Hartman, S. (2008). Lose your mother: A journey along the Atlantic slave route. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 
Henning, G. W., & Lundquist, A. E. (2018, August). Moving towards socially just assessment (Equity Response). Urbana, IL: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA). 
Hockings, C. (2010). Inclusive learning and teaching in higher education: a synthesis of research. Evidence Net. Higher Education Academy.  
Hurtado, S., & Sork, V. L. (2015, December). Enhancing student success and building inclusive classrooms at UCLA: Report to the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost. 
Lynam, S., & Cachia, M. (2018). Students’ perceptions of the role of assessments at higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(2), 223-234. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2017.1329928 
Montenegro, E., & Jankowski, N. A. (2017, January). Equity and assessment: Moving towards culturally responsive assessment (Occasional Paper No. 29). Urbana, IL: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA). 
Montenegro, E., & Jankowski, N. A. (2020, January). A new decade for assessment: Embedding equity into assessment praxis (Occasional Paper No. 42). Urbana, IL: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA). 
Mowreader, A. (2023). Academic success tip: Rebrand office hours. Inside Higher Ed. 
National Institute for Learning Outcomes and Assessment (NILOA) 
Podcasts on Anthology. 
Sharpe, C. (2016). In the wake: On blackness and being. Duke University Press. 
Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning, Brown University. Effective teaching is anti-racist teaching. 
Van Dinther, M. Dochy. F., & Segers, M. (2011). Factors affecting students’ self-efficacy in higher education, Educational Research Review, (6)2, 95-108. 
Yeager, D. S., Purdie-Vaughns, V., Garcia, J., Apfel, N., Brzustoski, P., Master, A., … & Cohen, G. L. (2014). Breaking the cycle of mistrust: Wise interventions to provide critical feedback across the racial divide. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(2), 804-824. 
Yeh, C. J., & Krumboltz, J. D. (1995). The impact of a non-competitive grading system on learning. ERIC Number: ED398173. 
 
 

Promoting student mental health through assessment practices, with Kira Smith

This first episode of a miniseries on assessment and well-being sets the stage for our exploration into ways in which to build an inclusive culture of learning and healthier learning environments by focusing on assessment practices. In this episode, Kira Smith, Student Engagement Officer at the Office of Science Education at McGill University, helps us arrive at a common understanding of well-being and explains how it relates to student experiences. Drawing on the results of her graduate studies research, Kira shares recommendations for how instructors can promote sound mental health through their strategies for assessment of student learning. 
View the transcript.
Learn more on our blog Teaching for Learning @ McGill. 
 
References 
American College Health Association - National College Health Assessment II. (2019).  
Csíkszentmihályi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. Harper & Row. 
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random house. 
Imase. (2022). Night Dancer [Song]. On Pop Cube. Universal Music Japan. 
Keyes, C. L. M. (2014). Mental health as a complete state: How the salutogenic perspective completes the picture. In Bridging Occupational, Organizational and Public Health. Springer. 
Keyes, C. L. M., Eisenberg, D., Perry, G. S., Dube, S. R., Kroenke, K., & Dhingra, S. S. (2012). The relationship of level of positive mental health with current mental disorders in predicting suicidal behavior and academic impairment in college students. Journal of American College Health, 60(2), 126–133.  
McGill Student Services. (2023). Wellness Wheel. 
Wellness Recovery Action Plan.  
Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. Ascd.  

Welcome to Teach.Learn.Share!

Teach.Learn.Share’s first miniseries centers on assessment and well-being. Over five episodes, we ask different members of our university community whether we can view learning and student well-being as connected when looking at the way student learning is assessed. We also delve into specific ways in which to build an inclusive culture of learning by focusing on assessment practices. The conversations point to concrete strategies and calls to action while also signaling misconceptions and long-standing stumbling blocks around assessment. ---> Subscribe to Teach.Learn.Share on your favourite podcast player.