This National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) policy statement outlines the warrant for multiple, systematic approaches to obtain evidence of authentic student achievement. The importance of assessing student learning in college has yet to capture the attention of policy makers or the public. Indeed, few outside the academy know…

The aim of this paper is to report on an ongoing experiment in an enquiry-based approach to feedback. Over the course of four years, almost 1800 students have studied a final-year undergraduate module involving a mid-term assignment and end of module examination. Feedback on the assignment is delivered through a process which involves the…

In order to teach science well, science teachers need to know what to focus on in order to ensure their assessment of student learning is meaningful and useful for the students' on going learning and development. The diversity and range of content and skills within the subject of science mean that the assessment capabilities required by…

This paper examines the embedded librarian program and its impact on the information literacy skills of community college students at Queensborough Community College (QCC). It is a collaboration between an embedded librarian and an English instructor at QCC. The study participants are QCC students enrolled in seven sections of English 101 and…

This policy brief provides an overview of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), discusses policy considerations for adopting or adapting the new standards, and presents examples from states considering or implementing the NGSS. Changing academic standards is a complex process that requires significant investments of time, money, and human…

The academic progress of students is an important indicator of educational success. For school accountability systems, using a growth model to report on a student's academic growth can be viewed as an addition to or a replacement for a status model. Status models compare the performance of a cohort of students in a grade one year with the…

During in-training assessment students are frequently assessed over a longer period of time and therefore it can be expected that their performance will improve. We studied whether there really is a measurable performance improvement when students are assessed over an extended period of time and how this improvement affects the reliability of the…

Cognitive psychology has demonstrated that the way knowledge is structured in memory determines the ability to retain, recall, and use it to solve problems. The method of loci (MOL) is a mnemonic device that relies on spatial relationships between "loci" (e.g., locations on a familiar route or rooms in a familiar building) to arrange and…

One of the main issues in language learning is to find ways to enable learners to interact with the language input in an involved task. Given that computer-based simulation allows learners to interact with visual modes, this article examines how the interaction of students with an online video simulation affects their second language video…

In this study, an investigation into the proper use of weekly quizzes in chemical engineering program has been conducted. The traditional weekly homework assignments were replaced with weekly paper quizzes. Achievement levels of students were compared with those students who learn through traditional homework assignments only. The results show the…

Curriculum alignment research has developed showing the relationship among three alignment categories: the taught curriculum, the tested curriculum and the written curriculum. Each pair (for example, the taught and the written curriculum) shows a positive impact for aligning those results. Following this, alignment results from the Third…

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) welcomes the efforts of federal, state, and local policymakers to find new ways to ensure an accomplished teacher for every student in America. The National Board has advanced this mission since its inception in 1987. Today, that mission is carried out by the tens of thousands of…

To enhance students' global understanding, this study introduces a series of curriculum internationalization efforts from module development to implementation through an infusion method. Taking a country-specific approach, two instructional modules focused on India were developed and infused into three existing courses at a U.S. university. To…

The purpose of this study is to explore and assess the improvement in intercultural competence of USAF Academy cadets using indirect measures (e.g., questions in end-of-course critiques and institutional surveys) and a direct measure--specifically the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). Data gathered from several groups of subjects at…

Assurance of student learning through effective assessment has become increasingly important over the past decade as accrediting agencies now require documented efforts to measure and improve student performance. This paper presents the methodology used by the College of Business Administration at California State University, Stanislaus to assess…