Dean’s Perspective on Teaching and Learning #2 Friday, September 27, 2013
I remember in junior high the PE pre-test, this is where we had to run a mile around the school. The PE teacher would stand there with a class roster attached to a clip board and a stop watch and whistle around his neck. As each student would pass he would bark out the time elapsed. While I didn’t want to be last, I also knew that I didn’t want to be first. I realized that in a few months we would do the exact same thing and so I would give a mediocre effort the first attempt so that on the second test I would show improvement. It was the classic pre/posttest. It seems that as personal, community, state and federal budgets are stretched further the issue of value and relevance of Higher Education is considered more frequently. When the topic of learning is being discussed it is quickly followed by the question; “how can we tell if learning is actually taking place?” While those of us in education say yes, others are asking “where is the proof”. How is learning measured? If we are going to measure the end product of higher education then don’t we need to know where the starting point is? To use an analogy; physicians employ a variety of tools, techniques and skill to diagnose a particular condition. The subsequent treatment is based upon that diagnosis. In higher education, particularly for those of us in community colleges where open enrollment is utilized, how do we as educators know what would be the best approach in teaching our respective students? On the first day of class do we know the current educational condition of our students? What tools, skills, or processes have we, our institution, or the student utilized to see where they are? Have they been out of school for several years, do they have a learning disability, are they proficient reading at a particular level? The list of what ifs can be extensive, and many if not all of these factors can have an effect on their learning. As educators we view ourselves, as do others, as content experts, do we equally consider ourselves as delivery experts? Do we make adjustments to our delivery methods so that each student will have a better chance of learning? Each of our classes has a list of learning outcomes that we anticipate the successful student will be able to exhibit or demonstrate, as a result of taking the class. Do we even know if they could exhibit some or all of those outcomes at the beginning of the semester? How can we demonstrate that there is value in a student participating in our class, that there was some kind of improvement or progression in their learning? It appears to me that just as I experienced in Jr. High School PE, some form(s) of 9x9x25 Challenge
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