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Program Manager, Centre for Conflict Resolution 

Currently not teaching. Supporting a program of short courses, which culminates in a high-stakes assessment at the end. 

Could you share any innovative or experimental assessment methods you’ve tried in your courses, along with any lessons learned from these experiences? 

What is innovative? …we’ve worked on splitting large assessments into smaller pieces. We’ve set up some parts so that they can be submitted via video OR written (to support different comfort levels). 

In what ways do you incorporate authentic or real-world assessments into your courses, and how do you assess skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity? 

Use of self-reflection, BUT we don’t set that up well enough I think…. We do role-plays, which is a GREAT learning experience, BUT is costly in terms of time and coaching/instructional resources. We were just chatting in the hallway about an assessment: a rubric to assess on process is VERY different than a rubric to assess on approach/reaction. What are we trying to do and how do we communicate that to instructors? 

Program Manager, HSD-CPHE

Currently program managing but will return to PCP in August. 

Could you share any innovative or experimental assessment methods you’ve tried in your courses, along with any lessons learned from these experiences? 

1-1 question asking, I use the socratic method. Kahoot quizzes, to help students do formative assessments throughout courses. Skills drills to assess and help students assess their competence. Requesting students provide their understanding of topics in a non-conventional way. For example, creating skits, scenarios, stories or create a meme or gif about how pathological processes or physiological processes progress. 

We will sometimes ask students to show us their learning by defining what a topic isn’t. An example might be What isn’t a good way of building rapport? This could be an example they’ve experienced, witnessed, or seen on TV. Allowing students to discuss their own lived experiences in the context of the material helps them retain the knowledge and build connections with the material.

In what ways do you incorporate authentic or real-world assessments into your courses, and how do you assess skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity? 

Encouraging students to ask questions, individually or to the group has improved their ability over the course/program to build their critical thinking skills relating to the material.  
 

I believe creativity is present in everyone, and my role is to provide opportunities where students feel safe and encouraged to display theirs.
 
Scenarios, skits or asking students to provide media that supports the goal allows students to display this in whatever medium or degree they feel comfortable to.
 
When we encourage that type of environment, students are more likely to work collaboratively which helps them in the workplace later!
 
My preferred way to determine success is to ask the students. Do they feel successful? Do they feel they’ve gotten better at problem solving? How does the student perceive their learning journey?
 
If a student feels they have, then that confidence will help them build the skill.

Contract Faculty, Centre for Leadership 

Courses in leadership (LEAD) and training and facilitation (INDC) 

Could you share any innovative or experimental assessment methods you’ve tried in your courses, along with any lessons learned from these experiences? 

The courses I teach are rather tightly scripted, and they do not include summative assessments (for grades). That said, I look for opportunities to casually weave in formative assessments including self-and peer-assessments. I often embed them into activities such as brainstorming. I might prompt learners in one group to “brainstorm and write down ideas” about a topic, such as approaches to facilitate an aspect of a difficult conversation, while those in a second group are invited to “brainstorm and write down ideas, and don’t stop until you’ve got at least 10”. As the two groups share their lists, they often find that the second group generated more, and more creative, options. One of the purposes this serves is to remind both groups that with intention and a bit of structure (“don’t stop until you’ve got at least 10″), they arrive at more good options to choose from. A little activity like this may also serve as a pre-assessment, such as in a lesson on courage or integrity. When someone from the first group shares, “I wanted to keep coming up with more ideas,” yet their group only offered a few, this can be a powerful starting point for a class conversation on what it takes for any of us to act bravely, such as when we have an idea that could benefit a process or outcome. In short courses (2-3 days) with no follow-up, I do wonder, however, how much of students’ learning actually translates into bolder behaviours in the ‘real world’. (I would love to take time to examine in what ways we might tap into Kirkpatrick Levels 3 and 4 — which is where the ultimate value of learning lies, for the learner’s organization and its clients.) 

In what ways do you incorporate authentic or real-world assessments into your courses, and how do you assess skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity? 

I think a simple proxy for creativity is time. Wasn’t one of Einstein’s suggestions to stick with challenges longer in order to arrive at better solutions? Some of the LEAD classes end with learners working in triads to make meaning, and contextualize, learning from the day. This is the last activity of the day, and in the online environment, I can see how long different triads stay in a conversation before they log off. Some leave early, some stay until the scheduled class end time, and some stay connected past that time. We each have an approach to learning, and sometimes we are tired at the end of a long day. The point I sometimes make with classes the next morning is, whether you engaged with the task (make meaning and contextualize learning) as part of your assigned triad, or on your own later in the day or the next morning, your results (fresh insights, commitment to implementing new skills) will likely be more powerful when you engage with the task more (in whatever way works for you). A few learners often validate this notion when they share personal experiences of staying with a problem longer.