Assessment & Assignments
Assessment tasks, whether they be exams, projects, or other assignments, are of equal importance to faculty and students. The faculty panel shares a variety of approaches to assessment tasks, with some strategies for managing assessment in the remote-learning environment. Topics include:
Using FlipGrid for Asynchronous Discussion
Reimagining In-Class Presentations While Teaching Remotely
Crafting Resilient Assignments and Assessments that Translate Across In Person and Online Learning Environments
Salvaging Experiential Learning in Remotely-Taught Engineering Design Courses
Summative Assessments As a Form of Feedback
View the one-hour presentation above or access individual Lightning Talks below.
View the Assessment & Assignments Presentation
Using FlipGrid for Asynchronous Discussion
Overview
FlipGrid is a “social learning” platform built to encourage discussion among students using short video uploads. While it is a common tool in elementary education, there are many applications for an asynchronous undergraduate or graduate discussion. In this presentation, Sargent College Lecturer Dustin Allen shares his experience using FlipGrid to develop critical thinking and public speaking skills outside of the classroom.
Presenter
Dustin Allen
Lecturer
BU College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College
Reimagining In-Class Presentations
Overview
In-class presentations present unique pedagogical and technological challenges, and many of these are magnified when conducted in a remote teaching format. At the same time, some unexpected opportunities can open up when students must present remotely. BU College of Arts & Sciences Lecturer Heather Barrett shares discusses how she adapted two major presentation assignments in her spring 2020 course.
Presenter
Heather Barrett
Lecturer & Writing Center Coordinator
BU College of Arts & Sciences Writing Program
Testimonial
“As a graduate student, I am always looking for interesting ideas to use as I develop courses in the future. The scaffolded assignments are something that I have rarely experienced as a student, but are something that I would like to include in my teaching.”
– Assessment & Assignments Lightning Talk Attendee
Crafting Resilient Assignments and Assessments Across Learning Environments
Overview
How does one craft meaningful assignments that translate both in person and online? What assignments “work” amid the unique challenges presented by coronavirus? What assessments work well in capturing student performance and providing feedback? This brief presentation will explore the promise (and peril) of two different resilient assignments and assessments in a small, remote-teaching and remote-learning class setting.
Presenter
Joseph Harris
Assistant Professor of Sociology and Director of Undergraduate Studies
BU Department of Sociology
Salvaging Experiential Learning in Remotely-Taught Engineering Design Courses
Overview
Not long ago, laboratories, workshops and machine shops were the breeding grounds for creativity in engineering design courses. The new-normal of restricted access to these facilities poses new challenges to providing students with the hands-on experience that underlies sound engineering design. This discussion focuses on strategies developed to preserve the experiential component of two, BU engineering design courses.
Presenter
Enrique S. Gutierrez Wing
Master Lecturer
BU Department of Mechanical Engineering
Summative Assessments As a Form of Feedback
Overview
In this Lightning Talk, Associate Professor Jonathan Wisco discusses the importance of providing feedback to students as an essential part of the learning process. The presentation highlights how he transformed the gross anatomy summative practical exam experience into a peer feedback session, and provides tips for creating a collaborative learning environment based on a culture of providing valuable feedback.
Presenter
Jonathan J. Wisco
Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology
Boston University School of Medicine
About the Moderator: Ellen E. Faszewski
Ellen E. Faszewski is a clinical professor of science education at BU’s Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, as well as the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. She is a cell and developmental biologist with a very active interest in STEM education and environmental advocacy. In these fields, she’s initiated or been involved in many great projects, including as the founder and director of STEM in the City to provide opportunities for 8th and 9th graders in Boston and as the co-organizer for the Muddy River Clean-up.
About Boston University's Remote & Hybrid Teaching & Learning Lightning Talk Series
The Remote Teaching & Learning Lightning Talks Summer and Fall 2020 series, co-hosted by Digital Learning & Innovation and The Center for Teaching & Learning, is a reflection and learning forum where Boston University faculty and invited guests identify areas of challenge and opportunity and share strategies for engaging educational experiences in the remote-learning environment.