by Doug Ward, University of Kansas Over recent months, the assessment of student learning outcomes has been taking a beating. Many visitors to this site may have seen, for example, the New York Times op ed piece by Molly Worthen, entitled “The Misguided Drive to Measure ‘Learning Outcomes." Worthen’s view is no doubt shared by some faculty on some campuses but it has also prompted a flurry of counterpoints. One of those follows here, from Doug Ward, a BVA member from the University of Kansas, … [Read more...]

One of the central themes of the Bay View Alliance is the importance of effective leadership in supporting and sustaining the widespread adoption of teaching approaches that lead to better student learning. This piece explores how leaders can tap into and accelerate what John Kotter calls the "Thrive Channel." While the call for change is often met with a "flight or fight" response (the "Survive Channel"), the Thrive Channel evokes positive emotions and helps people focus on perceived … [Read more...]

In the Fall of 2017, Queen’s launched the “Cognitive Assessment Redesign” (CAR), a Learning Outcomes Assessment Consortium 2 initiative, funded by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario. The CAR project features an integrated support network to expand learning opportunities and tailoring assessment to directly target the skills of critical thinking, creative thinking and problem solving. Instructors from 25 first and fourth year courses expressed interest in redesigning assignments to … [Read more...]