COURSE SYLLABUS

Instructional Psychology and Technology 652: Assessing Learning Outcomes

Winter Semester, 2007

INSTRUCTOR:

Dr. Richard
R Sudweeks (150-M McKay Bldg, 422-7078)

Office
Hours:  1:00-4:00 p.m. M & W;  9:00--11:00 a.m. T &
Th; and at other times by appointment

CLASS MEETING SCHEDULE:

2:00 --3:50
p.m. T & Th;  359 MCKB

TEXTBOOKS & MATERIALS:

Linn,
R.L. & Miller, M.D. (2005). Measurement and Assessment in Teaching
(9<sup>th ed.). Upper Saddle

River, NJ: Merrill.

Anderson,
L.W. & Bourke, S.F. (2000). Assessing affective characteristics in the schools
(2<sup>nd ed.).  Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.  

I.P.&T.
652 Course Packet (Available from Bookstore)

Additional readings shown on the attached list. (The books by [1]
Gronlund; [2] Mintzes, et al.;

[3] Oosterhof; and [4] Pellegrino, et al. are on reserve at the HBL Library. 
Copies of the

other readings are included in the Course Packet.)

COURSE RATIONALE AND OVERVIEW:

Responsible
teaching and instructional development both include procedures for collecting
evidence of students' progress in acquiring the skills, dispositions,
and behaviors that the students are expected to learn. The resulting
information provides a basis for making decisions about effectiveness
of the instruction and the students' readiness to advance or their need
for remediation. A wide range of assessment procedures and instruments
are needed in order to collect information about higher- as well as
lower-level cognitive outcomes plus various kinds of affective and behavioral
outcomes.  However, since the quality of assessment varies greatly,
teachers and other decision makers must be cautious about how they interpret
the results.

 Systematic
efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional programs or to
conduct research on instructional variables all require instruments
and procedures that produce reliable and valid evidence of what students
have or have not learned. Credible quantitative research and evaluation
studies presuppose the existence of valid measurement. Neither sensitive
research designs nor sophisticated statistical analyses can compensate
for data which lacks reliability or validity.

This course
is designed to help instructional developers, instructional researchers,
and program evaluators improve their skills in

defining intended learning outcomes,
selecting or constructing instruments and other procedures for assessing
students' progress in achieving these outcomes,
making defensible judgments based on the evidence collected, and
evaluating the reliab</span><span class="Normal--Char" style=" font-family: 'Times', 'Arial';
">ilit</span><span class="Normal--Char" style=" font-family: 'Times', 'Arial';
">y and validity of the results.

The course
emphasizes learning the how, what, and why of educational measurement. Issues
associated with current concerns for more authentic assessment and for
closer alignment of instruction and assessment are also emphasized.
The strengths and limitations of portfolios, performance assessments,
concept mapping and other nontest procedures for collecting evidence
of learning are also treated.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

The primary purpose of this course is to help students become more
proficient in assessing intended learning outcomes in order to improve
both instruction and learning. More specifically, the course is designed
to help students acquire the following abilities and understandings--

Prepare written plans
for constructing (a) tests designed to assess cognitive objectives beyond
the recall level, (b) performance assessments, and (c) affective outcomes
of instruction.  
Construct assessment
instruments and procedures that are aligned with previously written
plans and specifications.
Critique and revise draft versions of assessment
instruments and procedures based on the results of empirical tryout
and item analysis data. 
Compare and contrast the modern conceptualization
of validity of measurement accepted by the Joint Committee on
Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing with the traditional
view of validity and explain the major differences between the classical
and modern approaches.
Distinguish between the various kinds of evidence
of the reliability of test scores and explain how they are similar
and different. 
Explain how measurement error is estimated and quantified
and use this information when interpreting scores of individual examinees. 

7. Interpret
and use the various types of derived scores (e.g. percentiles, standard
scores, normal curve equivalent scores, etc.) in a responsible, professional
manner and recognize misuses of tests and test scores.

8. Distinguish between authentic and traditional
modes of assessment and describe the advantages and disadvantages of
each.

9. Distinguish between the various types of affective
variables such as attitudes, values, anxieties, aspirations, interests,
self-esteem, and self-efficacy.

10. Understand
current problems, trends, and issues in educational assessment.

PROJECTS AND EXERCISES:

This is
a hands-on, project-oriented course designed to help students acquire
practical experience applying the concepts and principles taught in the course. 

Required Projects:

Each student
must complete all four of the required projects.

1. Prepare
a written set of test specifications for constructing a classroom achievement
test. Include the following:

a. a description
of the target audience to be tested,

b. the
general instructional objectives (GIOs) to be tested,

c. the
specific learner outcomes (SLOs) accompanying each GIO, plus

d. a table
of specifications.

2. Construct a context-dependent item set that complies with
the guidelines suggested in your text and the course packet. Include
the following:

a description of the target audience to be tested,
a
lis