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INNOVATIVE TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY FOR QUALITY LEARNING, AGAINST EARLY UNIVERSITY LEAVING
O. Bombardelli
This paper deals with the contribution given by innovative University teaching and learning to the development of transversal competences needed by the students in the contemporary society. I discuss updated teaching ways, and new evaluation forms, included formative assessment for a successful learning of all university students, premise to prevent early university leaving as well.
The main aims of university studies are stated in the curricula (s. Dublin Descritors 2004 and National rules), respecting the autonomy of the University; they are linked to innovative teaching forms and consistent evaluation and assessment strategies in order to improve both the quality of the outcomes and the awareness of the students about their learning processes.
Effective ways for developing and assessing transversal skills like learning to learn (metacognition), critical thinking, entrepreneurship, scientific work, communication and social skills are discussed, keeping in mind that different way of teaching and assessing lead to reach different aims.
I underline the importance of deciding key aims and of articulating explicitely both learning goals and evaluation forms for the learning sucess and for the empowerment of studensts.
Key words: University teaching and learning; transversal competences; selfesteem; evaluation.
In the contemporary era new skills are required besides the traditional ones, and students are expected to develope key competences. The purpose of education is not just making a student literate but adds understanding of the world, rationale thinking, awareness of the own decision making process. High goals like independent thinking and wisdom are still crucial tasks of quality education.
At the present time all students should be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and work habits they will need to pursue good results in their studies and challenging careers after graduation, with potentially significant consequences for our economy, democracy, and society. In future students will influence the common development in all fields. Among several influence factors, the teaching and assessing forms at the University play an important role.
The research methods used in this paper are both practioner experience from teaching at the university, and analysis of autoritative studies on the topic.
Teachers ask for transversal skills anyway not all of them pay sufficient attention to clarify what they appreciate and neglect developing esplicitely the needed skills. Teachers may be more intentional about teaching cross-disciplinary skills in subject-area courses.
They should be able to articulate learning goals to the students, and be aware of why teaching something in that specific way. Discussion and exchange among teaching persons help agreement, while the specific skills may be defined, categorized, and determined differently from person to person or place to place, and that is confusing for learners.
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Developing students as independent learners with a clear understanding of their own learning process (meta-cognition) implies preventing early leaving of tertiary studies. It implies supporting pupils to develop the competences of acquiring information, selecting and evaluating them (autonomy in looking for information, of choosing sources, awareness of different points of view, precision, etc.), initiative and entrepreneurialism (coping with ambiguity, assessing risks, informed decision-making, curiosity and imagination, ability to organize and plan the own work, self knowledge, and self-planning, improving self confidence and self esteem), scientific literacy, ICT skills. ‘Learning to learn’ requires firstly the acquisition of the fundamental basic skills such as literacy, numeracy, analysis and summary abilities, written and oral communication that are necessary for further learning. A problem-solving attitude supports both the learning process itself and an individual’s ability to handle obstacles and change. The desire to apply prior learning and life experiences and to look for opportunities to learn and apply learning in a variety of life contexts are essential elements of a positive attitude.
Social skills are needed e.g. group collaboration, and leadership, including conflict prevention and solution, agility and adaptability. Very important is the development of attitudes and dispositions like intercultural competence, respect for diversity (gender, cultures, religion, age, learning styles etc), cross-national perspektives replacing stereotypes in a multicultural society, a sense of belonging to one's own community, and to the world.
To develope high level education and innovative competences, educational insitutitons are expected to be aware of the importance of stating key goals to be reached, and to be clear with the students about them. Updating the teaching ways, through new planning and organization of teaching, using innovative materials for active learning experiences, introducing new evaluation strategies of students’ learning, and improving social contacts are good premises for successful learning of all students.
Teaching, learning, and educational strategies. There is a need to improve teaching methodologies and to encourage high level learning, including responsibility and equilinrium. Information technology and new forms of communication give easy access to sources, and are altering the way students, faculty and staff learn and work. Internet-ready phones, handheld computers, digital cameras etc. are revolutionizing the learning habits. The directed instruction model has been used for centuries as an educational strategy in all institutions of learning, where, basically, the teacher controls the instructional process, delivers the lecture content to the entire class and the students listen to the lecture.
In the new paradigm of learning, the role of student is becoming more important. Where in the past repeting learned knowledge was a common task, nowadys accessing, analyzing and selecting information and sources are crucial aims.
Multimedia teaching gives new teaching perspectives; it is the combination of various digital media types such as text, images, audio and video, into an integrated multi-sensory interactive presentation to convey information to an audience. Multimedia elements can be converted into digital form, modified and customized for a proper use. By incorporating digital media elements into the teaching / learning process, the students are able to learn better since they use
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multiple sensory modalities, which would make them more motivated to pay more attention to the information presented and retain them. Very helpful is the chance to access pluralistic views and interpretation in order to develope a balanced vision of the learned topics. Active learning and search for information, caring for links between formal and non formal learning, facilitate a multi-perspective approach, encourages the development of skills to select appropriate materials, foster debates on the basis of documented and coherent argumentation.
Opportunities for active learning help to reach the basic skills and competences like: problem solving, coping with ambiguity, working with others, assessing risks, informed decision-making. Interactive and experiential learning, open debate, reflective learning, mind mapping are ways of helping students in their learning strategies, using new curriculum materials and resources. For example, project-based learning tends to be cross-disciplinary, and students may have to use a variety of applied skills, new ways of analyzing, processing and evauating information, while also taking initiative, thinking creatively, planning out the process, and working collaboratively in teams with other students.
The use of innovative teaching /learning methods (besides lecturing, seminars), group work, blended learning, ecc., tutoring and peer tutoring, project work, adopting learning opportunities apropriate to the target group support students both to acquiring information, and to think about controversial topics. Learners articulate technical scientific concepts in verbal, written, and graphic forms, use sophisticated technologies, software programs, and multimedia applications; it has the potential also to empower learners.
Useful methods, besides the traditional ones, are: enquiry tasks for students, interactive lectures, exemplary teaching and learning, student-led seminars, small group exercises and discussions, multidisciplinary approach with the collaboration of experts, critical self-reflection, debates, collaborative research, trips and visits, Cooperation with non formal environment experiences outside the classroom (e.g., practicums, mobility, community services) are helpful. Pupils acquire knowledge and skills dealing with case studies, caring for documentation and discussion on current events, giving reasoned motivation for the own opinions. Essential is media literacy (interpreting the media messages, look, choose, use the media in an active way as a producer of media content), included digital competence.
The best educational approach is based on interactive teaching /learning methods. The working climate refers to a system of attitudes, values, norms, beliefs, principles, rules, teaching methods and organizational arrangements which have to be consictent with the aims. Openness in classroom discussions is an opportunity for the students to make up their own minds, to further inquiry the learned topics and to develop skills, values and behaviours.
Cooperative Learning techniques allow the students to assume some responsibilities as a member of a group; school organization should include opportunities for engagement in the school community to participate in governance processes, and to be involved in decision making.
In-class small group activities or in pairs to solve problems creates space for powerful peer-to-peer learning and rich class discussion, instructors helping those who get stuck and guiding those who are headed in the wrong direction. In fact it is difficult having interactive teaching strategies because of the large
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numbers of students, anyway efforts are needed to build an acdemic community including students.
Presentations (oral, written, multimedia) of knowledge and opinions with reasoned arguments, alternative forms of work and assessment like preparing an exhibition, a dvd, a school journal on line, filming and exchanging DVD, podcasts etc. are powerful working strategies, require search and selection of information on the topics, allow to practice personal documentation/ enquiry, interviews.
New school educational processes, curriculum content, teaching and learning strategies need materials and resources to support teaching: media inputs (films, TV, videos, radio, Internet, newspaper, books, games). Useful teaching materials are maps, schoolbooks, article of newspapers and journals, internet, fotocamera, slides, emerging technology practices (e.g., MOOC, OER) etc.
Students in different places and countries can perfom bilateral work and discussions using on line communication. Exchange of teaching/ learning methods and of good practices among universities in the different countries, cooperation among courses can take place face to face, with meetings and visits and on line in videoconference and webinars. ICT teaching is not expected to substitute face to face teaching, anyway it can be helpful to connect pupils in distant places.
Formative evaluation. The assessment methods have a major influence on how high educational goals are achieved and the key competences are learned; not always students are aware of what they are expected to perform for the examinations. The weight of assessment extends both to individuals and to education and training systems in general.
While summative assessments evaluates student learning outcomes at the end of an instructional unit, and measures the extent to which students have achieved the desired learning outcomes by comparing it against some standard or benchmark, formative evaluation of learning includes any form of classroom interaction that generates information on student learning, which is then used by faculty and students to fine-tune their teaching and learning strategies to ensure students are on track. Formative assessment provides feedback during the instructional process; it encourages students to learn from mistakes and is not linked to grading practice or other forms of judgment. Formative assessment helps to identify areas that may need improvement.
Formative assessment strategies help the learners to identify the intended outcomes. The way in which the outcomes have been agreed upon, described and assessed, may influence what the learners are motivated to achieve. Some strategies of assessment stress passive repetition. Methods of formative evaluation include structured mid-term feedback where the teacher report back to the students about the results of this evaluation.
An instructor can do his/her own formative assessment by having students respond to a mid-term questionnaire, to see if they truly understand the material to clarify misconceptions. Clickers may be used as well, as interactive devices.
Examples of formative assessments include: (a) direct observation by the teachers of the development of activities (teamwork, the way pupils organize work and solve problems), of students' skills and attitudes, and of the final product, with the aid of records and rating scales of observation, not used in a mechanich way; (b) selfevaluation against clear criteria, which is more helpful for the development
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of skills and values, than only marking, because it developes the ability to judge and identify one's strengths and weaknesses (Bombardelli 2012); (c) feedback during class in several forms: draw a concept map in class about the understanding of a topic, submit one or two sentences identifying the main point of a lecture turn in a research proposal for early feedback; one-minute paper to check student understanding in a lesson by asking them, for example, to write down an explanation of a concept, or draw a main point from a reading, question and answer sessions, both formal-planned and informal, in-class activities where students present their results like oral interviews.
Using quizzes to begin units is also a way to assess what students already know, to clear up misconceptions, and drive home the point of how much they will learn. Tests should include several types of questions - short answer, multiple-choice, true-false, and short essay - to allow students to fully demonstrate what they know.
The major outcomes are measured through a selfevaluation sheet and through group discussion, integrated by individual discussion when needed. Submitting a portfolio during a course can be a powerful way for students to see the progress they’ve made; more than just a collection of students' work from the semester, good portfolios also include reflections on their learning.
Benefits of formative evaluation for teachers and students are more likely when evaluation steps are administered at mid semester and evaluation techniques provide feedbacks and instruction in order to allow improvements. After the formative evaluation students will work in more appropriate way.
Conclusive Discussion. High level education is very important for the development of the sosciety and for the life of the students. Universities play a key role in that and should promote social mobility. Achieving goals like learning to learn, communication, independent and critical documented thinking, entrepreneurship, scientific work, and social skills implies the implemenation of innovative teaching and assessment strategies according to the aims of education and to the different teaching and learning styles of the learners. Improvements will take place if teachers are convinced of the need for this change, and know how to manage this new approach to learning. Students learn best when the educational process is purposeful, and collaborative. Articulating explicitely what they are expected to perform in their learning process facilitates their sucess, constitutes a form of empowerment for students, and a basis for continuing improvement lasting after the University time, preventing drop out.
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