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Gary Brown

It's the Learning, Stupid - Lumina Foundation: Helping People Achieve Their Potential - 3 views

www.luminafoundation.org/...2009-10-14.html

learning accountability

shared by Gary Brown on 15 Oct 09 - Cached
  • My thesis is this. We live in a world where much is changing, quickly. Economic crises, technology, ideological division, and a host of other factors have all had a profound influence on who we are and what we do in higher education. But when all is said and done, it is imperative that we not lose sight of what matters most. To paraphrase the oft-used maxim of the famous political consultant James Carville, it's the learning, stupid.
  • We believe that, to significantly increase higher education attainment rates, three intermediate outcomes must first occur: Higher education must use proven strategies to move students to completion. Quality data must be used to improve student performance and inform policy and decision-making at all levels. The outcomes of student learning must be defined, measured, and aligned with workforce needs. To achieve these outcomes (and thus improve success rates), Lumina has decided to pursue several specific strategies. I'll cite just a few of these many different strategies: We will advocate for the redesign, rebranding and improvement of developmental education. We will explore the development of alternative pathways to degrees and credentials. We will push for smoother systems of transferring credit so students can move more easily between institutions, including from community colleges to bachelor's degree programs.
  • "Lumina defines high-quality credentials as degrees and certificates that have well-defined and transparent learning outcomes which provide clear pathways to further education and employment."
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • And—as Footnote One softly but incessantly reminds us—quality, at its core, must be a measure of what students actually learn and are able to do with the knowledge and skills they gain.
  • and yet we seem reluctant or unable to discuss higher education's true purpose: equipping students for success in life.
  • Research has already shown that higher education institutions vary significantly in the value they add to students in terms of what those students actually learn. Various tools and instruments tell us that some institutions add much more value than others, even when looking at students with similar backgrounds and abilities.
  • The idea with tuning is to take various programs within a specific discipline—chemistry, history, psychology, whatever—and agree on a set of learning outcomes that a degree in the field represents. The goal is not for the various programs to teach exactly the same thing in the same way or even for all of the programs to offer the same courses. Rather, programs can employ whatever techniques they prefer, so long as their students can demonstrate mastery of an agreed-upon body of knowledge and set of skills. To use the musical terminology, the various programs are not expected to play the same notes, but to be "tuned" to the same key.
Gary Brown

Will a Culture of Entitlement Bankrupt Higher Education? - Commentary - The Chronicle o... - 2 views

chronicle.com/...48819

accountability economics.

shared by Gary Brown on 19 Oct 09 - Cached
  • The economy has suffered changes so deep and fundamental that institutions cannot just hunker down to weather the storm. The time has come for creative reconstruction. We must summon the courage and will to re-engineer education in ways founded on shared responsibility, demanding hard work and a willingness on the part of everyone involved to let go of "the way it's always been."
  • We need to break down expectations based on entitlement and focus on educational productivity and outcomes. Institutions should review redundancies, rethink staffing models, and streamline business practices. Productivity measures should be applied in all areas. In the same way that secondary schools are being challenged to consider longer school days and an extended academic year, we in higher education need to revisit basic assumptions about how we deliver higher education to students. We should not be tied to any one model or structure.
  • For example, we should re-evaluate the notion that large classes are inherently pedagogically unsound. What both students and faculty members tend to prefer—small classes—is not the only educationally effective approach. Although no one would advocate for large classes in every discipline or instance, we should review what we do in light of new financial contingencies, while keeping an eye on what students learn.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • the growing demand for a better-prepared work force, we need to revisit undergraduate education as a whole. We should re-examine the teacher/scholar model, for instance. Is it appropriate for every institution? Does that model really produce what it is supposed to: thinkers and makers, learned and professionally skilled graduates?
  • We should separate legitimate aspirations and a drive toward excellence from the costly and often fruitless pursuit of higher status—which may feed egos but is beyond the reasonable prospects of many institutions.
Joshua Yeidel

Op-Ed Columnist - The Quiet Revolution - NYTimes.com - 1 views

www.nytimes.com/...23brooks.html

higher_education accountability

shared by Joshua Yeidel on 23 Oct 09 - Cached
  • Joshua Yeidel on 23 Oct 09
     
    "When Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan came to office, they created a $4.3 billion Race to the Top fund. The idea was to use money to leverage change. The administration would put a pile of federal money on the table and award it to a few states that most aggressively embraced reform. "
  • Joshua Yeidel on 23 Oct 09
     
    How would the State of Washington (and Washington State University) respond to such a challenge?
  • S Spaeth on 26 Oct 09
     
    Reuven Carlyle suggests one answer to your question: http://reuvencarlyle36.com/2009/10/21/the-raging-glory-of-failure-race-to-the-top-funds/ He doesn't describe the proposal preparation process but I imagine that members of CTLT would make valuable contributions to the work.
Nils Peterson

Views: The Limitations of Portfolios - Inside Higher Ed - 1 views

www.insidehighered.com/...shavelson

shared by Nils Peterson on 20 Oct 09 - Cached
  • Gathering valid data about student performance levels and performance improvement requires making comparisons relative to fixed benchmarks and that can only be done when the assessments are standardized. Consequently, we urge the higher education community to embrace authentic, standardized performance-assessment approaches so as to gather valid data that can be used to improve teaching and learning as well as meet its obligations to external audiences to account for its actions and outcomes regarding student learning.
    • Nils Peterson
      Nils Peterson on 20 Oct 09
       
      Diigoed because this is the counter-argument to our work.
Joshua Yeidel

National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment - 1 views

www.learningoutcomeassessment.org/index.html

higher_education outcomes accountability

shared by Joshua Yeidel on 28 Oct 09 - Cached
  • Joshua Yeidel on 28 Oct 09
     
    This sounds like an arena in which our work ought to appear, and in which we might find others of like mind and mission. It's a surprisingly non-social site, however.
Nils Peterson

E-Portfolios for Learning: Limitations of Portfolios - 1 views

electronicportfolios.org/...limitations-of-portfolios.html

shared by Nils Peterson on 27 Oct 09 - Cached
  • Today, Shavelson, Klein & Benjamin published an online article on Inside Higher Ed entitled, "The Limitations of Portfolios." The comments to that article are even more illuminating, and highlight the debate about electronic portfolios vs. accountability systems... assessment vs. evaluation. These arguments highlight what I think is a clash in philosophies of learning and assessment, between traditional, behaviorist models and more progressive, cognitive/constructivist models. How do we build assessment strategies that bridge these two approaches? Or is the divide too wide? Do these different perspectives support the need for multiple measures and triangulation?
    • Nils Peterson
      Nils Peterson on 27 Oct 09
       
      Helen responds to CLA proponents
Joshua Yeidel

Privacy and Confidentiality: Holding IT Service Providers Accountable | EDUCAUSE - 0 views

www.educause.edu/...188606

higher_education cloud privacy

shared by Joshua Yeidel on 03 Nov 09 - Cached
  • Joshua Yeidel on 03 Nov 09
     
    " This ECAR research bulletin addresses the data privacy issues that must be covered by contractual language when entering into an agreement for externally provided IT services or for external consulting about institutional systems. It covers instances in which external agents have access to data that is considered confidential and/or where data can be linked to personally identifiable records. It is based on work done at The College of New Jersey between November 2008 and May 2009"
Gary Brown

Audio: Community Colleges Create a Measuring Stick - Community Colleges - The Chronicle... - 0 views

chronicle.com/...49087

accountability community colleges

shared by Gary Brown on 11 Nov 09 - Cached
  • Joe D. May: Community Colleges Create a Measuring Stick
  • Gary Brown on 11 Nov 09
     
    nothing new here beyond the headline, but another to save for our collection. "Transparency comes with risk," says Joe.
Theron DesRosier

CDC Evaluation Working Group: Framework - 2 views

www.cdc.gov/framework.htm

evaluation cdc program_evaluation accountability

shared by Theron DesRosier on 02 Dec 09 - Cached
  • Framework for Program Evaluation
  • Purposes The framework was developed to: Summarize and organize the essential elements of program evaluation Provide a common frame of reference for conducting evaluations Clarify the steps in program evaluation Review standards for effective program evaluation Address misconceptions about the purposes and methods of program evaluation
  • Assigning value and making judgments regarding a program on the basis of evidence requires answering the following questions: What will be evaluated? (i.e. what is "the program" and in what context does it exist) What aspects of the program will be considered when judging program performance? What standards (i.e. type or level of performance) must be reached for the program to be considered successful? What evidence will be used to indicate how the program has performed? What conclusions regarding program performance are justified by comparing the available evidence to the selected standards? How will the lessons learned from the inquiry be used to improve public health effectiveness?
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • These questions should be addressed at the beginning of a program and revisited throughout its implementation. The framework provides a systematic approach for answering these questions.
  • Steps in Evaluation Practice Engage stakeholders Those involved, those affected, primary intended users Describe the program Need, expected effects, activities, resources, stage, context, logic model Focus the evaluation design Purpose, users, uses, questions, methods, agreements Gather credible evidence Indicators, sources, quality, quantity, logistics Justify conclusions Standards, analysis/synthesis, interpretation, judgment, recommendations Ensure use and share lessons learned Design, preparation, feedback, follow-up, dissemination Standards for "Effective" Evaluation Utility Serve the information needs of intended users Feasibility Be realistic, prudent, diplomatic, and frugal Propriety Behave legally, ethically, and with due regard for the welfare of those involved and those affected Accuracy Reveal and convey technically accurate information
  • The challenge is to devise an optimal — as opposed to an ideal — strategy.
  • Theron DesRosier on 02 Dec 09
     
    Framework for Program Evaluation by the CDC This is a good resource for program evaluation. Click through "Steps and Standards" for information on collecting credible evidence and engaging stakeholders.
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