EMCC's ECN faculty have developed and implemented the common ECN211 (Macroeconomic Principles) final exam by first defining our discipline-wide Learning Objectives (LO) and then created multiple choice questions for the common final portion across all sections. Instructors recorded each students' response for each question in an excel spreadsheet and sent to me, who aggregated and analyzed the results (See attached). Overall results showed slight improvements in 4 LOs but 2 were worse than the previous semester. We each filled out a "Learning Outcomes Improvement Plan" (LOIP), a plan to focus on 3 areas where are students were weakest at and see if we can improve our teaching practices in those areas to improve the scores for next time (see attached). Overall results showed a slight improvement in results between the spring and fall semester, with one more LO scoreing above the 80% mark than in Spring 2012. My LOIP showed that two LOs had significant improvement and a third showed no improvement. The ECN faculty are now working on creating their LOIPs for the Spring 2013 semester.
Comments
Erik - good example of Action Research and closing the loop. I am curious as to what teaching practices will be used to improve student outcomes . . . I also like the idea of the improvement plan and the dialogue with others that will invariably result - all in the name of good teaching! Please share the practices discussed!
Pete
Hi Pete, each economics instructor makes their own decision on how to change the curriculum to address short comings in the learning objectives, and they document it by creating an improvement plan in response. I attached my plan that I started in Fall 2012 based on Spring 2012 results. It's difficult to point to specific change in the curriculum in response, but more of a general sense of awareness as to where my students are struggling. I make notes in my calendar that I need to pay special attention to a topic so I don't forget. I make sure to spend more time over more class periods reinforcing the material with beginning of class whiteboard questions, for example. Students of course need to be exposed to learning repeatedly for it to set-in, so it gives me a better road map on what needs extra attention to allocate class time more efficiently.