Using Bloom’s Taxonomy as a Grouping Mechanism for Student Feedback By: Brian Pinney, Ph.D.
Educational Specialist Bloom’s Taxonomy was initially envisioned as more than a mere measurement tool. Bloom believed it could serve as a means for determining the congruence of educational objectives, activities and assessments in a unit or course, and a basis for which the breadth and depth of a particular academic endeavor could be contrasted (Bloom, 1956, p.212). In the spirit of extending the utility of Bloom’s Taxonomy, I propose an alternative use for coding exam items using Bloom’s as a feedback mechanism for students and faculty. For this approach, it is not important that one code to all levels of Bloom’s but rather a simplified approach that is typically made by determining “lower-order cognitive” and “higher-order cognitive” groups. “Remembering”, “Understanding”, and “Applying” are considered lower-order cognitive skills while “Creating”, “Evaluating”, and Analyzing” are considered higher-order cognitive skills. I would encourage dividing the lower-order group into “Recall” and other lower-order skills. We know that straight recall is different than Application and that Application often requires practice in context. Ability to recall is often is determined by students seeing something a sufficient number of times.
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Helping Students Think Through The Best AnswerBy: Michelle Rogers-Johnson, Ph.D. Educational Specialist “I have a list of options, most of which seem correct. How do I select the best answer?” This is one of students’ most frequently asked questions. During my interview for this position, a faculty member asked me a similar question, “How do you support students who struggle with choosing the best answer?“ on a multiple choice exam.
I remember struggling to formulate a response for that interview question. At the time, I stated, “choosing the best answer is a skill that depends on your ability to reason in the discipline and analyze a situation. The best answer depends on the situational context.” While I gave a response, it was not satisfactory as it did not really provide any enlightening strategies for enhancing students’ ability to answer these types of questions. Instructors can help students prepare for such exams by teaching with, and having students compare and contrast, a variety of examples ranging in difficulty (easy to difficult) that the student can expect to encounter in the real world. (Yelon, 1996). This is especially important for novices, who will struggle to recognize and distinguish between different conditions that present similarly. The more clear examples they see, the more likely they are to obtain a better sense of how the content can be applied to different situations. Accessibility 101 – test your knowledgeBy: Vanessa Preast, Ph.D., DVM
Digital Accessibility & Instructional Specialist To keep with this month’s theme of assessment, we have a little quiz for you to test your knowledge about accessibility. If you scored 80% or better, stop by CTL to claim a reward. This quiz is also a learning opportunity because you can view feedback and resources on your responses after submitting the quiz. |
AuthorCenter for Teaching and Learning staff Archives
May 2017
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