Closing the Loop: The Value of Student Collaboration in Course Design and Assessment (poster 16)

Abstract

Background|At an increasing number of higher education institutions across the country, curriculum design and delivery is a product of collaboration between faculty members and students.|The goal of these pedagogical partnerships is to establish a meaningful relationship between faculty and students that leads to a higher quality of teaching, more effective course delivery, and graduates who are better prepared for the workplace.|Discussion offers different insights and perspectives of what students find engaging in the classroom.|Some faculty may feel it is the students' responsibility to become engaged. These instructors have been designing and delivering courses in their own manner for years and therefore have little inclination to change a system that works for them.|Students given a voice in course development are more engaged in the classroom and perform better academically because they have a more intimate knowledge of the course structure and expectations levels.|Whether assessment is formative (occurring during the process of learning) or summative (occurring at the end of the learning process), it provides information about what students know, what students can do, and what students hold of value. Assessment of student learning is a faculty-led process with support from the administration.