Authenticity for Assurance & Accountability

1 Authenticity for Assurance &. Accountability National Institute on the Assessment of Adult Learning June 8-10, 2016. Updated PPT June 7, 2016. Gretchen Wilbur School for New Learning DePaul University Session Objectives Participants will: Explore assessment qualities, standards, their intersectionality, and equity implications Explore themes of Authenticity as found in a practice-based inquiry project Engage in a collaborative analysis of an adult learning case study by applying an assessment framework with multi-dimensional characteristics. Identify authentic assessment processes that are relevant for the participants' settings. Premise 1. Authentic assessment for Assurance and Accountability enables greater equity and relevance for course-based and competence- based educational programs At the individual, program, and institutional levels When there are clearly articulated outcomes or competences, descriptive criteria, flexibility, and transparency Working Definitions Authenticity Teaching and assessment engage the expression of one's genuine Self in learning through: congruence between words and actions.

2 Full disclosure of criteria, expectations, agendas, and assumptions;. responsiveness to student-centered personhood; and performance of tasks that are worthy problems or questions faced by adult citizens (adapted from Wiggins, 1993, Cranton, 2001, Brookfield, 2006). Assurance Confidence and certainty that authentic assessment processes are provided through declarations of: clarity flexibility empathy Integrity (adapted from School for New Learning, DePaul University). Accountability Policy and procedures of assessment systems are: public and monitored articulate credit worthy standards for learning that are appropriate to context assessed by academic and/or credentialing experts (adapted from Council for Adult and Experiential Learning).

3 Premise 2: Multiple ways of expressing learning and competence Equity outcomes are pursued and supported when alternative means of expressing learning are sanctioned and valued. Diversity in means of demonstrating learning and competence can represent the same standards and criteria. Assessment tools ( , rubrics) and inter- rater reliability offer processes for equity and quality. Premise 3: Learning & Equity are vital in CBE & Assessment At the individual, program, and institutional level teaching and assessment must be: Strength-based Adaptive Social and situational Engaging and authentic Assessment Qualities and Standards Qualities Standards Clarity stresses communicating Credit is awarded for learning, not experience or time spent clear expectations by articulating criteria Assessment criteria are agreed Flexibility promotes upon and made public assessment of learning through multiple forms of evidence Assessment is an integral part of learning, not apart from it Empathy embraces individual perspectives and the context of Appropriate expertise for their learning.

4 Assessing learning and judging credit-worthiness Integrity focuses on applying transparent criteria and Credit and credentialing should indicators and informed expertise be appropriate to the context in which it is awarded Themes in our project-based inquiry findings (Wilbur, Marienau, & Fiddler, 2012). Intersection of qualities and standards leads PLA to legitimize: multiple voices multiple learning dimensions/modalities multiple contexts multiple authorities equity outcomes Themes in our project-based inquiry findings (Wilbur, Marienau, & Fiddler, 2012). While there needs to be clarity and specificity, there must also be flexibility within the standards and criteria and their application in the hands of assessors to better: discern students' developmental and reflective thinking provide a more balanced assessment Themes in our project-based inquiry findings (Wilbur, Marienau, & Fiddler, 2012).

5 Assessor expertise in the area of competence and/or outcomes is necessary for accurate prior learning assessment. There is a valued and (credit) worthy place for student-constructed competencies and outcomes. Assessment is an integral part learning and is an Accountability feedback loop at the individual, program, and institutional system levels. Competence Statement: H4. Can analyze power relations among racial, social, cultural or economic groups in the United States. Competence Criteria: 1. Describes the unequal power relations between at least two racial, social, cultural, or economic groups in the United States. 2. Identifies the historical, sociological, or economic dynamics under which these groups came to be in conflict.

6 Content and Communication Standards Handout Excerpts Student's work addresses the competence and criteria at a college level of proficiency. analyze the topic engage with the ideas of others connect experience, knowledge, and subject matter to the competence Student describes and reflects on own experiences/knowledge as they relate to the competence statement and criteria. Student relates others' views on the competence concepts and ideas to learning experiences and/or demonstrates the ability to view competence-related experiences from multiple perspectives. Focus and conclusion(s) are clear. Presentation format is well organized, coherent, skillfully executed and appropriate to both the topic and audience.

7 The first artifact is a PowerPoint presentation I recently created (F7_Artifact_PowerPoint), Days of Rage My second artifact is a video presentation I. created for the same project. Student-constructed Competence--Focus Area: Can utilize digital media tools in storytelling and articulate the value of technology in the creative process. Competence Criteria: 1. Produces a storytelling artifact utilizing digital media tools. 2. Articulates the value of technology in the creative process Questions for faculty and program developers to prompt authentic assessment How do you ensure that assessment criteria are specific, clear, flexible, and aligned with competence standards?

8 In what ways do criteria for each competence/outcome represent a range on Bloom's taxonomy? How do you legitimize the social, emotional and intellectual dimensions of learning in your assessment criteria and process? How does your assessment process honor multiple ways of knowing and learning when demonstrating competence/outcomes? How do you identify assessors with expertise to accurately judge credit worthiness? How do you ensure there is inter-rater reliability among assessors? Session Objectives Did we: Explore assessment qualities, standards, their intersectionality, and equity implications Explore themes of Authenticity as found in a practice-based inquiry project Engage in a collaborative analysis of an adult learning case study by applying an assessment framework with multi-dimensional characteristics.

9 Identify authentic assessment processes that are relevant for the participants' settings. For more . Navarre Cleary, M., Wozniak, K., Marienau, C., Wilbur, G., Tolliver Atta, D., & Meyer, P. (2016 in press). Learning, adults and competency-based education. In K. Rasmussen, P. Northrup & R. Colson (Eds.), Handbook of research on competency-based education in university settings. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. Wilbur, G., Marienau, C., & Fiddler, M. (2012). Authenticity for Assurance and Accountability : Reconnecting standards and qualities for PLA competence and course-based frameworks. PLA Inside Out: An International Journal on Theory, Research and Practice in Prior Learning Assessment, 1(2).

10 Special thanks to Dane Charbeneau for giving permission to share his work.