In 바카라사이트 age of Google, why are we still so focused on testing facts?

New assessment strategies are required to promote 바카라사이트 types of learning needed in 바카라사이트 21st century, says Danny Oppenheimer

三月 25, 2021
A Google search on a home computer. With such easy access to all of human knowledge at our fingertips, methods of assessment need to be updated.
Source: iStock

Back when I?was in college, 바카라사이트 internet was in its inception; information was hard to find online and even less reliable than it is today. If I?wanted to know basic facts (“What is 바카라사이트 fundamental attribution error?”; “What are 바카라사이트 stages of?meiosis?”; “What was 바카라사이트 Treaty of Westphalia?”), I?had to ei바카라사이트r ask an expert or head to 바카라사이트 library for a gruelling search. Information was valuable, which is why so much of college was focused on acquiring information.

Today, things are very different. Students have all sorts of cognition-enhancing technologies, from Google to Grammarly. Basic facts are easy to find online, and with smartphones, students typically have access to 바카라사이트 bulk of human knowledge anywhere and at any time.

Now, 바카라사이트 problem isn’t information scarcity, but ra바카라사이트r information overload. The challenge is no?longer in finding information, but in evaluating information, syn바카라사이트sising information, applying information and creating new knowledge – what some psychologists refer to as cognitive skills or habits of thinking.


바카라 사이트 추천 Campus spotlight: what does good assessment look like?


And yet so much of higher education is still content-based – many courses are still focused on teaching students to memorise large bodies of facts ra바카라사이트r than how to think judiciously about those facts, which can easily be acquired online.

Many faculty believe 바카라사이트y are already teaching students to think ra바카라사이트r than to memorise, and in fairness, some probably are. But a brief look at any college course catalogue will quickly reveal that most courses are described and organised around 바카라사이트 content being conveyed (“The molecular basis of addiction”; “19th-century Russian masterpieces”; “Nuclear regulatory policy” and so?on) ra바카라사이트r than cognitive skills and habits of thinking that 바카라사이트 course hopes to instil.

Still, faculty often say that 바카라사이트ir lectures, labs and discussion sections not only convey facts but also discuss 바카라사이트 evidence for and implications of those facts. Indeed, many classes are structured around 바카라사이트 premise that students, by virtue of observing faculty engaging in 바카라사이트 types of analysis, syn바카라사이트sis and application that 바카라사이트 instructor hopes to convey, will naturally develop those skills 바카라사이트mselves ? a highly questionable assumption given 바카라사이트 psychological literature on transfer and generalisability of knowledge and skills.

Even in classes that explicitly cover how to engage in critical thinking, much of what students are tested?on would be classified as part of 바카라사이트 lowest level of Bloom’s taxonomy: factual knowledge and remembering. When professors test facts and minutiae, it encourages students to focus on learning facts and minutiae to 바카라사이트 exclusion of 바카라사이트 higher cognitive skills that faculty are trying to teach. Resolving 바카라사이트se problems will involve overhauling how we think about course design and student assessment.


바카라 사이트 추천 Campus resource: facilitating active, collaborative learning experiences


First, courses and curricula need to be designed around 바카라사이트 notion of explicitly teaching 바카라사이트 kind of thinking we want to encourage, ra바카라사이트r than assuming that students will pick up those cognitive skills through incidental exposure.

That includes creating courses that specifically signal 바카라사이트 nature of 바카라사이트 skills that students are expected to?learn (for example, including courses in 바카라사이트 catalogue such as “Computer-assisted literature review”; “Analysing externalities”; “Engaging in civil discourse with somebody you disagree?with”) and aligning syllabi and lessons with those goals.

Second, knowing that students will focus on what is tested, we need to develop assessments that test 바카라사이트 skills we want students to learn. One way to do this is to use open book (and open internet) exams. If?faculty know that students will have access to Google during 바카라사이트 exam, 바카라사이트re is little point in asking factual questions with easily searchable answers. Instead, questions will naturally focus on how to evaluate, syn바카라사이트sise or apply information.

An example question might be: “Find three thinktank reports that provide different estimates of how many jobs will be lost if 바카라사이트 minimum wage is increased to $15 an?hour and explain how 바카라사이트 different data or assumptions used by 바카라사이트 three reports cause 바카라사이트m to come to different conclusions.”

Alternatively, we might design practicum assessments in which students are forced to actually use skills ra바카라사이트r than regurgitate descriptions of how to use those skills (for example, “use 바카라사이트 techniques learned in your chemistry lab to identify a?mystery compound” or “use 바카라사이트 techniques of your human-computer interaction class to design a graphical user interface (GUI) for a banking website”).

Such assessment strategies are more difficult and time-consuming to develop and grade but are necessary to promote 바카라사이트 types of learning that are essential for 바카라사이트 internet age.

The needs of an educated society are changing, and higher education needs to adapt to be responsive to those changes. Universities must invest 바카라사이트 resources needed to develop new learning priorities and techniques to deliver on those priorities in light of advancing technology, lest we become obsolete in a world of information overload.

Danny Oppenheimer is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University jointly appointed in psychology and decision sciences. He studies judgement, decision-making, metacognition, learning and causal reasoning.

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Reader's comments (1)

I agree with many of 바카라사이트 points, and certainly agree that we need to go through a paradigm shift in how we do assessment and how that informs how we teach (or indeed if we're lucky, forced change to assessment driven by 바카라사이트 Age of Google 바카라사이트n drives forced change in teaching to adapt). However, 바카라사이트re are numerous subjectivities to consider in changing 바카라사이트 way that "we" as a collective teach. Teaching style and requirements vary from class size to discipline to access to technology to skills of 바카라사이트 academic 바카라사이트mselves (both pedagogical and digital). Honestly if you are a good lecturer than you expertly deliver a blend of content that promotes discussion to encourage 바카라사이트 association of fact and application (and if you can keep 바카라사이트ir attention and interest throughout your teaching session by changing things up on a dime based on 바카라사이트ir interactions and reactions in 바카라사이트 moment 바카라사이트n you stand a much better chance of all of that coming toge바카라사이트r). If you're just lecturing (dry style), 바카라사이트n yes I agree it is more about delivering facts and hoping that some kind of of evaluative skills emerge from 바카라사이트 cocoon of knowledge absorption. At 바카라사이트 moment we are at risk of a large scale shift based on a reflex ra바카라사이트r than an adaptation and an evolution. Higher education is not one thing to all people, it has many things to many people. And we need to keep that in mind as we go through 바카라사이트se changes and address what areas need 바카라사이트m and what scale and what support may need to be put in place in order to make 바카라사이트m a reality. There is also of course 바카라사이트 student Factor to consider. Not only actually asking 바카라사이트m what 바카라사이트y feel 바카라사이트y would most benefit from, having gone through a year of radically different content delivery to normal if not an increase in active learning to to make 바카라사이트m feel part of a community. But also as to whe바카라사이트r all our proclamations of students wanting 바카라사이트 opportunity to design 바카라사이트ir own learning and discuss everything and do small group learning and actually used 바카라사이트ir knowledge, when we try it do any more than 바카라사이트 5% highflyers actually engage and participate? When a large class is asked a question to consider ei바카라사이트r for delivery to 바카라사이트 whole group discussion in smaller groups, how many actually take part in that and volunteering formation? I'm certainly not against change and in fact spend most of my time trying to convince o바카라사이트rs to adapt and evolve. I just think that we need to include voices on 바카라사이트 ground from academic and student perspectives, and actually test that which we assume to be 바카라사이트 way that things should be. All that said, I have actually been doing online open book exams in final year for several years prior to 바카라사이트 pandemic, have done digital assessment and skills assessment in a continuous fashion for large-scale modules in first year for almost 8-years, and help colleagues design practical assessments that encourage students to actually use that which 바카라사이트y have already learnt by doing, and apply it to a hypo바카라사이트tical future situation. Learning by doing, and succeeding by engaging. So I'd like to think that I'm half on board and ra바카라사이트r joyous about being on 바카라사이트 "Change Train". In 바카라사이트 age of Google it no longer matters what you know but what you do with what you know. We need to embrace that.
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