Andrew teaches “Introduction to Research Methods” at a large Midwestern college. It’s
a junior-level course that enrolls about 60 students per term. Students complete two short
papers and a final exam for their grade.
The last two terms, Andrew has detected a slight falling off on both grades and student
evaluations, and he’s been getting more emails from students asking for clarification of
course concepts and/or more time to complete assignments. He’d like to find a way to
better measure student learning earlier in the course.
Elaine is teaching a large-enrollment Physics course that involves a great deal of
computational work. Student grades are based on attendance, homework exercises, three
non-cumulative tests, and a final exam.
Last week, Elaine and her colleagues learned of a new university-wide writing
competency requirement. The requirement means Elaine will have to add a written
assignment to the course. She wants to do so in a way that is meaningful for students and
that helps her gauge their understanding of course concepts.