Published Article / This article describes a process of student learning outcomes assessment for a health sciences programme in radiography at a university in South Africa. Its purpose is to demonstrate that while the process of student learning outcomes assessment is universal, it can be used both nationally and internationally. As long as underlying premises are met, assessment needs to be considered within the context of a country's unique culture, society and history. Underlying premises include understanding the institution's mission and vision, determining that the programme's mission and vision are congruent with those of the institution, and involving faculty early in the assessment process.

acase@tulane.edu / This dissertation uses a mixed methods design to analyze how the Colombian student-centered school model Escuela Nueva affects learning outcomes, and how well the model is implemented. Primary data from 78 schools in the department Quindío show large variation in implementation across schools, both overall and with regard to the model elements. On average, schools implement only around 62% of the elements. While schools that are officially classified as Escuela Nueva tend to implement more elements than conventional schools, the difference is not large, and considerable variation exists within each group. Qualitative data confirms these heterogeneities, and suggests that differences across schools are even larger than captured by the quantitative data, given the different ways in which the program is being used or adapted in practice. Learning outcomes are measured as scores on the national standardized test Pruebas SABER. Multilevel modeling techniques are used to analyze the scores from over 810,000 students in 21,235 schools across Colombia. The results show that students in schools that are officially classified as Escuela Nueva score significantly better, the difference amounting to 10.5 to 23.2 points (0.14 to 0.30 standard deviations). This effect is comparable to the effect of the difference of one socioeconomic level. Furthermore, Escuela Nueva tends to decrease the achievement gaps between socioeconomic levels and genders. The analysis also reveals large differences in the effect of the school model across municipalities and departments. For the department Quindío, the effect of the school model is analyzed using an implementation index instead of the official classifier. Data is available for 1,068 students in 76 schools, representing half of the department’s rural primary schools. Multilevel estimation generally shows no effect of program implementation, but cannot take into account the large relative sample size. Survey estimation techniques reveal a large effect of Escuela Nueva implementation for grade 3 mathematics and for civic competencies, where the difference in the expected score between a school with a low and one with a high implementation index is 140 to 220 points. The department-level analysis also confirms that the Escuela Nueva model helps to close gaps between socioeconomic levels. / 1 / Katharina Hammler

This thesis validates the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory for the first time in a field based environmental setting using a water quality-monitoring program within a girls' high school and compares the cognitive achievement of students in the water quality-monitoring school with those in non-water quality-monitoring schools. The psychosocial learning dimensions of the water quality-monitoring program are assessed using a modified form of the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory.The results indicate that students involved in the water quality-monitoring school were more homogenous and ranked higher in their cognitive achievement and transferability of concepts than students in the non-water quality-monitoring schools. Pre and post testing together with anecdotal information affirmed that there was a direct association between the quantitative results and qualitative information in relation to the learning dimension scales of the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory.Comparisons were made between similar water environmental programs in different countries and the water quality-monitoring school program results. The use of skills and constructivist techniques indicates that the water quality-monitoring program together with real life problem solving work is an effective method for improving science learning.

The study reported in this dissertation investigated the relationships between thinking style, participation in classroom dialogue and learning outcomes. Classroom dialogue is a commonly used method for teaching and learning, and ways/strategies of taking advantage of classroom dialogue to optimise learning need to be specified. The study addresses this issue. Talking has traditionally been viewed as the main way of participation in classroom dialogue, and there is evidence for its learning benefit. However, silent participants have largely been overlooked and little is known about the function of listening with regard to learning. There is arguably a need to investigate the effects of both talking and listening on learning outcome. At an individual level, talking and listening do not serve all students equally well and individual characteristics should be considered when studying how students benefit from diverse participation behaviours. Thinking style, one aspect of individuality, is rarely related to participation in classroom dialogue nor has the corresponding learning outcomes been investigated previously: this will be addressed in the study. The study focuses particularly on high school students in mainland China, a group of people about whom there is relatively little material. A mixed-method research design was adopted, with the quantitative approach dominating. The Thinking Style Inventory - Revised II (Sternberg, Wagner & Zhang, 2007) was used to measure thinking styles. Talking and listening were considered as two forms of participation in classroom dialogue, with systematic observation being employed to collect data on talk and a newly designed questionnaire used to measure listening. Learning outcomes were illustrated through academic achievement and cognitive ability, with the former being measured by final-examination scores and the latter by the Sternberg Triarchic Ability Test (Sternberg, 1993). A series of statistical analyses were conducted and the results can be summarized as follows. Both talking and listening in classroom dialogue were found to be likely to facilitate academic achievement. Thinking style was significantly associated with participation in classroom dialogue. No relationship was found between thinking style and learning outcomes. Students’ thinking styles affected how they benefited from talking and listening, especially in mathematics. This study provides new perspectives on making use of classroom dialogue at both classroom and individual levels.

The goal of general education is to provide students with an education that is broad and holistic, teaching transferable intellectual skills such as critical thinking, written and oral communication, problem solving and teamwork. General education courses are typically offered through the academic subjects of mathematics, science, English, and social science. Recent studies document concern that college graduates are not capable of demonstrating the intellectual skills expected. Through the use of content analysis, this study examined institutional practice to determine if the goals of general education are being met. A nationally representative sample of general education course syllabi and work products were analyzed for evidence of the intellectual skills expected of students and if those expectations were communicated. Findings indicate that learning expectations were not consistently provided and the goals of general education to deliver complex cognitive skills were not met. Implications provide insight for those responsible for general education reform.

The Building Construction Science program at Mississippi State University is undergoing a major curriculum review and revision process in preparation for accreditation by the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE). This will be the program’s first attempt at accreditation in its 10-year history. None of the faculty in the program have ever been through an accreditation – making the process more challenging. What’s more, the accrediting body recently adopted an outcomes-based approach to curriculum review that hinges on programs demonstrating student achievement of 20 different student learning outcomes. These outcomes have been recognized by many as ambiguous and difficult to define – reducing motivation of programs and their faculty to move forward with accreditation. This has been the impetus for this study. The purpose of this research was to define what the 20 student learning outcomes mean for the BCS program and identify the program’s effectiveness toward including the outcomes required for accreditation into their curriculum and assessing student achievement. The study was conducted in three parts: Defining the 20 outcomes, mapping outcomes to the curriculum, and identifying assessments used to measure student achievement of the outcomes. A modified Delphi was used that incorporated the Nominal Group Technique for initial data gathering and 2 stages of surveys to identify the most essential learning criteria that define each learning outcome. The Delphi included a sample of BCS faculty, Alumni, and construction industry members. A syllabus review of the program’s core construction courses was used to map the outcomes through the curriculum and identify assessments connected to the intended outcomes. The results of the inclusion mapping were organized into three categories of Missing, Adequate, or Overlapping. The results of the study generated an initial list of 355 learning criteria across the 20 student learning outcomes that were reduced to a final list of 173 criteria identified as essential to demonstration of student achievement for the learning outcomes. The curriculum evaluation showed that nearly two-thirds of the learning outcomes are likely being redundantly included in the curriculum, and about five are missing. Assessments were shown to be included in all courses but many were difficult to connect to specific learning outcomes.

This thesis presents two research problems regarding the evaluation of the learning outcomes and the curricular organization of the TESOL minor internship course at Brigham Young University. First, the course learning outcomes have not been revisited after their initial design which demands the need for assessment. Additionally, the current curricular organization of the course does not allow for all learning outcomes to apply to students enrolled in the course, as some of the students do their internships internationally which prevents them from participating in the sessions held locally during their internship. In an effort to find solutions to these two problems, data were gathered from the five main stakeholders of the internship course: university administrators and advisors, TESOL faculty, TESOL program coordinators, TESOL internship providers, and students who have enrolled in the TESOL minor internship course. The analysis of the data collected resulted in recommendations for the change and revision of the current learning outcomes into four new ones and the division of the internship curricular organization into two new components: an internship prep course, and in-service support sessions.

The purpose of this dissertation is to evaluate the relationship between student performance and their performance on the Major Field Test (MFT). The MFT purports to adequately assess student mastery and achievement in the college major, in this case psychology. The major advantages of the MFT over internally-created instruments are its standardized content, its established national norms, and its connection to the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The MFT is the most widely used standardized test for learning outcomes assessment within psychology departments. The first hypothesis, that MFT scores are reflective of summary curricular values (i.e. GPA), was not supported when ACT composite scores are regressed out. ACT composite score by itself is predictive of MFT performance which casts doubt on its claim to be reflective of achievement in one’s college program. The results of the second hypothesis, regarding prediction of MFT scores from grades in specific courses within the major, provided positive support for the use of the MFT test. In this second analysis, we found higher multiple R-squared values for predicting MFT scores from specific course grades with R-squared values substantially stronger than the ACT bivariate regression of hypothesis 1. This helps to support the claim that the MFT measures specific achievement within one’s major. The results for the third hypothesis, prediction of MFT from particular mix of courses taken in the major, were somewhat supportive. Prediction of MFT scores was found to be strongest for the subscale area Perception and Physiology, and the strongest predictor of these scores (t value of 3.78) is student completion of the Brain, Behavior, and Cognition course group.

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This thesis develops understanding in using outdoor adventure as a tool for learning for young people. It examines how adventure pedagogy may be applied in conjunction with classroom education to offer physical and visual means to enhance classroom theory. The core of the study was the examination of a local authority Adventure Team, identified by the Authority management as having strayed from its roots, although not perceived as ‘failing’. The researcher became insider-researcher to combine professional experience with research knowledge, envisaging this study as the pre-cursor to an action research team development project. The aims of the research were whether the Team was delivering the ‘learning’ mandated by its youth work location and whether it could strengthen its delivery. The study defines adventure, before exploring the underpinning concepts making up the elements of ‘The Adventure Team’ and its identity within the local authority. Literature advocates adventure as a powerful tool to develop social and emotional literacy, which dovetails into Government agendas on health and education. Although the study was undertaken prior to the current coalition Government, the principal agenda remains consistent with the previous regime. The Government at the time of the research promoted adventure as a means to help young people learn about the world in which they live, and the current Government has not rescinded this ambition. This work embodies learning as an interactive process whereby adventure can engage the individual on an agenda of personal and social awareness, as well as cognitive learning. Using case study as the research approach, data collection was achieved using interviews, participant observation and secondary data. The research found that the Team could achieve more by developing closer working relationships and by the Authority leadership being strengthened to offer greater direction and support. The framework of delivery was centralising the Team such that it had become isolated, with little governance and without partnerships to make the programmes as powerful as they could be. The conclusion is that the Team could fortify its delivery through alliances to provide visual and physical means to reinforce and support traditional learning, which enhances understanding. Informal learning helps young people to understand how they learn and how they can apply learning, which augments motivation and creates ownership of the learning. The research is a forerunner to at least two future research studies. Firstly an examination of the legacy of the ‘Learning Outside the Classroom’ Manifesto (2006) and secondly, an exploration of the influence of the coalition Government’s assumption of power on multi-agency partnerships, early intervention and targeted youth support, as was envisaged under the previous regime as the ‘Every Child Matters’ (2003) agenda. In addition to this, a book exploring how adventure can be used to address formal and informal learning as an ‘off the shelf’ resource to present activities and potential outcomes has enormous potential in the sustained delivery of outdoor learning as a valuable learning tool.