Course Description:

Overview  

The on-line portion of this web-based version of TELC 4002 will contain fifteen modules of instruction that will involve the graduate student in electronic research, dialogue with teaching colleagues and administrators, and generation of products resulting from assigned activity. The fifteen modules focus on three areas of teaching effectiveness including:

Three Areas of Teaching Effectiveness:

I. Facilitating Learning and Instruction

II. Evaluating Learning Outcomes

III. Maintaining Professionalism

The fifteen modules are designed to reflect the established content of the course and pair with the College of Education's Knowledge Base. Each of the fifteen modules will require action research requirements in which the graduate student will design and field test materials with classroom students and/or evaluate curriculum and curriculum assessment and evaluation measures previously implemented in a reflective manner. Results of this action research will be reported to the professor electronically. Both traditional and authentic assessment sources will be utilized to configure a grade for the course. Graduate students of the course will experience web resources and electronic curriculum connections. They will participate in discussion board activity with the following role groups:

Discussion Board Role Group Participants:

Local State and National Teacher Education Organizations

PDS Professional Development School Sites in the United States

University Consultants from the Education Department of Austin Peay State

Contributions to the Conceptual Framework of the Education Department

Contributions Conceptual Framework and Objectives:

The following are contributions to the School of Education Conceptual Framework for Teacher Preparation Major Knowledge Base Categories:

I. Facilitating Learning and Instruction

D. Evaluating Learning Outcomes

10. The teacher develops skills of analyzing learning problems, diagnosing remedies, and evaluating instruction

b. Demonstrates ability to prescribe strategies for remediating problems in learning

c. Demonstrates the ability to evaluate the effectiveness of remedial strategies

11. While evaluating pupil progress, the teacher has skills to construct evaluation instruments, gather evidence, use the results to diagnose and/or assess learning, and interpret these results to the students and others

a. Awareness of various evaluating techniques in measuring student progress

b. Demonstrates the ability to construct valid and reliable evaluative instruments

c. Can interpret and explain proper procedures for the administration of various evaluation instruments

d. Can use results of evaluation to assess student progress and determine appropriate learning strategies

e. Can communicate evaluative results to others

II. Understanding and Appreciating Diversity

B. Diversity and Instruction

1. can identify when and how to refer students in need of special services

2. includes multicultural perspectives in instructional activities

III. Maintaining Professionalism

A. Teacher as Learner and Scholar

1. demonstrates a knowledge of the professional literature related to their area(s) of licensure and education in general

2. has knowledge of relevant professional organization in their field of specialization

3. demonstrates a knowledge of teacher effectiveness research and reflect this knowledge during clinical experiences

4. can evaluate his/her own teaching performance in a self-evaluative and reflective manner

6. can use evaluations to modify current teaching strategies

7. engages in action research to improve instruction

Course Objectives:

Objectives:

1-The graduate student/inservice teacher will be introduced to the process involved in acting as a reflective practitioner.

2-The graduate student will have an opportunity to practice an analytical approach to self-evaluation as it relates to improving teacher effectiveness and promoting curriculum enhancement in his/her classroom through understanding the use and application of tests and other measures of evaluation.

3-The graduate student will become aware of recent and significant research on evaluation of teaching and learning which has positively impacted the profession of teaching.

4-The graduate student will become familiar with best practice strategies of evaluation of teaching and learning as reflected in the body of research of the literature which supports and instructs the practice.

5-The graduate student will revisit the process and methodology of assessing student performance considering the most effective way to measure understanding of content and skill level development in students. They will be involved in decision making in creating assessment plans for the specific purpose of evaluating and grading considering the advantages and appropriate use of both performance based assessment and traditional assessment.

6-Graduate students/teachers will become familiar with the research in the literature regarding best practice of assessment and evaluation in the preparation of undergraduate teacher education candidates.

7-The graduate student/teacher will become familiar with the Tennessee State Framework Curriculum.

8-The graduate student/teacher will be involved in the process of creating curriculum maps for specific content from the Tennessee State Framework.

9-The graduate student/teacher will be come familiar with the research in the body of  literature related to school reform and renewal from the last twenty years.

10-The graduate student/teacher will become familiar with the NCATE standards on teacher preparation.

11-The graduate student/teacher will become familiar with state standardized testing, interpretation of testing results, and reporting to parents.

12-The graduate student/teacher will examine techniques for improving instructional planning that correlate to both formative and summative evaluation.

13-The graduate student/teacher will explore and discuss ways to increase student motivation.

14-The graduate student/teacher will explore and discuss with other colleagues and administrators ways of improving instructional practice through more realistic and efficient methods of assessment and evaluation.

15-The graduate student/teacher will communicate with professional organizations including the National Teachers Association and professional organizations for the individual content areas of the core curriculum of studies regarding assessment and evaluation techniques in that specific area as advocated and supported by research in the body of literature

16-The graduate student/teacher will explore and analyze effective means for improving school communication between faculty and professionals within their building and with other educators in faculties throughout the local district system for the specific and exact purpose of staff development in the area of student assessment.

17-The graduate student/teacher will explore and analyze effective means to improve school community communication for the exact and specific purposes of improving the practitioner's ability to assess student learning and performance and use that information hence to improve the educational program of the school.

18-The graduate student/teacher will explore and discuss the concept of professionalism by association as it relates to professional membership in content related organizations.

19-The graduate student/teacher will explore the concept of school renewal and school improvement plans including assessment and evaluation options the would impact the programs of the school and the overall instructional climate of the school as building level changes which would inevitably impact and improve the delivery systems of schooling for P-12 students.

20-The graduate student/teacher will become familiar the PDS Professional Development School Model including:

-Definition of professional development schools

-Characteristics of successful and effective PDS according to national research

-The PDS mission of the Collaborative Model Professional Development School for Austin Peay State University and the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System

21-The graduate student will gain a knowledge of the various information gathering methods and tools of assessment.

22-The graduate student will develop an understanding of the purpose and use of evaluation.

23-The graduate student will become familiar with:

-vocabulary used in evaluation

-procedures used in the evaluation process

-sources of pupil information within the school

24-The graduate student will understand the purpose and function of standardized information gathering devices.

25-The graduate student will become aware of the importance of securing the best available information in making educational decisions.

26-the graduate student will gain knowledge in constructing better teacher-made evaluative instruments.

27- The graduate student will construct an evaluation device or test for optimal use with his/her classroom.

28-The graduate student should review instruments that measure attitudes of students

29-The graduate student will be able to explain the meaning and interpretation of the consequences of basic testing characteristics such as reliability, validity, standard error, and standard deviation.

30-The graduate student will be able to configure and defend a grading system which includes a consideration of assessment elements and evaluation theory.

This is an upper division course in the Department of Education. Students should file a plan of study with the Director of Graduate Studies if pursuing an advanced degree.

Module I  Classroom Decision-Making and Using Assessment

Module II Describing the Goals and Learning Targets of Instruction

Module III Validity of Assessment Results

Module IV Reliability of Assessment Results

Module V Professional Responsibilities, Ethical Behavior, and Legal Requirements in Educational Assessments

Module VI Completion, Constructed Response, and True and False Items

Module VII Multiple Choice and Matching Exercises

Module VIII Essay Assessment Tasks

Module IX Higher Order Thinking, Problem-Solving, and Critical Thinking

Module X Formal and Informal Diagnostic Assessment

Module XI Preparing Students to be Assessed and Using Student Results to Improve Assessments

Module XII  Evaluating and Grading Student Progress

Module XIII Interpreting Norm-Referenced Scores

Module XIV Finding and Evaluating Published Results

Module XV Scholastic Aptitude, Career Interests, Attitudes, and Personality Tests

Students are expected to review printed materials in the student text, electronically correspond with student colleagues during discussion board interactions, and examine and utilize the Prentice Hall Companion Website: Virtual Learning Environment offered through the text: Educational Assessment of Students by Anthony J. Nitko.  This special requirement exposes the student to a variety of meaningful resources through a user-friendly website which is organized by chapters.

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain current textbook information for this course:  http://rodp.bkstr.com

Best Practice- New Standards for Teaching and Learning in America's Schools, by Steven Zemelman, Harvey Daniels, and Arthur Hyde, Second Edition, Pub., Heinemann, Portsmouth, NH., 1998.

Educational Testing and Measurement-Classroom Application and Practice by Tom Kubiszyn and Gary Borick, Fifth Edition, pub., Harper Collins College, 1996. 

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Secific hardware requirements for this course include...

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific software requirements for this course include Quick Time player and Microsoft Office with Microsoft 2001. All student work must be submitted to the instructor in the format of Microsoft Word.  Download your free Quick Time Player at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/ and select download, then select the appropriate version of Quick Time for you operating system.

Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.

There are no formal summative assessment in the form of examinations..  The comprehensive grade for the course is based on the completion of the fifteen electronic modules and the quality of interaction with the instructor and student colleagues during the development of the modules.

Evaluation and grading of student performance on the electronic modules will constitute the grade for the course.  There are summative formal examinations for the course.  Student interaction with the instructor and student colleagues with be judged as follows:

Grade of A Significant and frequent interaction and communication initiative

Grade of C Moderate appropriate interaction and communication initiative

Grade of F Insufficient and very limited interaction and communication

93  -  100 A 
85  -    92 B
77  -    84 C
69  -    76 D
Below       F

Class participation and individual communication during class activities is an extremely important aspect and requirement of this course. The nature of the course demands high levels of initiative on the part of individuals to connect to others enrolled in the class, to other human resource people linked to the course, and to the professor of the course. A grade will be given for class participation. Class participation is defined as initiative for communication and interaction with the instructor, classmates, and colleagues both through internet discussion boards and during face-to-face seminar meetings.  

Discussion Boards:

 Students will have two discussion board options:

Discussion Board: Professional Connections [CMCEA TEA NEA Professional Teacher Organizations]

Discussion Board: Teacher's Lounge [Class Colleagues and Inservice Educators]

Students are expected to initiate work on the electronic modules beginning the first week of the semester beginning with Module #1 and work in a numerical order from module 1-15.  Modules are to be submitted at completion via the WebCT assignments drop box.  The calendar in assignments indicates a timeline and due date schedule for completion of the electronic modules for the course.

Course Ground Rules:

Student Participation Expectations:

Class participation and individual communication during class activities is an extremely important aspect and requirement of this course. The nature of the course demands high levels of initiative on the part of individuals to connect to others enrolled in the class, to other human resource people linked to the course, and to the professor of the course. A grade will be given for class participation. Class participation is defined as initiative for communication and interaction with the instructor, classmates, and colleagues.

Students are expected to learn how to navigate the internet and keep abreast of announcements that are posted. Students are expected to address technical problems immediately. Students are expected to observe netiquette at all times. Failure to do this will constitute unprofessional behavior and can negatively affect the student's grade for the course.  

• Columbia Guide to Online Style by Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor
• Citation Styles Online http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html
• Prentice Hall Companion Website: A Virtual Learning Environment http://cwx.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubbooks/nitko/

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses. 

Students With Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Technical Support