[RUME] Fwd: Calculus Assessment Request from Norway

[Alan Schoenfeld]

Hi All,

I wonder if you have some thoughts or resources that might help my 
Norwegian colleague Vidar Gynnild <Vidar.Gynnild at plu.ntnu.no>. I 
pointed him to the MAA Notes volume "Student Assessment in Calculus," 
but (gasp!) that's more than a decade old!

Thanks,
Alan Schoenfeld

>From: Vidar Gynnild <Vidar.Gynnild at plu.ntnu.no>
>To: Alan Schoenfeld <alans at berkeley.edu>
>Date: Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:24:31 +0200
>
>Hello Alan...
>
>I am contacting you this time just to ask if you know of one or more 
>articles dealing with students' competencies in calculus. I have 
>suggested to some of my colleagues within the Department for 
>mathematical sciences at NTNU (www.ntnu.no) that we might be able to 
>to generate what I call "achievement profiles" of students within 
>the basic calculus course in the Master of Engineering Program. Each 
>year, about 1500 first-year students are enrolled, and it would be 
>of interest to check if there are identifiable patterns in terms of 
>learning outcomes, e. g. for students in different study programs.
>
>This first-year calculus course is mandatory, but students attend 
>different classes and receive instruction from different professors. 
>If we are to do this study, I assume we would need categories to 
>capture the extent to which intended learning outcomes are met. I am 
>thinking of categories such as: high/low concpetual understanding; 
>high/low algorithmic ability; high/low computational ability and/or 
>maybe others. Furthermore, based on a descritpion of learing 
>outcomes (objectives) I assume we will be able to set up a desired 
>outcomes profile; and further based on a number of exams: an exam 
>questions profile, e. g. for the last 5 or 10 years, an exercise 
>profile based on weekly exercises, and achievement profiles for 5-10 
>years. At this is our first attempt in doing this kind of 
>educational measurement, I have suggested we might do our study on 
>the basis of data from only one semester (Fall of 2008).
>
>If we are able to figure out proper categories, we would be able to 
>analyse data, theorize about causes of achievement patterns, and 
>suggest interventions to improve learning in certain areas, e. g. by 
>curriculum and instructional re-design.
>
>I am wondering if you have been into this kind of studies as part of 
>your research? Are there acadmic articles that you know of that you 
>think would be helpful for us?
>
>Please let me know what you think.
>
>All best wishes,
>
>Vidar Gynnild
>Assoc Professor
>NTNU, Norway


-- 
##################################################
Alan H. Schoenfeld
Elizabeth and Edward Conner Professor of Education
Education, EMST, Tolman Hall # 1670
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-1670

Phone: 510-642-0968
Fax: 510-642-3769
email: alans at berkeley.edu

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