What are the intended learning outcomes of the course? Do the learning outcomes reflect high-level cognitive skills or low-level skills (pay attention to the verbs)?
The course I chose in the area of my experience, Veterinary Medicine, offered more low level skills in their learning outcomes. In their outcomes, the use of the following verbs was emphasized, such as: name, state, list, identify – implying to me that lower level skills are being asked of the students here.
How is student learning assessed in the course (essays, quizzes, journals, machine-gradable tests, portfolios)?
Main assessments are made through check sheet assignment submissions, other written assignments, quizzes, exams as well as video demonstrations.
In what ways are the intended learning outcomes and the assessments aligned or not?
The discrepancy I see here is that most of the outcomes as well as assessments involve low level skills, except when it comes to their video demonstrations. Those in my opinion involve more high level cognitive skills (the ability to apply their learned skills into a physical performance of the skills, often times with unpredictable variables involved which requires them to trouble shoot and adapt quite quicky in a real time scenario). Their learning outcomes however do not allow for any higher level thinking in order to properly prepare for these video demonstrations, often times resulting in the the objectives of these submissions not being met.
Identify 2-3 items or assessments that are worded in such a way that they limit students to a unistructural or multistructural response at best and re-write them so that they require a relational response at worst and include the results in your post.
1) List and describe the steps in a complete dental prophylaxis.
-Develop a system that allows for the descriptin of the steps included in a complete dental prophylaxis.
2) State the deciduous and adult dental formulas for the dog and cat.
-Create a handout that shows the deciduous and adult dental formulas for dog and cat