Culture Shift in Assessment
Background
The Arts and Science Honours Academy (ASHA) is a unique enrichment program at the University of Calgary that allows students in the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Science to enhance their university experience by coming together and exploring how their different fields come together. The program involves taking several interdisciplinary courses, learning a new language and spending time abroad. Students must apply and be accepted into ASHA before the start of their first year. The first class that students take is ASHA 220: Quests and Questions. It is a full year course where they explore texts, think deeply, engage in productive disagreements and participate in inquiry activities. Dr. Mark Migotti has taught this course several times, but for Fall 2017 and Winter 2018, he co-taught the course for the first time with Dr. David Cramb. Dr. Migotti is a professor of philosophy, while Dr. Cramb comes from the Department of Chemistry. Although the two professors had different ideas about teaching and assessment, they were able to bring together their strengths and use their best ideas for the course.
Strategies
Effective co-teaching relies on a strong relationship between the partners. Dr. Migotti notes that he and Dr. Cramb immediately connected and were able to work together really well. While there were some challenges finding different assessments that fit together and developing a unified course, there were many benefits from working together.
A big part of ASHA 220 is reading and exploring texts deeply in context. Students read and respond to several different texts throughout the course, most of which Dr. Migotti had used in previous iterations of the course and was quite familiar with. However, Dr. Cramb got to read some of them for the first time with the students. This allowed for richer discussions within class, as students were able to see the process that a professor takes when exploring a new text, but there was still someone with expertise available to help guide discussions.
There is also the benefit of getting to combine several different assessment methods. Dr. Migotti likes to use essays and written assignments when students are responding to texts. He gave multiple written assessments over the course of the year. Dr. Cramb was not used to grading essays, so Dr. Migotti did most of that marking. He would give a handful of assignments to Dr. Cramb and they would see how closely their assessments matched. They were very consistent, which solidified Dr. Migotti’s rubrics and grading abilities, and gave Dr. Cramb the opportunity to do some grading that was outside of his comfort zone.
This was the first time that Dr. Migotti taught an introductory course without a final exam, at Dr. Cramb’s suggestion. His preference was creative assessments, such as integrated projects, presentations and skits. Dr. Migotti was surprised at how students were able to approach subtle material deeply and critically during these projects. Most were able to use their strengths in these creative projects, and they often were more engaged with the material than when they wrote essays. While Dr. Migotti says he may start using a final exam again, it was a good experience for him to teach a class without one. He also has a new appreciation for the capacity of creative projects.
Dr. Migotti has thought a lot about the grading scales and systems used at the University of Calgary and elsewhere. He observes that on our campus a “C” grade is officially considered average or competent when it has two full grade levels above it, while immediately below it is an insufficient grade. This point looms large in ASHA, where students are unusually capable, dedicated and prepared to work hard. In most other courses, there is a much larger range of student commitment, effort, and ability, which is reflected, in a larger range of grades. In ASHA, course grades tend to cluster at the top of the scale. Having another instructor present helped legitimize Dr. Migotti’s judgements about grades. In most cases, he and Dr. Cramb easily came to a consensus.
Outcomes
Students have a very positive experience in the course. It is their introduction to the ASHA program and their first opportunity to start thinking with an interdisciplinary mindset. While it can be challenging to change one’s thinking, having an entire year to work together in this way allows students to develop in their own time. Most of the work they produced throughout the year was very high quality and impressive. The variety of assessments and different approaches of the instructors demonstrated to students that differences can come together harmoniously, and that there is strength when arts and science combine.
Dr. Migotti was pleasantly surprised with how well the course worked, despite having two different instructors. He notes that both he and Dr. Cramb were able to implement their strongest ideas and allow themselves to be challenged in different ways. They had to trust one another and find a balance in the course, and when they did, it had a positive impact on everyone. Dr. Cramb has recently taken a new position at another university, so Dr. Migotti will be teaching the course by himself once again. However, he is excited to continue using what he learned from his co-teaching experience and to keep many of Dr. Cramb’s ideas in the course. He is excited to see how each new cohort of ASHA students approaches their introductory course and hopes to keep seeing engaged and excited students in his classes.
-Ashley Weleschuk
