Transparency and Clear Expectations
“I always tell students that if you focus on the learning, good grades will follow” –Jim Stallard
Background
In many lower-level mathematics and statistics courses, many of the assessment methods involve solving basic, straightforward questions. While this helps them start using mathematical skills, it does not adequately prepare mathematics, statistics, or actuarial science majors for the types of questions they will be asked in later courses. Jim Stallard, a Teaching Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, tries to avoid this issue in a second year, post-calculus statistics course he often teaches: STAT 323: Introduction to Theoretical Statistics. Students need to have taken several calculus and a probability course as pre-requisites, so he expects them to be competent at solving simple problems and tries to challenge and push them further. There are usually between 70-110 students in the course, so he has to incorporate evaluation methods that challenge students given fixed instruction resources.
There are several different types of assessments in the course. A large percentage of the final grade comes from quizzes and exams. However, the low-weighted assignments provide the biggest learning opportunity for students.
Strategies
Stallard gives three assignments throughout the semester; each is worth 5% of the total course grade. There are 13-14 questions on each, eight of which are graded. These questions are selected specifically so that all of the relevant topics are covered. The other five or six are not marked, but they help balance out the overall difficulty of the assignment. Of the graded questions, one or two are designed with specific twists that increase their difficulty and the time required to figure out a solution. Although Stallard explains to students that they should start the assignment early and work on it consistently every day, many students initially disregard this. As a result, the first assignment is done poorly. Many students hand in incomplete work because they did not start it until the day before was due. Stallard has come to expect this, despite his constant reminders to students to start early. This assignment has become an opportunity for students to learn about managing time and tackling questions that are more intensive. The two later assignments have a better completion and success rate, as students start following the recommendation to devote some time each day to their assignments. This consistency helps them build a habit of practicing their skills and staying on top of the content. This is especially important because course concepts tend to build on one another. It also gives them time to ask questions or get help with problem areas.
Students are welcome to collaborate on the assignments, but they each have to hand in a separate assignment. Although Stallard has no official way to tell if students are copying one another, he notes that students who put time and effort into learning the content during the assignments are more likely to do well on the quizzes and exams, which often have similar questions. Occasionally, a few students will do significantly better on the assignments then the exams, and Stallard wonders about the reasons for these inconsistencies. Since the assignments are low weighted, he is not overly concerned about these reasons. Students still need to understand the content and be able to solve problems to succeed on the exams, which have a much bigger impact on their overall grade whether or not they pass the course. Students have the opportunity to use these assignments for their own learning and benefit, so it is their choice whether to take advantage of this.
Stallard uses some questions from the course textbook for assignments, along with some that he comes up with on his own. Designing the longer, challenge questions can be more difficult, as they have to be challenging and non-obvious but still have to be fair for students at a second-year level. Over time, he has gotten better at figuring out what types of questions to ask. Most students are able to work out the challenge questions if they dedicate enough time and effort to them. Stallard is always willing to help them with areas of confusion or with setting up a good approach.
Outcomes
Students find the course challenging and demanding, but they appreciate that through the hard work, they were able to learn a lot and move to more advanced classes with confidence. They know they have the ability to handle complicated problems and long solutions. While the development of time management skills is not listed as a course objective, it is essential to finishing the assignments, so most students come out of the course better equipped to handle time-consuming work. This skill will continue to benefit them throughout their academic and professional careers.
Stallard notes that it is essential for assessment methods to align with course content and objectives. He has found that in statistics, traditional assessments, such as assignments, quizzes, and exams, work well in helping students learn and apply new statistical strategies. He also mentions that a variety of assessments have been very helpful in his classes. He does not have to worry about hitting every objective in every assessment and students are able to have an occasional bad assignment and still be successful overall. He intends to continue using these assignments and pushing students to work hard and tackle high-level questions. He likes seeing students take on the challenges and realizing the types of problems they are capable of solving.
-Ashley Weleschuk
