Assessment Planning

AMAT 180: Introduction to Biomathematics. I will not focus on a particular unit but rather on the assessments toward student culminating research project (this culmination research project reflects aggregate knowledge/skills acquired by students). Learning objective(s): The student selects his/her own topic (biological problem) with the guidance of the instructor. At the end of this activity, the student should be able to (higher order skills): 1. construct a mathematical model that represents the selected biological system; and 2. write a research paper about the constructed mathematical model. Specifically, the student should be able to: 1. list existing studies about the biological problem; 2. identify the appropriate mathematical modeling formalism to represent the biological system; 3. discuss the assumptions of the mathematical model; 4. translate the biological system into mathematical expressions; 5. perform mathematical calculations to analyze the model; and 6. interpret mathematical results relevant to the biological problem.

The methods discussed below are essential to attain the objectives towards the culminating research project. Assessments Table Method Characteristics 1. group discussions (see Students (group) will be given topics to discuss. This activity http://jomarrabajante.weebly.com/ runs during the whole course, and is monitored by the guide-for-online-discussion.html instructor. This activity is intended to prepare students (in for example) collaboration with fellow learners) in attaining the following objectives: - identify the appropriate mathematical modeling formalism to represent the biological system; - discuss the assumptions of the mathematical model; - translate the biological system into mathematical expressions; - interpret mathematical results relevant to the biological problem. Informal. Subjective. Authentic. Formative. Peer-assessed and instructor-assessed. 2. Article reading using thinkThis activity targets the objective: list existing studies about pair-share and mind mapping (see the biological problem. Students need to understand related http://jomarrabajante.weebly.com/ literature pertaining to their research topic. sample-online-class-activity.html) Both formal and informal. Both objective and subjective. Authentic. Formative. Peer-assessed and instructor-assessed.

3. problem sets

I did not focus on the activities of a certain unit because the units of this course are divided based on the different mathematical modeling techniques. Each unit will have only one type of assessment: answering problem set. And there will be a culminating research project at the end of the units (although the process of project-making runs through-out the course). I also want to focus on the application side of the course which is the research output. Problem sets assess technical skills, especially for targeting the objective: perform mathematical calculations to analyze the model. The student will be given 3 to 5-item problem set per unit. The items concentrate on applying specialized mathematical procedures for analyzing biological problems. Formal, objective, traditional, diagnostic, instructor-assessed. This activity is submitted at the end of the course (that is why peer-review is not feasible but classmates can comment during the development of the paper). Furthermore, the development of the research paper is continuous starting from the first unit (like developing an e-portfolio). The research paper is submitted embedded on a webpage (e.g. using weebly.com), so that development of the paper can be tracked and reviewed by classmates and the instructor (i.e., not just submitted as one document at the end of the course). Formal, objective and subjective, authentic, summative and holistic, self-assessed and instructor-assessed.

4. the culminating research project

Assessment Planning Activity

Name of the activity: Article reading using think-pair-share and mind mapping (see http://jomarrabajante.weebly.com/sample-online-class-activity.html) Activitys learning objectives: summarize how the author of the article models the biological phenomena and how the author analyzed the model

Which assessment method(s) will be used to evaluate the students work in this activity? Check all that apply. Informal feedback method Knowledge probe Muddiest point One-minute paper Other (describe) Authentic method / Discussion Case study Paper Presentation Portfolio Journal, diary, or blog Task or performance demonstration / Other (describe) mind-mapping

Objective test Multiple choice or True/False Fill in the blank Other (describe)

Open-ended test Essay Short descriptive answers

Other (describe): See the details in the http://jomarrabajante.weebly.com/sample-onlineclass-activity.html activity.

How will feedback be provided to students? Grade or score Written descriptive comments Discussions with students -wrong answer Feedback form or checklist Other (describe)

Assessment Rationale
Explain briefly your assessment rationale at the activity level. That is, why did you select the assessment method(s) and feedback mechanism(s) as fitting for the activity and their objective(s)? The assessment methods help in building student skills step by step. The feedback are ongoing and not only given at the end of the course.

Explain briefly your assessment rationale at the unit level (or course-level, if unit-level does not apply). That is, how does your selection of a collection of assessment methods across a whole unit (or course) reflect effective assessment practices for online learning? I think the methods are addressing learning as multidimensional and assessment is not an end in itself but a vehicle for educational improvement. The activities are more of a guide towards learning rather than doing pure examination of learned skills.

List here any contextual considerations that affect assessment choices, such as department or institution requirements, type of subject matter, number of learners, available technology, etc. Availability of subscription to journal articles.

What are some strengths of your assessment methods and feedback approach? What are some limitations? The activities and assessment methods are formative and building skills step by step toward a summative output (research project). These require more effort for the instructor in checking the output.

Technology considerations: Describe briefly how technology or specific tools will be used to conduct the assessments and provide feedback. A website platform for posting (e.g., weebly) and skype for discussion

What strategies might you use to address academic dishonesty, such as cheating, plagiarism, or student authentication issues? Perpetual checking of student output. Usually, students plagiarize when they are cramming. However, when students are encouraged to do their work continually then we can minimize academic dishonesty. The instructor can also check at the early stage if the student is already committing plagiarism.