newsadvancements and initiatives - Faculty Matters

Dawn This sounds terrific in theory, but
I know our faculty will want more details.
Can you explain what this technology will
actually look like?
Gailene The tool we are introducing
is called a Knowledge Check. It’s a
combination of three things: a lowstakes
formative assessment delivered
in the form of a weekly quiz with some
enhancements; a personal study guide,
which is a summary of the student’s
performance on that knowledge check;
and a faculty dashboard, which is a view
of the student’s performance with built-in
recommendations for intervention.
Marla Let’s imagine I’m a student in an
Economics class and I don’t understand the
concept of supply and demand. How will a
Knowledge Check help me?
Gailene In the middle of the week
all students are assigned a Knowledge
Check. When you answer a question on the
Knowledge Check and get it wrong, you, the
student, will receive immediate feedback
letting you know the answer wasn’t correct.
You’ll also be offered a hint that may help
you grasp the concept better. You can
answer the question again and receive an
immediate explanation of why the answer
was correct or incorrect. This allows
students to learn as they’re being assessed.
Dawn How do faculty use the Knowledge
Check?
Above are Vice Provost Dawn Iwamoto, Ed.D., (left) and Associate Provost Marla Kelsey, Ed.D.
Gailene A student’s Knowledge Check
results are posted to the faculty dashboard.
Not only can faculty see that a student
answered all three questions related to, for
example, supply and demand incorrectly,
but also can see if they clicked on the
hints and looked at some of the additional
materials within the quiz. At that point, the
faculty member can send that student a
personalized message with some additional
materials around supply and demand and
say, “Maybe these will help.” Faculty have
the option of choosing materials suggested
by the college and the instructional
design team, or they can send their own
recommendation if there’s something else
they feel may resonate better.
Marla Have we tested the Knowledge
Check with students and faculty? If so,
what were the reactions?
Gailene Yes, we have completed three
pilots, and feedback from both students
and faculty has been very positive. The first
pilot started about six months ago and it
was conducted with 16 students and one
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instructor in the ECO 561 course. The other
two pilots were conducted with a larger
number of students and faculty based in
the same course. The feedback from all
three pilot groups was extremely positive
and optimistic in terms of the potential
this tool actually has in the classroom.
Student reactions ranged from “It was
helpful to know where I stand, what I know
and what I don’t know,” to very enthusiastic
responses about how much feedback they
had received and how their instructor
really seemed to care about their progress.
Faculty noted how helpful it was to actually
see where students needed the most
guidance—and felt reassured that they had
done their best to address their students’
needs.
Dawn What is the ALE workgroup’s
vision for the future?
Gailene Students come to University
of Phoenix to improve on their skills and
education, things that can help them have
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