This chapter discusses the history of source evaluation methods within the ever-changing field of information literacy, including a critical assessment of one popular approach, the CRAAP Test. The author then endorses an alternative approach, lateral reading, which encourages students to engage more deeply when evaluating digital resources in an…

We summarize the history of the development of the Teacher Behavior Checklist and review examples of its utility for studying excellence in teaching across cultures and contexts.

Uses recent developments in teacher accreditation in the United Kingdom as a case study through which to consider the implications for evaluating teaching and the changing professional identity of academics. (EV)

Reviews the literature on teaching awards and then examines a specific case, the Alan P. Stuart Award for Excellence in Teaching at the University of New Brunswick, using Menges's three tests of effective awards. Suggests that examining the strengths and weaknesses of institutional teaching awards can help illuminate the processes involved in…

Although classroom assessment techniques resemble common writing exercises, they offer college composition instructors insight into effective instruction. Their use can also lead to classroom research projects and further faculty development. An example of such an exercise is to have students write a one-minute paper on classroom instruction in…

Student ratings reflect the variety and range of teacher behaviors and the instructional successes and failures. Although researchers, practitioners, and users of rating systems acknowledge their multidimensionality, it is not fully used. Understanding the context of evaluations and identifying how intended uses and audiences affect data…

The use of several college classroom assessment techniques to evaluate the processes and products of accounting instruction through cooperative learning is described. The discussion looks at considerations in planning classroom assessment, choosing initial assessment techniques and adapting them, and blending cooperative learning structures with…

There is no one test or approach that is sufficient to serve all the objectives and purposes of assessment within the major. A multidimensional approach combining locally developed procedures such as theses, portfolios, orals, external examiners, with standardized tests is an effective strategy. (Author/MSE)

Writing is central to learning and to evaluation of student progress. Holistically scored writing samples, portfolios, and evaluative grids provide effective assessments of writing proficiency and show students that writing is an essential communication skill. Writing assignments also can be used to evaluate learning in a discipline. (Author)

Recognizing adults' prior college-level learning requires a substantial investment of faculty time to identify learning outcomes and standards of performance, but the benefits are great for students and faculty alike. (Author)

A means of documenting exemplary college teaching is the teaching portfolio, which offers a wider range of evidence than single measures. A proposed faculty development program has teachers prepare portfolios individually, discuss teaching issues as a group within the academic unit, and design and test a system for evaluating teaching. This…

Assessment of student work in the collaborative classroom is dynamic, ongoing, and can be suited to the particular needs of individual instructors. It enables both instructor and students to reframe their personal understandings of the learning process and knowledge acquisition. The challenges can be met by planning, careful consideration of…

A variety of assessment techniques to measure and document the outcomes of interdisciplinary study at the college level are examined, focusing on the contexts and problems of such assessments. Several programs are profiled, suggestions for assessment design are offered, and an annotated bibliography of information sources is presented. (MSE)

Reasons for a national shift from traditional to alternative assessment practices are examined, and the philosophical beliefs and theoretical assumptions of traditional and alternative assessment are examined. Classroom implications of this paradigm shift for instructional strategies, formative and summative evaluation, development of rubrics used…

A decade of interest in the evaluation of college teaching has produced both a wide variety of approaches and a concise set of practical guidelines for assisting college teachers in improving instruction. (Authors/MSE)