Adult learning assessment approaches and practices

Adult learning self-assessments can prove influential for motivating students (Stipek, Recchia, & McClintic, 1992, cited in Ross, 2006, p. 7). The assessment developed for this assignment was designed to enable students to provide feedback both about their instructor as well as about the course they took from their instructor. Assessments help students who might not be able to convey their learning progress otherwise (Loacke, 2004). Specifically, this assessment was an opportunity for adult learners with students within Miami-Dade county public schools to reflect on their learning experiences with teachers in an effort to improve them in the future. As such, there were two primary facets of the assessment: a Likert-based questionnaire (in which a rating of 1 was disagree and 5 was strongly agree), and a pair of essays in which students discussed, respectively, what aspects of the course and of the pedagogue's instruction they would like to improve. Student effort factor heavily into these assessments, which is important (Rolheiser, Bower, & Stevahn, 2000, p.77). Student assessments are a valuable way to supplement teacher assessments, which are not always reliable (Ross, 2006, p. 4).

The hypothetical learner subject covered in the assessment pertained to the adult learners. The bulk of the assessments administered were to adult students taking a SAT preparation course, however. The specific outcomes that we measured included the degree of improvement students felt they made during the tenure of the course, how the teacher affected that improvement or lack thereof, as well as how other particulars of the course (its structure, classroom environment, homework, and the teaching style of the instructor) affected their learning. The target population involved, therefore, was a group of middle-aged parents taking this course at Amador Valley High School.

ASSESSMENT

The assessment was administered with very strict instructions. It was given at the end of the final day of class without the instructor present so students had autonomy. A separate administrator (other than the teacher) issued the assessment and allowed students as much as time as is required to complete it. The assessments were then sealed into an envelope which the teacher was not privy to until after she had turned in the final grades. For learners with special needs, they will be given the same accommodations that they are given for general learning to complete the assessment. Those who need translations into American Sign Language or Braille are readily supplied these accommodations the same as they are during general classroom sessions.

Assessment Checklist

You improved significantly in the Passage-Based Reading section (1-5). You improved significantly in the Sentence Completion section (1-5). You improved significantly in the Improving Paragraphs section (1-5). You improved significantly in the Improving Sentence Section (1-5). You improved significantly in the Identifying Sentence Errors section (1-5). Your effort in this class was considerable (1-5). The teacher factored greatly into your desire to improve in this class (1-5). Your classmates factored greatly in your desire to improve in this class (1-5). You experienced significant difficulty in the Critical Reading Section (Passages and Sentence Completions) due to timing issues (1-5). You experienced significant difficulty in the Critical Reading section due to comprehension issues (1-5). You experienced significant difficulty in the Critical Reading Section due to vocabulary issues (1-5). Essay 1: "What I suggest I can improve upon in my next class." Essay 2: "What I suggest the teacher can improve upon in her next class."

INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS SECTION