Cycle #2: Data Collection

How do students view effective information management skills?

Similar to understanding expectations for the knowledge and understanding of curricular outcomes, I think it is equally important to understand the expectations for effective practice of skills and compensation.  Preparing students and collaborating to build what concrete definition of what effective application of a competency looks like is important for skill development and ultimately a contributing factor to exemplary student work.  Both of these components play a crucial role in educating students for their future. 

I was able to pass out the chart related to the competency of information management discussed in the last post.  After a brief introduction and class discussion, students worked in small groups to establish understandings of the indicators of success and share what they thought effective practice looked like.  

Observing the conversations and sorting through the responses, many students have an accurate yet somewhat superficial initial understanding of what effective information management means.  Effective access to information is about finding a variety of information, but once you have those sources what does it mean to access the information within a reading?  Effective synthesis of information does reflect logic, but how does in enhance ones understanding of the topic being studied?  Evaluating information is also more than simply using information and using information ethically is partially about giving credit but also about respect for others work and responsibility for your own.  

*some sample responses

As any other form of assessment, it is important for students to understand what success looks like.  Reflecting on indicators of success from personal and academic experience may not be enough to allow students to envision the successful application of a abstract competency like information management.  In order to promote student engagement by in for their own progression and self-assessment of their skills, there will be more thought put into how those competencies can be modelled for student observation.  Similar to knowledge based formative assessments, when students understand the expectations, they are able to understand where they are in relation to where they want to be and more accurately assess their abilities.  If this is true for knowledge, why couldn't it be true for competencies.