Can mixed assessment methods make biology classes more equitable?
Can mixed assessment methods make biology classes more equitable?
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DOI：
10.1371/journal.pone.0189610
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发表时间：
2017-12-27
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Ballen, Cissy J.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Cotner, Sehoya;Ballen, Cissy J.
人们提出了许多因素来解释科学、技术、工程和数学领域中女性的流失，其中包括女性在入门课程中的表现较差，这是因为在即将到来的准备工作中出现了不足。我们专注于混合评估方法的影响，它将高风险考试的影响降至最低，并奖励其他评估方法，如小组参与、低风险测验和作业以及课堂活动。我们假设，这些混合方法将使那些在高风险测试中表现不佳的人受益。在这里，我们分析了2016年秋季9门大型(N>；1000名学生)生物入门课程中基于性别的表现趋势。与男性相比，女性在考试中表现不佳，这与构成课程成绩的其他评估方法不存在的差异。此外，我们分析了三个课程的案例研究，这些课程的评分方案转变为不强调或强调考试在总课程成绩中的比例。我们证明，从考试重点的转变因此有利于女性学生，从而缩小整体表现的差距。此外，当考试对整体课程成绩的贡献较小时，考试成绩差距本身就会缩小。我们讨论了根据我们的假设进行的可测试预测，并倡导使用混合评估方法(可能是整体转向主动学习技术的一部分)。最后，我们挑战了学生赤字模型，并提出了一个课程赤字模型来解释这些成绩差距，根据该模型，课堂的小气候可以提高或降低STEM中代表不足的群体的成功门槛。
Many factors have been proposed to explain the attrition of women in science, technology, engineering and math fields, among them the lower performance of women in introductory courses resulting from deficits in incoming preparation. We focus on the impact of mixed methods of assessment, which minimizes the impact of high-stakes exams and rewards other methods of assessment such as group participation, low-stakes quizzes and assignments, and in-class activities. We hypothesized that these mixed methods would benefit individuals who otherwise underperform on high-stakes tests. Here, we analyze gender-based performance trends in nine large (N > 1000 students) introductory biology courses in fall 2016. Females underperformed on exams compared to their male counterparts, a difference that does not exist with other methods of assessment that compose course grade. Further, we analyzed three case studies of courses that transitioned their grading schemes to either de-emphasize or emphasize exams as a proportion of total course grade. We demonstrate that the shift away from an exam emphasis consequently benefits female students, thereby closing gaps in overall performance. Further, the exam performance gap itself is reduced when the exams contribute less to overall course grade. We discuss testable predictions that follow from our hypothesis, and advocate for the use of mixed methods of assessments (possibly as part of an overall shift to active learning techniques). We conclude by challenging the student deficit model, and suggest a course deficit model as explanatory of these performance gaps, whereby the microclimate of the classroom can either raise or lower barriers to success for underrepresented groups in STEM.