Addressing the Assessment Gap in Undergraduate Science: Development of Innovative Assessments for Learning in Biotechnology (DIAL-B)

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This project involves an interdisciplinary team designing, testing, and disseminating innovative assessments for biotechnology. Using research-based design principles, the project is focusing on two types of assessments, conceptual and embedded. Embedded assessments are enabling the measurement of student learning while the students participate in activities designed to foster critical thinking skills. Conceptual assessments probe how deeply students understand. This project is collecting and analyzing data to ensure that assessments are valid and reliable. Student data, as well as reviews by student focus groups and teacher advisory panels, are informing the revision of assessments. A careful delineation of learning goals based on national standards and an expert review panel is ensuring that the assessments are applicable for broader use. The study builds on previous work to refine and rigorously test and validate a concept inventory and set of embedded assessments. The concept inventory and embedded assessments in biotechnology are being disseminated at conferences, in publications, and on a web site. The web site highlights research results in three areas: 1) a model for assessment design in other college courses, 2) a resource bank of assessments with associated scoring rubrics and examples of student work, and 3) ways to use assessments effectively in the college classroom.