10/03/2011
Marcia C. Linn
October 6th at 1pm
Holloway Hall, 1st Floor Bavaro Hall
Can Embedded Assessments Strengthen STEM Learning?
Current high-stakes assessments drive teachers, administrators, and curriculum designers away from inquiry-oriented instruction by emphasizing the recall of factual information over the development of conceptual understanding. Instruction designed using the Web-based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE) can use continuous assessments to guide students and document progress using a broad range of information about teaching and learning. What is the value of this information for students, teachers, and researchers? Can automated scoring opportunities improve accountability practices and enhance student outcomes?
Marcia C. Linn is a professor of development and cognition specializing in education in mathematics, science, and technology in the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley, where she investigates science teaching and learning, gender equity, and design of learning environments. She is a member of the National Academy of Education and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Psychological Association, and the Association for Psychological Science. She has served as Chair of the AAAS Education Section and as President of the International Society of the Learning Sciences. Board service includes the National Academy of Sciences Computational Thinking for Everyone, the National Science Foundation Cyberlearning Task Force, the Graduate Record Examination Board of the Educational Testing Service, the McDonnell Foundation Cognitive Studies in Education Practice, and the Education and Human Resources Directorate at the National Science Foundation. Awards include the National Association for Research in Science Teaching Award for Lifelong Distinguished Contributions to Science Education and the Council of Scientific Society Presidents first award for Excellence in Educational Research.
