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Authentic Assessments

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Department Meeting and Teaching/Evaluation Strategy

  • Push to go back to traditional pen and paper work in statistics.
  • After much debate we reached a compromise of sorts: descriptive statistics and data analysis would be on computers and inferential statistics would be pen and paper.

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The Process

Assessment and Evaluation Plan

Descriptive Statistics Assessment

Inferential Statistics Assessment

Incorporating AI and Project Work

Overview

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Descriptive Statistics/Data Analysis

  • We use Excel for data analysis including graphing, measures of centre and variation and probability distributions.
  • We use an online assessment platform with algorithmic buckets of questions for assignments and testing.
  • I added an oral assessment to the course where they had to explain their process/logic on a question from one of their tests to help deter cheating.
    • The question was my choice, I promised not to “trick them”, and it had to be a question they answered.

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Oral Assessment

Pros:

  • One on one discussion with students
  • Opportunity for deeper discussion
  • Problems identified in process, study strategies adjusted, and learning styles identified
  • Flagged students who could not explain their own work

Cons:

  • Time consuming

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Inferential Statistics

  • We went “old school” for probability and hypothesis testing.
  • We use an online assessment platform with algorithmic buckets of questions for assignments.
  • Tests (and the final exam) were paper based and handwritten, no computers.
    • I made 3 versions of each quiz and the exam and mixed up the order of the questions

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Paper Based Assessment

Pros:

  • Online cheating was reduced
  • Students had to remember how to formulate a full solution from scratch with no prompting boxes

Cons:

  • I had to make several versions
  • A small number of students did not like moving away from technology

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AI Use in Statistics

  • We still have issues with AI use on assignments and projects.

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  • Should we help students learn to better input questions (and cheat more effectively as a consequence)?
  • Should we include AI in the classroom at all?

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AI Use on Projects

We currently have a three-part large project on data analysis. I think this might be the niche to use AI effectively.

  • Currently I provide data sets for sampling. I’d like to move this process to the students possibly with the help of AI to explore and model data.
  • Students would have time to investigate and compare models in a project.

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This is currently my spring project, so I am hoping to have a fabulously fully implemented plan in the coming weeks.

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The Big Picture���Overall, we get a mix of computer work, paper assessments, online assessments, an oral assessment check-in and hopefully some AI as part of our project this fall.

Lisa MacKay

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology

lisa.mackay@sait.ca