0.3 3. changing assessment, changing instruction; ella burton  (Page 4/6)

Developing the capacity to teach more effectively, to present information and gather data about student learning is becoming the norm in higher education. It is essential that faculty know how and when to best apply effective strategies in the instructional program and to understand that these strategies can be used both in designing original lessons and as interventions when other strategies are less successful.

Understand the adult learner

Knowledge about the adult learner is essential. “An understanding of the principles of adult learning is part of being effective” (Lieb, 1991). The knowledge and skill students are expected to learn must be delivered within the frame of adult learning. Professors need to recognize that elements of respect and relevancy provide an environment where adults learn best (Lieb,1991). There is little chance that academic work will become a part of the lifelong experience for the adult if the “special needs and requirements” (Lieb, 1991) are not part of the teaching and learning process. According to Lieb, there are four critical elements of learning—motivation, reinforcement, retention and transference—that must be addressed to maximize adult learning. Effective instructional practice grounded in knowledge of adult learners often leads to comprehension of a few general principles with a thorough grounding in the application and process to a variety of concrete details. Such an approach helps students to remember how to apply the key principles to immediate circumstances. It is as important to acknowledge that adult learning theory and principles are very operative in higher education. Zemke&Zemke (1984) wrote that the knowledge about adult learning might be divided into three basic divisions: (1) things we know about adult learners and their motivation, (2) things we know about designing a curriculum for adults, (3) and things we know about working with adults in the classroom.

Identifying success competencies needed for professional leadership is also critical. An established a set of competencies that identifies the skills of successful leaders in an educational setting is reflected in the work of Eichinger et al. ( 2003). The Education Competency Wheel is a graphic representation of six factors that, when incorporated into the adult leadership skill set, create a greater opportunity for success in one’s professional career and for becoming an integral member of a work team. Completion of a degree in educational leadership from an accredited university will prepare the student in competencies anchored in the six factors of courage, results, operating skills, strategic skills, individual excellence, and organizational skills.

Blended learning

Blended Learning is another format that can be used to strengthen instructional effectiveness. The Virtual Professor (Dec, 2004) reports that faculty have experienced positive effects in their classroom instruction when using online teaching strategies. Faculty use technology in numerous ways: Power Point presentations, course web pages, web-based courses and integrating the use of computers into the classroom. The Foundation Coalition, one of eight engineering coalitions funded by the National Science Foundation—an organization committed to improving curricular and instructional effectiveness in higher education—suggests placing the technologies in the hands of students on a routine basis to facilitate learning, change learning outcomes, and reshape the learning process (NSF Coalition, 1993). Reshaping the learning process utilizing non-traditional applications for learning requires large investments of time for developing online learning versions of courses. It requires re-conceptualization of the content and learning objectives.