Page 25 - index

Using Evidence to Infuence
Teaching Practices

As a teaching and learning community, we might
consider transforming or remodeling research to
be more authoritative, relevant, and accessible.
According to Hirschkorn and Geelan (2008),
the current connection between research and
instructional practice is weak (p. 1). Higher
education institutions seem to have a good
understanding of the assessment of student learning
through the use of rubrics, e-portfolios, and
other mechanisms, but can experience challenges
implementing practices, which is more of a political
process or an institutional culture issue.
Figure 1: Critical inquiry process developed by the MCC Informed Improvement Team.
Tere is a need to institutionalize a workfow that engages
and incorporates faculty members into an assessment and ofen be a strong temptation to defer to anecdote and judgment-
curricular improvement process (Stiehl & Lewchuk, 2012). based decision making, or even worse, status quo permeating.
Although institutions have experience and established ways Critical to the efectiveness of informed improvement is
of assessing student performance, fnding ways to increase its ubiquity and scalability. Every unit at the college–every
faculty member awareness of efective measurement practices to department, division, committee, and program–uses this
improve students’ learning opportunities remains a challenge process to determine their positive or negative impact and adjust
for many. accordingly. With an increasingly robust set of data collection and
analysis tools, MCC is able to move beyond using perceptions and
Mesa Community College (MCC) is one example of an anecdotes to determine success.
institution that has implemented a college-wide quality
initiative. Called informed improvement, the initiative Te following guiding questions can help the faculty or
empowers a culture of evidence-based decision making department chairs begin a process of critical inquiry focused on
dedicated to advancing student success (Mesa Community maximizing the impact of their teaching strategies:
College, n.d.). Critical inquiry is at the heart of college • What does learning look like?
instruction, and should be at the heart of improving teaching
and learning, extending to all college operations. MCC strives • How do we know learning is occurring?
to identify a need, challenge, or opportunity, and research how • What are ways that we can increase learning?
others have addressed it. Considering the particularities of the • How do we know if it is working?
institution, MCC decides upon a course of action and plans
for implementation of research, then undertakes the evidence- • Do I articulate learning objectives but never measure them?
seeking activity while measuring its efectiveness, and fnally, • Do I assess skills or content that I do not identify in my
assessing the results and using them to improve practice for the learning objectives?
next iteration. Tis approach seems generic, yet it takes focused • How can I increase alignment?
efort to actively employ such a philosophy system-wide. It can

LEADERSHIP Vol. 20.3 Winter 2015 25

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