Should we use subjective written communication more?
It seems that we generally give objective tests to students in the lower level classes and more subjective tests as the classes progress to the graduate level courses. Is this appropriate? Or should lower level classes also be expected to communicate in writing on subjective tests? What if the student does not go on for graduate level classes? Have we done an injustice to the student by not "forcing" the student to communicate in writing? I use the word "forcing" because students do not want to write papers. Although I am a CPA and deal a lot with numbers, business communication explaining the numbers is probably even more important.
Jean Riese
Jean,
it is appropriate if that is the best way to measure your objectives. We will talk about Bloom's Taxonomy and how we want students to do higher order thinking and learning but don't forget they have to learn concepts and skills before they apply them.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Jean,
This is a very interesting topic! I think it has become increasingly important for graduates of diploma and associate degree programs to have moderate if not excellent writing skills while on the job. I remember sitting on advisory board meetings where employers expressed the need for entry-level grads to have better communication skills including business emails and professional letters. I personally assign writing assignments in my lower level classes to elevate the students awareness of how important this is on the job.
Jean, I agree with you that we give the objective tests to the lower classes (medical billing and coding) perhaps we need to change tactics a little.
I'm not referring to writing papers. My frustration is that the students do not thoroughly read the question or read the answer (we are talking open book online tests) and get the wrong answer. I can tell what they were thinking by the answer they picked.
Perhaps if they had to write out their "thought logic" they could see their errors clearly?
Ms. Cressman
Tina,
Ooooh. . . . I like the thought logic. I may actually use this in my online courses this summer. I think there is HUGE value in that.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Excellent thoughts Tina. I'm in the same boat with you with medical billing and coding! If you leave off a number on a diagnostic code, this is more serious than just being a typo. You have misdiagnosed a patient and your submitted a claim for insurance payment on this wrong diagnoses.
This could greatly improve student and peer assessment.
Jackie
Jacqueline,
This has to be considered when you educate students in that area. I just had a friend that was charged $35,000 because of a coding error. In the real world this "stuff" matters.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
This is highly interesting. I want to learn more about Bloom's Taxonomy. Where should I go to do so? Higher order thinking and deeper thinking is always my goal in the classroom.
Dawn,
Try these sites. This UGA one has great resources for further study. http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Bloom%27s_Taxonomy
Here is one for action verbs. https://www.ena.org/education/CNE/Documents/BloomsTaxonomy.pdf
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Even in disciplines that involve objective information, it is important to require written communication. Being required to put information into one's own words can improve learning and retention of the information, and allows cognitive processing on a higher level.
Using subjective assessments is one way to include communication in the design of the course. In addition, discussion forums like this one can provide opportunities for communication and writing without the necessity of grading at a detailed level.
Students are sometimes reluctant to write papers (and must be "forced" to do it) in part because they are not fully and adequately prepared for the task. This can be because the student's earlier education did not fully prepare students for writing in a rigorous manner.
In some cases, remediation may be required for a student to reach mastery on subjective written communications.
Where a student does have a solid foundation, step by step instruction and good instructional resources can provide students with information concerning the learning process. We try to start students off by having them write small short essays first, and then build upon that so that they develop confidence.
Writing assignments can also be completed as groups. By working on a project together, students can support one another in the process. Students also see different writing styles.
As far as essay exams are concerned, we provide practice in several ways prior to the essay exams. Students can write practice exams and send them to the instructor for feedback. Students work with groups to develop answers to practice exams.
Student-written answers are then posted in discussion forums for other students to see (like this one). Students can see not only what their own group came up with, but want other groups came up with as far as the substantive answers and analysis. Instructors then can react to the work as well.
Through this process, students not only develop more confidence, but they also become more familiar with the task of writing essays on the final assessments and the task is not so daunting.
Carole,
Thank you for bringing in the learning community regarding writing. There is so much power in using groups. I use the group tools available in my LMS. Students can create, add, and revise to one paper. Students can learn from each other.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
