"Learning cannot be designed--it can only be designed for, that is, facilitated or frustrated.  Instruction does not cause learning; it creates a context in which learning takes place, as do other contexts..."

Etienne Wenger, 2000
Communities of Practice, Cambridge University Press

Washington Group Newsletter

Welcome to the February 2002 issue of eWAG, a newsletter that focuses on Assessment, Teaching and Learning.  eWAG is the result of collaboration between Washington State's two- and four-year public higher education institutions that seeks to provide educators with thoughtful and informative articles around the issues, complexities and realities of assessment and its connection to teaching and learning.  Published in fall, winter and spring of the academic year, eWAG highlights many of the activities surrounding assessment, teaching and learning in Washington State as well as those occurring nationwide.

Thanks for checking out this issue's articles, and please be sure to let us know your thoughts on the newsletter's format, ease of navigation, and content.

Bill Moore and Anna Sue McNeill
Edited and published by the
Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges (SBCTC)

Subscription to eWAG is free.   You will receive an email notification as new issues are posted to the web.

Articles reproduced from eWAG may not be distributed for profit.
All copies must cite eWAG as the source, including author of articles as noted.

In this Issue:

   
A monthly feature by Bill Moore, Coordinator, Assessment, Teaching and Learning, SBCTC.  This month's feature is an "Interview with Glen Rogers and William Rickards, Alverno College, on Program Assessment."


  Registration and lodging information for the Pacific Northwest Higher Education Assessment Conference is available online at the conference website, "Informing Learning: Assessment in the Classroom and Beyond."  Set for May 1-3, 2002 at the Everett Holiday Inn, Everett, WA., conference-goers will have many quality sessions from which to choose, and as always, will benefit from the many conversations around teaching and learning that flow from the opportunities to connect with colleagues.

A new feature this year is the Students' Perspectives on the Impact of Assessment on Their Learning.  For our purposes, assessment can be broadly defined as any activity or process that provides feedback to a student regarding his or her learning.  Conference planners encourage faculty to share this opportunity with their students.  Presentations, due date April 1, 2002,  should be in the form of writing, art, film, etc. and should address one or both of the following questions: 

What do students want college faculty to know about the influence of assessment on their learning?  

In what ways might faculty use assessment activities effectively to provide students with better feedback and help improve their learning?

  is a feature that seeks to capture through student work, interviews, etc. the thoughts and experiences of students about their learning--how they viewed  particular assignments, class projects, etc., what worked / what didn't and why, what might they change and how.  This issue features "Untitled" a linocut from a student at Whatcom Community College that comes from their 1999 A Gathering of Voices.

  A regular feature that looks at statewide, system-wide and/or college activities, projects, events, etc. around classroom, program and/or institutional assessment.

The Community and Technical College Assessment Liaison Winter Retreat was held February 7-8, 2002 at Falls Creek in Raymond, WA.  Liaisons focused on program assessment questions raised at the fall workshop--see Bill Moore's interview with Glen Rogers and Bill Rickards in this issue of eWAG--general education assessment, professional-technical faculty certification/skills standards work and the D.E.L.L. Project (Developing Evidence for Learning that Lasts; see Moore's Musings, November/December 2001 eWAG) for more information on this project).

Click here for a new liaison's perspective on the workshop, a brief explanation about the Assessment Guide for Professional-Technical College Instructors, and information on Walla Walla Community College's Catalog Website.

  Information on conferences with links to their websites and/or who to contact for information.  Also included are suggested books, articles, and other websites related to assessment, teaching and learning.

  We invite you to participate in eWAG by sharing information, ideas, etc. around teaching, learning and assessment.  We look forward to:

Send submissions to Anna Sue McNeill, Editor, eWAG or for questions, please call 360-753-3676.
  A place to email your comments related to specific articles.   These may be used in future issues to encourage dialogue/discussion around specific thoughts or ideas presented in an article.  Please include your name and name of Institution/Agency/Business.