Innovative Uses of Assessments for Teaching and Research

Instruction and assessment are so common to teaching and learning that for many readers this may be second nature. There are certainly many kinds of instruction and assessment available to instructors, and these are chosen based on many factors. Thinking beyond standard content tests, considering other, innovative assessments, we may enjoy a richer picture of what students know or understand by investigating prior knowledge, misconceptions, motivations, or self-concept.

The book is organized into four general sections: ehe first section describes the processes by which assessments are constructed and used. The second section focuses on what is learned from assessments in an informal environment, including the use of practice exams and feedback provided to help students reflect on their own learning. Formal classroom assessments and the decisions associated with different assessments and techniques comprises. the third section. The final section focuses on assessment goals and innovative investigations of student learning with descriptions of new assessments and new online tools for measuring student understanding.

Lisa K. Kendhammer received her Ph.D. in 2013, in Chemical Education and Analytical Chemistry, at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Currently, she is a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Georgia under the direction of Norbert Pienta, where her main research project involves examining students' difficulty with general chemistry laboratory skills and techniques.

Kristen L. Murphy received her Ph.D. in Physical Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). She has served as the Associate Director for the American Chemical Society Examinations Institute since 2005 and as a faculty member in chemical education research at UWM since 2008.