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Diagnostic: Attitude and Content Knowledge |
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Description:
Diagnostic instruments are administered in the very early stages of a course. They gather information for any of three purposes:
1) to gauge student content knowledge, giving the instructor a good sense of the appropriate level at which to deliver the material,
2) to gauge student content knowledge, giving the student a sense of her starting point, so that at the end of the course she will recognize her growth,
3) to gauge student attitudes, perceptions, and expectations about the material or the instructional approach.
Within this context we identify two types of diagnostic data: attitude and content knowledge.
In ESSE:
Attitude:
Examples include a Diagnostic Introductory Questionnaire from an introductory Environmental Science course at University of Missouri, Kansas City and a General Science Survey from Austin College undergraduate Environmental Science course.
Content Knowledge:
An example of a Diagnostic Content Knowledge use is the Arctic Pre-Assessment Survey also from UMKC, helping the instructor understand (at the course’s beginning) how much content the students know about Arctic Climate. Another example is an Earth System Science Pre-Survey from an undergraduate course taught at University of Miami.
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