Impact of Assessment

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Impact of Assessment

• Assessment as Collaboration

Kris Stewart NPACI Education Center on
Computational Science and Engineering San Diego
State University http//www.edcenter.sdsu.edu/ P
rofessor, Computer Science http//www.stewart.cs.s
dsu.edu/
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UCES Paradigm(thanks Tom Marchioro and the
crew, 1994?)
Previous exposure to assessment
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1998/99 Assessment by LEAD
Assessment as a Collaboration

• Background
• Workshop in Wisconsin April 1997 to learn
  about assessment and make it real
• NPACI starts 1 October97
• EC/CSE requested assessment for 1998

• Preparation for SDSU Campus Visit by Baine
  Julie
• Discussions at SC98
• Email to SDSU faculty gather attitudes

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Grand Challenges for HPC (Stewart Zaslavsky,
SC98)

• Faculty system of rewards does not encourage
  teaching innovations
• Lack of awareness of HPC technologies already
  used in research or teaching for different
  fields
• Faculty students unaware of benefits and
  accomplishments of HPC
• HPC technologies considered too
  complex/inaccessible for undergraduate
  instruction
• Sequential HPC-related curricula is absent
• Curricula using very large data sets not widely
  available
• Adjust to different learning styles when material
  is complex
• Variety of platforms/software leads to fragmented
  curricula
• School administration/support staff not ready for
  HPC
• Specs of computers and networks below user
  expectations
• We had been thinking about this (based on April
  97 LEAD Workshop in WI)

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Building the Community of Faculty

• These challenges are people-centric, not
  technology-centric and of interest to the
  community
• Systemic Change requires understanding the system
  and working within it
• Empower teachers (find the time), recognition
  (from chair/dean), support (student assistants)

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Interviews on campusLEAD applying info from
email surveys

• Faculty skepticism
• Convincing evidence that computer-based tools
  enhance teaching process?
• Knowledge of modern computational methods and
  availability?
• Incentive from department and insufficient tech
  support?

• LEAD Interviews with V.P., Deans, Chairs
• Faculty Fellows program identified as a target
• OUTCOMES
• our local infrastructure at SDSU took us more
  seriously
• survey instruments refined
• SWB value recognition

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Assessment not just requirement

• Rather, found to be
• vital tool to assist in clarifying student and
  faculty needs
• improve prioritization skills
• validation of focus on human factors to integrate
  HPC (modeling visualization) into undergrad
  curriculum

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Faculty Fellows Fall 01 Synergyamong themselves
and with their chairs and deans
People, Time, Support, Recognition
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EC/CSE involve CSU

• Faculty Workshops
• Introduce Computational Science
• Host Biology Workbench (BioQuest)

• Support at NPACI AHM02
• Extend Faculty Fellows

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Contact Us
Kris Stewart, Director http//www.edcenter.sdsu.ed
u stewart_at_sdsu.edu Jeff Sale jsale_at_edcenter.sdsu.e
du Kirsten Barber barber_at_edcenter.sdsu.edu
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NSF/EHRNational Science Foundation/Education and
Human Resources Directoratewww.ehr.nsf.gov/EHR/
RED/EVAL/handbook/handbook.htm
LEADAssessment and Evaluation1998 Formative for
the EC/CSEhttp//www.cae.wisc.edu/lead/pages/pr
oduts/eot-paci.pdf