Title

A Survey Tool for Assessing Student Expectations Early in a Semester

Authors

Karl Schmitt, Valparaiso University
Elise A. Larsen, University of Maryland - College Park
Matthew Miller, University of Maryland - College Park
Abdel-Hameed A. Badawy, Arkansas Tech University
Mara Dougherty, University of Maryland - College Park
Artesha Taylor Sharma, University of Maryland - College Park
Katie Hrapczynski, University of Maryland - College Park
Andrea Andrew, University of Maryland - College Park
Breanne Robertson, University of Maryland - College Park
Alexis Williams, University of Maryland - College Park
Sabrina Kramer, University of Maryland - College Park
Spencer Benson, University of Maryland - College Park

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2013

Abstract

Quality learning is fostered when faculty members are aware of and address student expectations for course learning activities and assessments. However, faculty often have difficulty identifying and addressing student expectations given variations in students’ backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs about education. Prior research has described significant discrepancies between student and faculty expectations that result from cultural backgrounds (1), technological expertise (2), and ‘teaching dimensions’ as described by Trudeau and Barnes (4). Such studies illustrate the need for tools to identify and index student expectations, which can be used to facilitate a dialogue between instructor and students. Here we present the results of our work to develop, refine, and deploy such a tool.

Recommended Citation

Schmitt, Karl RB, Elise A. Larsen, Matthew Miller, Abdel-Hameed A. Badawy, Mara Dougherty, Artesha Taylor Sharma, Katie Hrapczynski, Breanne Robertson, Andrea Andrew, Alexis Williams, Sabrina Kramer, and Spencer Benson. "A survey tool for assessing student expectations early in a semester." Journal of microbiology & biology education: JMBE 14, no. 2 (2013): 255.