Provost's Working Group on Innovation in Assessment
The Provost's Working Group for Innovation in Assessment supports research, experimentation, and adoption of alternative student assessment practices at Cornell University. Sponsored by the offices of the Vice Provost for Academic Innovation and the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, this working group seeks to:
Learn from, experiment with, and test emerging student-centered assessment practices in higher education practice and research.
Gather and put into conversation practical experience with alternative assessment practices already in use around the university, including in large introductory and foundational classes.
Seek potential alternatives to competitive grading cultures and high-stakes testing models that have been found to contribute negatively and unequally to stress and well-being amongst Cornell undergraduates.
Where appropriate, offer assistance to faculty and students in navigating high-stakes examinations.
Participating Faculty Fellows will design and implement innovative assessments into a course and share their results with the Cornell community.
Description: Educators are increasingly concerned about the unauthorized use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in their courses, especially with growing evidence showing how it undermines student academic and personal development. Given this, how can we help students to be critical of GenAI tools, and learn to draw boundaries around them, to support their learning?
Join us for a keynote address and faculty panel discussion addressing these concerns by focusing on promoting student responsibility and academic integrity.
Keynote: Liz Karns (Dept. of Statistics and Data Science, Cornell Bowers CIS), will discuss the impact of GenAI on teaching and learning at Cornell and share practical tips from her research for instructors looking to proactively and productively respond to GenAI use and misuse in their courses.
Faculty Panel Discussion: Tim Riley (Mathematics, College of Arts & Sciences) and Kate Navickas (John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines, A&S) will share how they have designed assessments to help students take ownership of their learning. Riley will discuss how he converted the assessments in his Introduction to Analysis course from a prelim-prelim-final model to a homework portfolio and quizzes with multiple attempts. Navickas will share how she creates a culture of accountability in her First Year Writing Seminar courses using different strategies including scaffolding assignments, a labor-based grading contract, and student reflections.
Both the keynote and panel will be followed by Q&A sessions for faculty.
Description: In this faculty-led panel discussion, we will discuss practical alternatives to the prelim-prelim-final assessment model. Faculty panelists Allison Godwin (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell Engineering), David Fruend (Mathematics, College of Arts & Sciences (A&S)), and Doug McKee (Economics, A&S) will share their experiences of implementing alternative assessment approaches in their medium- to large-sized classes. The panelists have designed their course assessments to align with their teaching goals and provide meaningful, engaging, and creative opportunities for students to learn in a large course environment. At the end of the session, you will have some creative ideas to implement into your course.
Implementing Authentic Assessments in Your Classroom
Held: Thursday, March 27, 2025, from 3:45–4:45 p.m., in-person.
Description: In this panel discussion we will explore alternative assessments for small to large-sized classes. These types of assessments provide meaningful, engaging, and creative opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning. At the end of the session, you will have some creative ideas to implement into your course.
Panelists are Natasha Holmes (Physics, College of Arts & Sciences), Amie Patchen (Public & Ecosystem Health, College of Veterinary Medicine) and Landon Schnabel (Sociology, A&S, Brooks Cornell Public Policy).
This event is sponsored and hosted by the Provost's Working Group on Innovation in Assessment, which supports research, experimentation, and adoption of alternative student assessment practices at Cornell University.
Assessment Practices that Support Student Well-being
Held: Thursday, February 27, 2025, from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m., in-person.
Description: At a time where college students are increasingly anxious and less connected to their peers, how can our assessment practices support student well-being? In this panel discussion, we will discuss current threats to students’ well-being and mental health, and discuss assessment-related strategies to communicate care, create a community of learners, and develop resilience. Panelists include:
Mark Sarvary, Senior Lecturer in Neurobiology & Behavior
Tracy Carrick, Senior Lecturer at the John S. Knight Institute
Amy Godert, Director of the Learning Strategic Center and Executive Director for Academic Student Success Programs
Authentic Assessments in the Age of Generative AI
Held: Tuesday, December 10, 2024, from 1:00-2:00 p.m., in person.
Description: Generative AI is here to stay. How can instructors prioritize learning, critical thinking, reflections, and conceptual understanding in the age of generative AI? In this panel discussion, we will discuss the impact of generative AI and current opportunities for leveraging generative AI to support authentic learning and assessments. Join us as we share examples of how generative AI is being implemented across Cornell and connect with colleagues from diverse disciplines. Together, we will examine strategies to assess student learning in this evolving digital age. Panelists include Steve Jackson (Vice Provost for Academic Innovation, Information Science & Science & Technology Studies, Cornell Bowers CIS), Ellie Duan (Animal Science, CALS), and Justin Clark (History, A&S).
Grading for Growth: Toward more Humane, Authentic, and Trustworthy Ways to Evaluate Student Work with Robert Talbert.
Held: Thursday, November 14, from 1:30–2:30 p.m., in Goldwin Smith Hall, GSH 132.
Description: Grading as we know it is significantly broken. The traditional approach involving one-and-done assessment, points, partial credit, and averaging is demotivating for students, demoralizing for faculty, time-consuming, disconnected from science, and of questionable statistical validity. But it is not unchangeable, and in fact there is no better time than now to explore alternatives that prioritize student growth and align better with how humans learn. In this talk, we'll explore the history and issues of traditional grading, propose a framework for "alternative" grading practices, and see how to implement alternative grading without massive requirements of time or energy.
Contact Information
To learn more about the Provost Working Group for Innovation and Assessment, please contact our team:
Tim Riley, Director of the Active Learning Initiative
Rob Vanderlan, Executive Director of the Center for Teaching Innovation
AraOluwa Adaramola, Postdoctoral Associate, Center for Teaching Innovation
