A Case Study To Explore Learning During A Faculty Development Workshop

A central mission in the educational research community is to improve learning. The purpose of this project was to identify key factors that mediate in learning in the context of a faculty development workshop focused on assessment. Data were collected by a six person research-participant team using multiple approaches: direct observations, pre-workshop surveys; semi-structured interviews; a post-workshop prioritization survey; and a workshop e-journal. Analysis and triangulation of data revealed the five most significant factors impacting learning: (a) put the learners in the role of performer and provide assessment that helps the learners improve their performance, (b) concept attainment (especially distinguishing between assessment and evaluation), (c) modeling of best practices by the facilitator, (d) ongoing collaboration between participants throughout the workshop, and (e) schema that allowed participants to see commonalities in different types of assessment. Since learning is a complex process, attention should be given to all design elements in order to produce an enriched learning environment.