Presenter:
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Shannon Dea – Associate Professor, Philosophy, and ARTS Teaching Fellow
During this session, Arts Teaching Fellow and Philosophy instructor Shannon Dea described her recent use of "à la carte" assessment in a lower division Philosophy/Women's Studies class. Dea had set aside 45% of the course grade for the students to design for themselves. In consultation with Dea, each student developed an individual plan for how to earn their 'à la carte' grade component. The results ranged from blogs and journals to artworks and public education programs. Using à la carte assessments promotes intellectual autonomy, accessibility, metacognition, student engagement, and interdisciplinary connections. However, it is time-consuming for both instructor and student. Moreover, it is important for instructors to provide both front-end and ongoing support to ensure that students’ à la carte projects are appropriate for their level of study and manageable throughout the term. Dea and some of her former students discussed these five benefits and two challenges of à la carte assessment, and offered some of the students' exciting à la carte projects.