Scenario-Based Learning

Louise Yarnall, Tom Gaffney, Bowyee Gong, Geneva Haertel, Ann House, Ken Rafanan, Tina Stanford, Ruchi Tirumala Bhanot

In this project, SRI International consults with the Experiential Learning Center at DeAnza College around developing assessments for scenario-based learning tasks in technical fields and around teacher professional development in assessment. The goal is to develop a process for identifying core 21st-century learning outcomes and to create both formative and summative assessments to provide evidence of student performance in technical and professional skills and knowledge.

Scenario-based learning is a version of problem-based learning. Students work in teams around a series of tasks similar to those they would encounter in the workplace. The tasks are available online and professional development is provided through an online courses in Tapped In. SRI International has co-designed several dozen assessment activities and tasks with instructors in the domains of engineering, bioinformatics, environmental studies, and programming.

In addition to creating assessments, SRI has developed professional development materials to help community college instructors assess student progress in open-ended and student-centered classroom activities. This is a challenging kind of classroom activity to assess. The materials developed are useful for community college faculty working on Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs).

This project has also involved SRI in developing low-cost, technology-based validation activities around the new assessments, such as an online expert review tool to obtain feedback about content validity. Other validation processes have involved engaging community college students in think-alouds to assess construct validity and pretest-posttest analysis to measure instructional sensitivity.

This is the second phase of the project, which has been funded by the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education program. In the initial phase, SRI International served as evaluator.

7/2006 - 12/2009 (current)

Funders & Clients 

National Science Foundation, Advanced Technological Education Project

Partners 

Publications

Research Areas

Assessment
Evaluation
Learning Environments
Teacher Learning
Technology Development

Keywords 

assessment design
assessment teacher profess dev
assessment validity
problem-based curriculum
problem-based learning
student-centered learning

Contact 

louise.yarnall@sri.com