(Adapted from Angelo, 1993; Angelo & Cross, 1993)

DIMENSIONS OF LEARNING

Linda Rueckert (Northern Illinois University) and Kathy Morgan (Wheaton College)

As Tom Angelo and Patricia Cross point out, faculty cannot meaningfully assess student learning until they identify the specific kinds of learning they are trying to promote. One model for thinking about these kinds of learning is to categorize them into a few broad, interrelated dimensions. Here are a few that come to mind when thinking about undergraduate students engaged in research:

Declarative Learning (Learning What)

This is probably the kind of learning we assess most often in our classrooms; one might call it "content knowledge." In the research setting, when we ask what courses our potential research students have taken, or what background knowledge they already have that might be relevant or appropriate, we are most likely asking about declarative knowledge. Similarly, we might expect student participation in research to increase declarative knowledge about content relevant to the research.

Procedural Knowledge (Learning How)

Skills and processes fall under this category of learning. Arguably, these are among the primary learning goals that we have for our student research partners.

Conditional Learning (Learning Where and When)

Students who have mastered this kind of learning know when and where to use what they know to its greatest advantage. They are able to see applications of what they know to novel situations, for example, or to other fields of study. A physics student who can understand the applications of classical mechanics to kinesiology is demonstrating good conditional learning.

Reflective Learning (Learning Why)

A reflective learner understands why he or she believes, thinks, and acts in a given way. Measures of reflective learning often focus on attitudes, feelings, values, and beliefs. If one of our goals for our student research partners is that they gain more confidence in their abilities to "do science," for example, then we have established a reflective learning goal.

Metacognitive Learning (Learning about Learning)

Metacognition involves making typically hidden cognitive processes explicit and overt. A student who has mastered these skills is able to monitor his or her own problem-solving processes and amend them as necessary. The effective trouble-shooters in your labs who can also teach their techniques to others are examples of good metacognitive learners.

Angelo, T.A. (1993). Classroom assessment: Assessing to improve higher learning in the life sciences. In H.I. Modell & J.A. Michaels (eds), Promoting Active Learning in the Life Science Classroom. New York, NY: New York Academy of Sciences, pp. 61-75.

Angelo, T.A. & Cross, K.P. (1993). Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publ.