The Summary Paper: An Effective Assessment Tool for Adult Collegiate Learners.

A "summary paper" can be defined as self-reported, written documentation of learning from a class or module. A clearly defined and well-written summary paper is an effective instrument for assessing the learning of adult students in higher education. Properly implemented, the summary paper accomplishes the following: addressing the particular learning principles related to adult learning; providing a valid criterion-referenced measurement; addressing assessment of higher order learning from Bloom's taxonomies; being sensitive to various learning styles; and allowing for the application of varied life experiences and intelligences. However, a summary paper is probably not the best method for testing. An individualized assessment that matches learning styles, intelligences, and life experiences to the subject matter would be ideal. Given pressures of time and documentation needs, however, a summary paper can be the most efficient and effective instrument for assessing learning outcomes in adult learners. (Contains 10 references.) (Author/KC) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** The Summary Paper An Effective Assessment Tool for Adult Collegiate Learners , S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 0 ice of Educational Research and Improvement E CATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. John Nemecek, Ph.D. Director of Curriculum and Faculty Development School of Alternative Education Spring Arbor College' (Presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education, November 1997) PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY HE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Abstract: A clearly defined and well written summary paper is the most effective instrument for assessing the learning of adult students in higher education. Properly implemented, the summary paper addresses the particular learning principles related to adult learning; is a valid criterion referenced measurement; addresses assessment of higher order learning from Bloom's taxonomies; is sensitive to various learning styles; and allows for the application of varied life experiences and intelligences. A clearly defined and well written summary paper is the most effective instrument for assessing the learning of adult students in higher education. Properly implemented, the summary paper addresses the particular learning principles related to adult learning; is a valid criterion referenced measurement; addresses assessment of higher order learning from Bloom's taxonomies; is sensitive to various learning styles; and allows for the application of varied life experiences and intelligences. Defining the Summary Paper The term "summary paper" as referenced in these pages refers to a self-reported, written documentation of learning from a class or module. The paper is a criterion-referenced measurement with clear curricular validity in its connectedness to particular learning outcomes. The summary paper assignment should be congruent with the stated learning outcomes for the class or module. Most typically, 3-5 major concepts, ideas, or learnings from the class/module will be addressed in the paper. A learner-directed selection from a list of viable alternatives allows the greatest opportunity for matching learning outcomes with individual expressions of significant learning. Learning is assessed by the degree to which the learner addresses three critical questions. The first question is What have I learned? Because the focus of the paper is on 3-5 key learnings, the response to this question is not a regurgitation of the total digested nuggets of wisdom from the class/module, but a clear statement of the personally relevant knowledge and insight gained from the readings and classroom activities. Spring Arbor College began offering degree completion programs for adult learners in 1983. Since then, adult degree-completion programs designed by Spring Arbor College have been implemented by colleges across the country. Summary papers are the primary means of assessment for the degree programs offered in these programs. Continuous evaluation and institutional assessment have validated both the reliability and effectiveness of summary papers in assessing the accomplishment of learning outcomes. Kl CCDIET AVARILUIM 2 Summary Papers 2 The second question, How did I learn it? , addresses the need for documentation of particular readings, discussions, activities, etc. which provided the framework for the learning identified in response to the first question. The portions of the summary paper which address this question will be concerned both with a further identification of the learning involved and an understanding of how the learning took place. The final question is What difference does this learning make? Learner responses to this question meet the need of the adult learner for practicality in their educational experience as well as illustrating the critical thinking of higher order learning in analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Relevant application of the textbook and/or classroom to the adult learner's personal or professional life provides a "laboratory validation" of the learning under discussion. In contrast to a typical "research paper" which validates learning by someone else's experiences, the summary paper uses the crucible of the life application of the individual student to authenticate genuine higher order learning. The summary paper (as defined above), while part of the learning activities of a course or module, serves to culminate and bring closure to the particular learning emphases of the course/module and help the learner take the learning to the "real" world. In addition to the content outlined above, the summary paper should demonstrate college-level writing and organizational skills throughout the paper. Summary Papers and the Adult Learner The foundational work of Knowles in the early 1980's was instrumental in defining an androgogical, learner-centered approach to adult education based on five key postulates concerning the adult learner (Knowles, 1984). While some theorists might provide their own unique twist, these five distinctives of adult learners have been affirmed by the continued research of many in the field of adult education (Merriam and Caffarella, 1991; Peters, Jarvis and associates, 1991; and Wlodkowski, 1993). The five educationally significant distinctives of the adult learner are (1) a desire for self-directedness, (2) the valuing of experience as a resource for learning, (3) a learning readiness connected with developmental and social values and roles, (4) a need for the relevant and timely application of learning, and (5) a motivational drive from within rather than from without. The summary paper provides a unique opportunity for building on these uniquely adult perspectives on learning. The summary paper (1) provides significant opportunities for selfdirectedness in the selection and reporting of key learning, (2) values, and even draws upon, the individual experiences of the adult learner, (3) fits well with the learning readiness of the adult learner, (4) provides for the timely (almost immediate) application of learning, and (5) builds upon the internal motivation of the adult ready to write about what they have learned.