WHAT ARE CONCEPT INVENTORIES AND HOW CAN THEY HELP US ASSESS STUDENT LEARNING OF INTERDISCIPLINARY ENVIRONMENTAL TOPICS?

Concept inventories (CIs) are validated assessments that evaluate student understanding of concepts and learning. This workshop will focus on the first three steps traditionally used in CI development: (1) a content analysis of environmental course materials, (2) interviews with students in introductory environmental programs (EPs), and (3) CI question development. Through interactive activities, participants will identify core concepts in their disciplines, reflect on challenges in assessing student learning, recognize commonly held student alternative conceptions or areas of struggle, and brainstorm short-answer assessment questions that they could potentially use in their courses.