Cutrone HE111 Stress Management Assessment Institute, Second Deliverable. Student Learning Outcomes and associated General Education Objectives

Transcription

1 Cutrone HE111 Stress Management Assessment Institute, Second Deliverable Student Learning Outcomes and associated General Education Objectives 1. Produce an essay upon the use and place of technology in your life. C. differentiate and make informed decisions about issues on multiple value systems 2. Demonstrate the adoption a positive perspective (reframe) or change of thought on at least three negative events or situations. B. integrate knowledge and skills in their program of study 3. Describe five time management techniques that will/do work for you. C. integrate knowledge and skills in their program of study 4. Develop a household or personal budget. C. reason quantitatively and mathematically as required in their fields of interest and everyday life D. use information management and technology skills effectively for academic research and lifelong learning 5. Write a stress management plan identifying how you changed a behavior or intend to change the behavior associated with a stressful situation. C. integrate knowledge and skills in their program of study D. differentiate and make informed decisions about issues on multiple value systems

2 Discussion of the Assignments HE111 Stress Management is a class that is taught by a rotating adjunct faculty member and usually myself. There is a usually a total of three sections. I teach a proactive approach which is quite different than the typical stress management class. My message during the class is prevention and behavioral change geared towards eliminating or lessening the stressor. All of the assignments are directed towards incorporating proactive stress management techniques into their lives. Students were required to complete a total of four assignments. The following three assignments were mandatory. 1. Students viewed a movie, Caught in the Speed Trap: Information Overload. They then wrote a reflective essay upon their own personal use of technology and its effect on their life. The primary question was, Is technology adding to your quality of life or distracting from it? 2. Incorporated into an exam, students were asked to provide three examples of reframing a stressful situation or event. It is similar to the old question, Is the glass half full or half empty? 3. Incorporated into an exam, students were asked to list and explain time management techniques that work for them. Students were required to choose between the following two assignments. 1. Developing a household or personal budget. Financial instability and lack of financial control is a major issue to most people and one of the main reasons for relationship failure. The students had a choice between an online budgeting program and a hard copy budget sheet. OR 2. Developing a stress management plan. Students choose at least one event or situation that causes them regular stress. Using the research, tools and techniques presented during the class they were asked to develop a plan to help eliminate or lessen the stressor. Measuring the Outcomes A rubric (see below) was used for each of the assignments. The three mandatory assignments were weighed less than the choice assignment. Two of the assessments were contained in the final exam. Analysis of Assessment Results / Future Action Items or Modifications 1. Production of a Technology Use Reflective Essay This is assessment never ceases to amaze me. All the students expressed strong emotions towards technology. This is an assessment that has been modified many times. Each modification results in a deeper reflection paper. I have noticed that when I introduce the assessment verbally in class rather than as a paper assignment, I get a better response. I hypothesize that the students place more value on an assessment the more reference is made to it. In addition, each time a reference is made, the student has an opportunity to process. I will expand the reflective essay to include, What modifications can be made in order lower stress caused by technology or its use?

3 2. Provide Three Example of Reframing This assessment, I must say was a failure. In many of the responses, I did not receive what I asked for. I feel the reason is two fold. The material was not covered in detail and often enough. The directions of the assessment should have been more detailed. Perhaps, an example could have been given in the directions. Moving forward, reframing will be discussed in more detail and the assessment directions modified. 3. Explain Time Management Techniques that Work for You Overall, I was pleased with this assessment. All students did well. However, in the assessment s directions I will ask for specific examples of how they are incorporating the techniques into their life. Some students provided this without asking and I believe it would be beneficial for each student to examine implementation of the techniques. 4. Develop a Household or Personal Budget This assessment was a hit or a miss. It was the first time that this assessment was used. Students either embraced the assessment or skated through it. In the future, I need to be MUCH more specific in the directions. I will also introduce the assessment earlier during the semester. And similar to the reframing assignment, I will reference the assessment through out the semester. 5. Develop a Stress Management Plan This is a mainstay of the course. Students who elected this assessment were emotionally invested in the plan. Any student who chose this assessment did fantastic. In the future I am going to scaffold the assessment. I would like the students to have the plan in place for a period of time so that they can do a more comprehensive analysis of their plan. Assessment Results and Learning Outcomes 1. Production of a Technology Use Reflective Essay The essay addressed all three outcomes identified 2. Provide Three Example of Reframing Since the assessment was not answered as asked, it failed to fully measure integration. The assessment and the material for which the assessment was based needs to be modified or cleaned up to eliminate the problem. 3. Explain Time Management Techniques that Work for You All outcomes were addressed. In the future, the assessment will ask for specific examples to further measure integration and evaluation. 4. Develop a Household or Personal Budget Outcomes were measured. However, with better directions and more time, a more through assessment can be made of all affected outcomes., especially using analytical reasoning and evidence evaluation. 5. Develop a Stress Management Plan This assessment hit upon all the measures. I will scaffold the assessment in the future, emphasizing each part and allowing time for evaluation and analysis of evidence.

4 Assessment Rubric for HE111 Stress Management One Pt. Two Pts. Three Pts. Four Pts. Five Pts. Technology Essay Listed Technology used (Face book, , twitter, etc.) How much time per day Do you feel anxious when away from the technology Pros and cons of its use Any Changes planned? Why or why not? Reframing Short Answers What were the events/situations How did you previously feel during the event Was the event controllable or uncontrollable, why reframe your thought associated with the event/situation How did you feel after the reframing Time Management Short Answer explain one technique or behavior explain two techniques or explain three techniques or explain four techniques or explain five techniques or Budget Worksheet and Notes Five Pts Ten Pts Twenty Pts Thirty Pts Thirtyfive Pts All income sources listed All necessary expenses listed All nonessential expenses listed Examination and discussion of expenses Surplus or Deficient shown and what you are doing to rectify a negative situation or plans with surplus Stress Management Plan Essay Described the events/situations How did you behave/act feel during the event Was the event controllable or uncontrollable, why? change your behavior associated with the event/situation What is the result of your plan? Any changes needed? Why or why not?

5 Appendix - Assessment Tool in the actual typeface and font A. Reframing Explain how you might have in the past or will in the future reframe a stressful event or situation. Follow the guideline below. What were the events/situations previously feel during the event Was the event controllable or uncontrollable, why reframe your thought associated with the event/situation feel after the reframing B. Time Management IN YOUR OWN WORDS, list and explain five time management techniques. C. Budget Worksheet Use one of the two "Budget Worksheets" below to calculate your monthly expenses. Remember all of the "little things" like coffee, snacks, sodas, newspapers, magazines. Try to be as accurate as. When you are done please hand in a hard copy of your budget AND answer the questions below on a separate sheet of paper attached to your budget. Your answers MUST be typed. No text terminology or phrasing. NOTE: to protect your privacy, you can alter the numbers in the hard copy that you give me. For example, double all the numbers, or divide all the numbers by a third. I will not know if you are handing me true or false numbers. However, USE your real numbers when answering the questions. Use can search terms such as, "designing a budget", "budget help", "student budget", etc. if you need assistance. D. Technology In AT LEAST seven sentences please tell which character in the film, you find having the most similarities and why.

6 THEN, explain in no less than TEN sentences, how technology effects your life. Does it cause you stress or alleviate stress? Some questions you might think about are below. Does it help you? Is your life better or worse with technology? Do you ever wish you could just shut your phone off? Which do you do more, talk, text, tweet or ? How much time do you spend online? Is your phone on all night for the wrong reasons? Do you feel that technology is getting in the way of your life. Do you feel that most of your relationships are online? If it is effecting your life negatively, how can you fix it? E. Stress Management Plan Choose your top one to three stresses. Decide which, if any, can be managed. Stress Management Plan (3 plus pages please) + really think about the project + - the project is for you - Answer the following questions in paragraph format What is the stress? Is it a real or imagined problem? What are the underlying causes of that particular stress? (Similar to the exercise we did in class.) What leads up to the stress? Can you put roadblocks in between the steps? What do you have to do to place the roadblocks in place? Do you need help from others? Will they help you? If you cannot avoid/alleviate the stress how can you change your perception? What is the worst thing that can happen in the stressful situation? Is it really that that will happen? Your plan or how did you reduce that stress?