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Activities in which students are off-campus
doing work related to their field of study while enrolled as students,
go by a variety of names, such as early experience, field experience, clerkship,
internship, practicum, or coop-education placement. Typically in these
activities, the student is supervised by someone on site who is usually
not on the NDSU faculty.
The purpose for these off-campus activities varies by department and
discipline. However, the department faculty have some reason for having
the field experience in the program. It may be to enable the student to
demonstrate knowledge or skills acquired in the major, to relate theory
to practice, to apply principles to jobs related to the major, or other
outcomes expected in the program. The department faculty has discussed
what expectations it has for what the students are to "get out" of the
field experience. How are the students different or what learning can they
demonstrate from the experience?
The supervisor of the field activity is an excellent source for direct
evidence of how well the students are achieving the intended student outcomes.
The key is to include items for the supervisors to rate that relate to
the intended student outcomes.
Asking supervisors questions such as how satisfied they were with the
student, or did the student come on time, may be useful for the program
but do not provide evidence of learning in relation to the intended outcomes.
Some examples of items from forms used at NDSU follow.
Example Form 1
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1. |
EVALUATION FACTORS: Please evaluate the student's
performance considering the student's academic level and the nature of
the work assignment. To rate the first Sections use the following definitions: |
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1 - Exceptional performance. |
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2 - Performance higher than expected. |
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3 - Performance fully as expected. |
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4 - Performance less than expected. |
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5 - Performance consistently falls below expectations. |
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N/A Insufficient opportunity to observe student performance. |
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B. |
Job Proficiency |
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___Utilizes necessary technical knowledge and skills
to perform assigned |
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___Quickly understands and applies new techniques
or concepts. |
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___Recognizes problems accurately and proceeds in
a responsible manner. |
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C. |
Communication and Work Relationships |
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___Written communication is clear and effective. |
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___Oral communication is clear and effective. |
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___Works well with others; assists and encourages
teamwork. |
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___Demonstrates maturity and self-confidence in daily
work. |
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Taken from NDSU - Cooperative
Education |
Example Form 2
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DIRECTONS: |
For each of the traits listed below, place
a check mark above statement best describing the applicant. |
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JUDGMENT-ABILITY TO LEARN
AND ANALYZE INFORMATION |
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Uses no judgment. Decisions must be constantly reviewed
to prevent error. |
Judgment usually poor. Decisions made are usually not
reliable. |
Exercises a fair amount of common sense. Routine decisions
usually adequate. |
Has good judgment. Can make decisions that are usually
reliable. |
Unusually keen insight. Decisions almost always correct. |
No response. |
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ACCURACY-QUALITY OF WORK |
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Almost worthless. Work must always be checked for errors. |
Makes frequent errors. Accuracy of work not always dependable. |
Is usually accurate. Work requires only spot checking. |
Makes very few errors. Checks own work accurately before
release. |
Almost never makes an error. Unnecessary to check applicant's |
No response. |
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Taken from NDSU-Department
of Food and Nutrition |
Example Form 3
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The rating scale is: 4 =
Highly Satisfactory (HS) through 1 = Very Unsatisfactory (VU); and, 0 =
No Opinion or Not Applicable (NA) |
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HS |
<=====> |
VU |
NA |
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Did the employees show: |
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fundamental knowledge needed for the job? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
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knowledge of crops (or plant production)? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
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knowledge of weeds? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
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knowledge of insects? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
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knowledge of diseases? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
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knowledge of chemicals and safety? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
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knowledge of up-to-date cultural and biological management
practices? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
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ability to integrate plant protection strategies? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
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ability to apply fundamental knowledge to your practices? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
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ability to learn in your current situation? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
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willingness to learn? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
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the ability to communicate effectively: |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
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Orally? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
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Writing? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
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Were they effective/productive on the job? |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
0
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Taken from NDSU - Plant Sciences
Assessment
Techniques contents
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