Presenters: DEE MORRISSEY, Centre for Academic Excellence, and BILL HIBBERT, Police Foundations, School of Public Safety, Fanshawe College

Chair: KAREN MENARD, Assistant Vice-President, Institutional Analysis & Research, University of Guelph

Room: Scott B

Description: Maximizing experiential learning and ensuring authentic assessment for every student is a priority for all educators. Faculty teaching in Fanshawe College’s Police Foundations program recognized the need for a better approach to experiential learning and student assessment for their students, an approach that would truly allow all students to “reliably demonstrate” the program learning outcomes. This popular diploma program is offered at 20 Ontario colleges and attracts students eager for a career in law enforcement. High enrolment presents a very real challenge to faculty tasked with collecting “evidence” of learning. To meet the challenge, Fanshawe’s faculty team introduced a course wholly dedicated to culminating skills assessment in the final semester of the program where students apply learned theory in practical scenarios. In this interactive session, presenters will explain how financial, logistical and scheduling constraints were overcome through commitment, collaboration, and creativity. Session participants will complete some of the same experiential learning activities that prepare students for scenario-based authentic assessments. Participants will leave with a course outline, course plan, scenario template, and grading rubric — and the skills and confidence to collect evidence of learning in their own large-enrolment programs.