Assurance of Learning and Knowledge Retention: Do AOL Practices Measure Long-Term Knowledge Retention or Short-term Memory Recall?

Abstract

In response to greater emphasis on quantitative measures of assurance of learning the authors propose that while useful, the assessment tools currently being utilized, and the desired outcomes that they measure, may not be well aligned with how the brain acquires and stores knowledge over the long-term. The following paper considers current approaches to teaching, assessment and long-term knowledge retention and makes a call for additional assessment measures that can assist in establishing teaching strategies that support the neurological functions that occur in the brain to allow short-term memory to become long-term knowledge retention.