{"id":207,"date":"2026-05-19T15:49:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T19:49:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cecas.clemson.edu\/process\/?p=207"},"modified":"2026-05-19T15:49:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T19:49:46","slug":"looking-for-a-way-to-compare-students-incoming-familiarity-with-course-topics-to-what-they-actually-learn-by-the-end-of-the-semester-consider-using-the-salf-and-salg-surveys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cecas.clemson.edu\/process\/looking-for-a-way-to-compare-students-incoming-familiarity-with-course-topics-to-what-they-actually-learn-by-the-end-of-the-semester-consider-using-the-salf-and-salg-surveys\/","title":{"rendered":"Looking for a way to compare students\u2019 incoming familiarity with course topics to what they actually learn by the end of the semester? Consider using the SALF and SALG surveys!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our project leveraged the established SALG (Student Assessment of Learning Gains) instrument to evaluate students\u2019 perceived learning gains at the end of the semester. However, interpreting these results in isolation proved challenging because we lacked insight into what students knew <em>before<\/em> taking the course. This realization led to the development of the SALF (Student Assessment of Learning Familiarity) survey\u2014a complementary pre-course instrument aligned with SALG. This paired approach gives instructors a simple, structured way to generate evidence of student learning and reflect on instructional effectiveness.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The SALG is a tool for gathering formative feedback on instructional practices and student learning. The SALG is administered at the end of the semester and asks students to report how specific course elements (e.g., activities, assignments, instructional techniques) helped their learning, along with their perceived learning gains in content knowledge and skills. (<em>Note:<\/em> this instrument was developed from a chemistry course study comparing instructionally traditional and innovative courses across eight institutions and has been adapted to work across disciplines.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The SALF adapts this structure for the beginning of the semester. It asks students to reflect on their <em>prior <\/em>familiarity with core course concepts and their <em>previous<\/em> experiences with instructional techniques. This provides instructors with a baseline understanding of:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Students\u2019 prerequisite knowledge<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Areas of confidence or uncertainty<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Preconceived expectations about teaching approaches.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With this information, instructors can make early adjustments, including clarifying assumptions, reinforcing foundational concepts or proactively addressing likely sticking points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the end of the semester, the SALG can be used to measure perceived learning gains on the same or closely aligned items. When paired thoughtfully, SALF and SALG enable instructors to:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Compare pre-course familiarity with post-course learning gains,&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Identify areas of significant growth or persistent gaps, and&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Generate evidence of student learning for reflective teaching or reporting purposes.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With careful survey design (e.g., anonymous matching codes), responses can be linked at the individual or aggregate level, allowing for both class-wide analysis and deeper insights into individual learning trajectories.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For an example of the survey in action, consider this example from the Civil Engineering Statics course from Fall 2025.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the SALF survey, student responses revealed that they favored traditional lecture-based structure supplemented with occasional group work and hands-on activities. Furthermore, as they reflected about prior courses they described learning best through a \u201cyou do, we do, I do\u201d approach. This told the instructor that he needed to be clear about the purpose and decision to implement the planned collaborative course design.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then came the SALG survey at the end of the semester. We were ecstatic to see there was a notable positive shift in perceptions! Students increasingly pointed to hands-on learning strategies and they highlighted the benefits of structured group work for deepening their understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How to Get Started:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Adapt the SALF and SALG questions to match your course content&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Administer the SALF early in Week 1<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Review the results<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Administer SALG in the last class&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>After the semester, review SALG data alongside SALF results to identify patterns in student growth, and refine future course design.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more details see our paper at the ASEE 2026 Annual Conference &amp; Exposition <a href=\"https:\/\/nemo.asee.org\/public\/conferences\/374\/papers\/50515\/view\">linked here.<\/a><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our project leveraged the established SALG (Student Assessment of Learning Gains) instrument to evaluate students\u2019 perceived learning gains at the end of the semester. However, interpreting these results in isolation proved challenging because we lacked insight into what students knew before taking the course. This realization led to the development of the SALF (Student Assessment &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/cecas.clemson.edu\/process\/looking-for-a-way-to-compare-students-incoming-familiarity-with-course-topics-to-what-they-actually-learn-by-the-end-of-the-semester-consider-using-the-salf-and-salg-surveys\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Looking for a way to compare students\u2019 incoming familiarity with course topics to what they actually learn by the end of the semester? Consider using the SALF and SALG surveys!<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cecas.clemson.edu\/process\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cecas.clemson.edu\/process\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cecas.clemson.edu\/process\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cecas.clemson.edu\/process\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cecas.clemson.edu\/process\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=207"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cecas.clemson.edu\/process\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":216,"href":"https:\/\/cecas.clemson.edu\/process\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207\/revisions\/216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cecas.clemson.edu\/process\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cecas.clemson.edu\/process\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cecas.clemson.edu\/process\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}