ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING USING FLEMING& MILLS' VARK LEARNING STYLES

VARK is an acronym that stands for Visual, Auditory, Read ( includes writing), and Kinesthetic sensory modalities that humans employ for learning and processing information. If instructors want to accentuate student performance in a particular topic, or a chosen field of expertise, they have to provide multiple outlets for experimentation and learning exploration. In their paper published in 1992, Fleming and Mills suggested four categories that seemed to identify most students' learning behavior. The author has previously worked on a similar project and has presented his initial findings in a paper entitled "Assessment of Perceptual Modality Styles" at the 2007 ASEE National Conference at Honolulu, Hawaii. In this, follow-up presentation he presents his latest findings and compares them with the data he had procured previously. Hunter R. Boylan is the Chairperson for American Council of Developmental Education Associations. In his book, What Works: Research-Based Best Practices in Developmental Education, Dr. Boylan gives tips for accommodating diversity through instruction. His tips are to train faculty in alternative forms of instruction if they are expected to use diverse instructional methods. He recommends administering a learning styles inventory to students as a regular assessment process. In this presentation, the author presents his findings and compares them with the results of Hunter Boylan.