Whether it is through an exam, essay, group assignment or creative scholarly work, assessments shape student learning. Designing course assessments intentionally and with accessible and authentic designs helps students demonstrate their learning throughout a course.
Key Idea
Offering accessible and relevant assessments by design helps build direct connections between what is being assessed, what is being taught and what students are expected to learn.
Approaches to Assessment
The three common approaches to assessment (of, as and for learning) can help instructors determine the purpose of assessment in the learning experience. These approaches can be used formally or informally and individually or in combination to support instructors’ unique assessment practices. By using these approaches, instructors can gain insight into student development, guide instructional planning as well as support student engagement, reflection and growth.
| Assessment for Learning |
|---|
Occurs throughout the course and provides ongoing feedback on teaching and learning.
Examples:
- Quizzes
- Journals
- Labs
| Assessment of Learning |
|---|
Happens at key times in a course and measures student learning against the course learning outcomes.
Examples:
- Midterms
- Exams
- Term Projects
| Assessment as Learning |
|---|
Engages students in learning beyond testing and can lead to metacognition.
Examples:
- Reflections
- Peer Feedback
- Self-evaluation
Resource to Explore
Principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) help incorporate flexibility, transparency and choice into assessment design. Discover more about UDL and assessment design.
Getting Started with Assessment (re)Design
Start Small: Changing one aspect of an assessment can help to try out new approaches.
Share Expectations: Speaking regularly with students helps clarify assessment expectations and supports academic honesty and accessibility. For example, speak with students about the role of academic honesty and GenAI in the discipline and in their learning.
Scaffold Assessments: Breaking down an assessment into smaller steps can help scaffold student learning, streamline assessments and balance due dates throughout the course supporting student time management and well-being.
Model Methods: Matching assessment environments and methods throughout the course—whether in terms of format, timing, setting or tools—can help students prepare for tests and assessments. For example, if the final exam is in person, include in-person quizzes or activities that mirror the exam experience.
Align with Learning Outcomes: Reviewing each assessment to highlight the learning outcome(s) it addresses helps students connect with course content.
Include Variety: Offering formative, diagnostic and summative assessments can offer accessible options for students to demonstrate learning in different and multiple ways.
Support Students: Reviewing timelines and due dates regularly with students helps support time management and encourages earlier conversation around accommodations and extensions.
Types of Assessments
Using a combination of assessment approaches offers flexibility and variety in how students demonstrate their learning. Diagnostic, formative and summative assessments offer different strategies to provide targeted and timely feedback to learners when and how they need it within a course.
| Diagnostic Assessment |
|---|
Asks: What do students currently know?
Ungraded: no stakes
Assesses learner's prior knowledge and skills
Examples:
- Survey
- Self-evaluation
| Formative Assessment |
|---|
Asks: How is learning happening?
Graded or Ungraded: low stakes
Monitors learning to provide ongoing feedback and opportunities to improve
Examples:
- Knowledge-check Quiz
- Research Proposal or Annotated Bibliography
| Summative Assessment |
|---|
Asks: What have students learned?
Graded: high stakes
Ensures learning at the end of a learning experience, unit or course
Examples:
- Midterm/Final Exam
- Portfolio
- Essay
Grades reflect students’ learning and their meaningful contributions to the course. Assessment practices that contribute to a student’s grade rather than detract from it can help build a growth mindset. This approach is grounded in inclusive pedagogies that prioritize learning, development and feedback as a tool for improvement.
Authentic Assessments
Authentic assessments, sometimes also known as alternative assessments, engage students in applying their learning to specific contexts and tasks. One purpose of authentic assessments is to help foster the disciplinary knowledge, skills and abilities used in the field. To do so, instructors can evaluate students using the same tools, techniques and skills they will need in their future professional careers. Incorporating authentic assessments can also support academic honesty as they ask students to share and showcase their skills and thought process.
7 Assessment Tips: Authentic Assessments and Academic Integrity
Linking assessments to class activities like lectures, discussions and guest speakers can increase engagement.
Sharing clear instructions, expectations, policies and resources can help learners know what is expected.
Creating a question bank and randomization for multiple-choice assessments can offer variation from student-to-student and year-to-year.
Including critical and self-reflections can provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning.
Scaffolding assessments like drafts or sample problems can help students show their thinking and thought processes.
Offering shorter, multi-stage assessments throughout a course can provide opportunities for learners to receive and apply feedback.
Designing authentic assessments can offer learners opportunities to practice applying their learning to relevant contexts, tasks or scenarios.
Examples of Authentic Assessment
Scaffolding Spotlight
Scaffolding assessment can help streamline learning as well as integrate structured support into assessment plans to gradually increase learner’s independence. To help support scaffolding assessments and grading:
Break Assessment Tasks into Manageable but Meaningful Steps
Structure an assessment into milestones (e.g., proposal, draft, peer review, final submission) throughout a course instead of all at once.
Tip: Reinforce and encourage student effort and progress by assigning appropriate grade percentages (e.g., 10% proposal, 20% draft). Avoid small percentage assignments (e.g. under 5%).
Create Room for Scaffolding in Assessment Structure
Build in assessment checkpoints to allow students to develop their work by receiving regular feedback. Consider distributing grades across scaffolded steps that connect with course learning outcomes.
Tip: Reduce the weight of a high-stakes summative assessments (e.g., exam or essay) and redistribute across scaffolded steps (e.g., from 45% final exam to 25% final exam and two of 10% in-class interactive practice activities, 10% term quizzes, 10% case study, or 10% student-generated mock exam questions).
Adapting Assessments for Larger Classes or Online Delivery
Simplify & Align
Reviewing assessment format, modality, timing and connection to learning outcomes can help support flexibility and alignment. Incorporating asynchronous assessment options can provide further options for student engagement. Scaffolding assessments throughout a course can also support student learning and timely feedback. Introducing more flexibility in due dates and regularly communicating with students about course deadlines and expectations can support accessibility and student time management.
Resources to explore:
Leverage Technology
Technology can support assessments and grading in larger classes. For example, eClass can be used to create forums or groups as well as to deliver an auto-graded quiz or quick knowledge check. Students could complete a quiz once independently before class and then collaboratively check their understanding in class. Collaborative quizzes or two-stage exams can both support academic integrity and timely feedback in online assessments.
Resources to explore:
Collaborative Learning
Consider both graded and ungraded as well as synchronous and asynchronous assessment opportunities for students to work on together. Doing so can boost students’ engagement and understanding of course content as they learn from one another. For example, consider active learning activities like think-pair-share, peer review, or group projects.
Resources to explore:
Pause & Reflect
The following questions invite instructors to pause and reflect on their current practices and explore opportunities to adapt existing assessments or design new ones:
- How are current assessments connected to course learning outcomes?
- Where could assessments be scaffolded or broken down into smaller parts throughout a course?
- How does the course offer different types of assessment, providing students multiple ways to demonstrate their learning?
Learn More
Sokhanvar, Z., Salehi, K., & Sokhanvar, F. (2021). Advantages of authentic assessment for improving the learning experience and employability skills of higher education students: A systematic literature review.
Tai, J., Ajjawi, R., Bearman, M., Boud, D., Dawson, P., & Jorre de St Jorre, T. (2023). Assessment for inclusion: Rethinking contemporary strategies in assessment design.
Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning. (n.d.). Learning Module: Designing Student Assessments.
Toronto Metropolitan University. (2021). Best Practices in Alternative Assessments.
Villarroel, V., Boud, D., Bloxham, S., Bruna, D., & Bruna, C. (2020). Using principles of authentic assessment to redesign written examinations and tests.