Assessment
Assessment refers to the process of gathering evidence of student learning. It helps instructors and learners understand what learning is taking place, what support may be needed, and how learning can continue to develop.
When aligned with learning outcomes, assessments help instructors make informed teaching decisions while providing learners with meaningful opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and skills.
Types of Assessment
Assessment strategies allow the instructor and learner to determine what learning is taking place and has already taken place. Assessments can occur before learning as diagnostic assessments, during learning through formative assessments, and at the end of learning as summative assessments or evaluations.
Diagnostic Assessment |
Formative Assessment |
Summative Assessment |
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What: Assessment for learning; explores what learners already know When: Before learning Why: Helps determine learners' prior knowledge, skills, and understanding before instruction begins Examples:
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What: Assessment for and as learning; monitors learner progress throughout learning When: During learning Why: Provides ongoing feedback to both instructors and learners Examples:
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What: Assessment of learning; evaluates learning at the end of a unit or course When: After learning Why: Used to evaluate student achievement in relation to learning outcomes Examples:
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Application
Effective assessments are intentionally designed to align with learning outcomes and support learner success throughout the learning process.
When planning assessments, consider what learners should know, value, or be able to demonstrate by the end of a learning experience. Assessments can provide opportunities for learners to practice skills, receive feedback, reflect on their progress, and demonstrate achievement.
Planning Considerations
When designing assessments, consider the following:
- Identify the learning outcome students are working toward
- Determine what evidence would demonstrate achievement
- Use diagnostic assessments to identify learners' starting points
- Incorporate formative opportunities for feedback and growth
- Ensure summative assessments align with learning outcomes
- Communicate expectations and criteria clearly
- Consider accessibility, flexibility, and inclusion
- Use a variety of assessment approaches where appropriate
- Provide opportunities for reflection and revision when possible
What Are You Assessing?
Assessments can measure a wide range of knowledge, skills, and behaviours depending on the intended learning outcomes. Consider what learners should know, value, or be able to demonstrate by the end of a learning experience.
Knowledge
- Recall of facts
- Application of knowledge
- Information literacy
- Technical knowledge
- Disciplinary knowledge
Skills
- Critical thinking
- Problem solving
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Teamwork
Behaviours
- Reflection
- Professionalism
- Creativity
- Metacognition
- Self-awareness
Learner-Centred Assessment
Effective assessments not only measure learning, but also help learners practice skills, receive feedback, reflect on their progress, and engage actively in the learning process.
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Consider what you want your students to learn and tell them
Clearly identify what learners should know, value, or be able to demonstrate by the end of a course or learning experience. Use clear and measurable learning outcomes that incorporate action verbs such as "analyze", "solve", "create", or "evaluate".
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Select assignments and tests that measure what you value most
Assessments should align with the knowledge, skills, and behaviours that are most important to the course or learning experience. Consider whether the assessment method provides learners with meaningful opportunities to demonstrate the intended learning outcomes.
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Use interesting and meaningful assessment approaches
Authentic, relevant, and meaningful assessment tasks can help learners connect course concepts to real-world contexts and applications. Creative assessment strategies can support deeper learning when they align with the intended outcomes and provide clear expectations for learners.
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Incorporate collaboration and peer learning
Collaborative assessments can support communication, teamwork, and peer learning while encouraging learners to engage more actively in the learning process.
When using collaborative assessments, it is important to clearly communicate expectations, roles, and the purpose of the group work.
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Construct an assessment skeleton
Planning assessments across a course can help ensure that workload, timing, and expectations are manageable and strategically placed throughout the learning experience.
Mapping assessments in advance can also help ensure alignment with learning outcomes and course goals.
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Collaborate with your students to set and achieve goals
Incorporating student input and encouraging reflection on learning goals can help increase learner motivation, engagement, and ownership of learning.
Learners may benefit from discussing expectations, identifying personal learning goals, and reflecting on strategies for success.
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Make assignment and test instructions clear to students
Clear instructions and transparent expectations can help learners better understand assessment tasks and reduce uncertainty or frustration. Rubrics, examples, and staged submissions can help support learner success.
Providing opportunities for feedback throughout the assessment process can also help learners stay on track and improve over time.
Attribution
Sections of this page were adapted from The Transforming Teaching Toolkit by the Centre for Teaching & Learning, Queen’s University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.