Gathering Evidence of Student Learning

Assessment is simply the process of gathering evidence of what students are learning or have learned. Sometimes we gather
this evidence in order to assign a grade; at other times, we may simply want to know how students are doing. Having more
information about what students are learning can help us adjust our teaching strategies, and help students know where to focus
their efforts.

Assessment to assign a grade or make a judgment about student performance is often called summative assessment.
Assessment to find out what students are learning in order to provide feedback or make adjustments in practice is often called
formative assessment. These terms can help us converse more clearly about the purposes and uses of assessment.

Summative assessment, of course, does provide feedback to students. The challenge is that by the time students receive this
feedback, it is too late to do anything about it. Thus, a combination of formative and summative assessment strategies can help
students stay on track and obtain the most benefit from their learning experiences.

The following chart provides some examples of common assessment strategies, how they can be implemented, and their
benefits and limitations.

Assessment Strategies

Implementation Benefits and limitations

Exams and quizzes Most exams and quizzes in use in higher
education involve multiple-choice questions,
short-answer questions, or essay questions.
Exams are often used as summative
assessment, while quizzes can be used as
formative assessment, and may be graded
or ungraded.
Multiple-choice exams and quizzes are easy to grade,
and can be analyzed to determine if students are having
difficulty with particular concepts.
Multiple-choice exams typically only assess lower-level
knowledge, such as the ability to recall or recognize
particular facts or terms. Higher-level questions that
involve scenarios can be written, but these are time-
consuming to construct.
Short-answer or essay questions can test higher-level
Assessment Strategies
Implementation
Exams and quizzes
(continued)
Written papers Written papers can take the form of
research papers, essays, theses, reports,
and other narrative documents.
The paper itself is a summative
assessment, but drafts can serve as
formative assessment, as can individual
elements of a paper, such as a problem
statement or literature review.
Presentations Presentations can address the same kinds
of knowledge and skills as written papers,
and include research presentations, oral
reports, workshops, and colloquia. The
actual presentation is often accompanied by
a paper and/or visual aids. Again, the final
productthe presentation and
accompanying documentsserves as the
summative assessment, while drafts and
interim documents can provide formative
assessment.
Benefits and limitations
critical thinking and analytical abilities. Any type of exam
or quiz, however, is by nature contrived, and does not
necessarily reflect a task or skill that would be needed in
the real world.
Feedback on exams and quizzes is typically in the form
of a numerical grade, and does not give students much
information about how to improve. Written feedback can
be given on short-answer and essay exams.
Written papers are a good choice for assessing
academic knowledge, critical thinking, analytical skills,
and the ability to synthesize and evaluate. Additionally,
they provide assessment of written communication
skills, a core outcome for any college program.
It is typically easier to create a paper assignment than to
construct an exam, but it is more time-consuming to
grade and provide useful feedback on written work.
Students are more likely to learn and improve their
performance as a result of this feedback, however.
Using a rubric can help streamline the grading and
feedback process.
Presentations accompanied by visual aids and
documents can provide an assessment of the same
kinds of knowledge and skills as written papers, but also
students oral communication skills and the ability to
communicate with diverse audiences.
The same kinds of grading and feedback processes can
be used as for papers. Finding class time for all students
to present can be a challenge, so many instructors ask
students to present in groups. A poster session,
mirroring the kinds of presentations done at professional
conferences, can also be a good option.
Assessment Strategies
Implementation
Projects The kinds of projects that students can do in
college classes are extremely diverse and
can include research projects, designing
and creating products, solving real-world
problems, and other complex tasks.
The best projects are those that mirror tasks
that are required in the real world. Projects
can result in a written product and/or
presentation, and should include the same
kinds of drafts and interim opportunities for
review and feedback as with papers and
presentations.
Performances A performance is simply any
demonstration of skills or abilities that have
been developed in learning experiences.
These can include artistic or musical
performances, speeches, athletic
performances, demonstration of technical or
professional skills, and other real-world
skills.
A performance can take place in a
classroom or an environment such as a
workplace, and can involve one-time events
or long-term observation of student skills, as
in an internship.
Dress rehearsals or other interim
observations of student performance can
serve as formative assessment, while a final
performance or evaluation serves as the
summative assessment.
2010 Laureate Education, Inc.
Benefits and limitations
Projects, if well designed, can be very realistic and
assess a wide variety of knowledge and skills. The
instructor should thoughtfully determine specifically what
learning outcomes are desired; create a project or task
that will address those outcomes; develop the
conditions, instructions, and expectations for the project;
and ensure it is doable given the time and space
constraints of the class.
Grading and feedback processes mirror those needed
for papers and presentations, and will benefit from the
use of a rubric.
Performances are often the most realistic assessment of
student achievement. Students can be very motivated to
develop the skills needed to do well on a performance
assessment, but they can also find performance
assessments intimidating. Learning activities need to be
designed to build both students competence and
confidence.
Helping students build competence and confidence
requires regular, constructive feedback in the form of
coaching or mentoring, as well as written feedback.
Developing a clear rubric or checklist, so students know
how they will be evaluated and what level of
performance is expected, is critical. For long-term
assessments, such as internships or clinicals, the
instructor also needs to establish a schedule or protocol
for observation and set dates for coaching or mentoring
sessions.