Plan Assessment

Establish an environment where quality is expected and students are aware of the expectations.

Consider the following ideas:

• Clearly state requirements such as due dates, posting requirements, and quality indicators.
• Build requirements for spelling, grammar, and mechanics into your guidelines.
• Use a variety of assessment approaches.
• Get students involved with assessment.

A quality assessment program should address the following four questions:

• Valid. Does it measure what is intended?
• Reliable. Does it consistently produce the same result?
• Fair. Is it free from bias?
• Comprehensive. Does it provide enough variety to address the needs of diverse learners?

Design Assessments

In designing assessments, instructors must be balance the desire for a comprehensive assessment plan with a realistic approach to course management. Although it would be helpful for students to receive detailed feedback on every assignment, it may not be realistic given class sizes.

Before designing specific assessments, consider the following questions:

• Which learning objectives will be assessed?
• Will assessment be formative (during the learning experience with student feedback) or summative (at the end of the experience to measure learning)?
• Will assessments be norm-referenced (against peer standards) or criterion-referenced (based on established criteria)?
• Will assessments be authentic (based on real-world situations and experiences)?
• Will assessments be varied including a variety of strategies?
• What types of assessments will be most effective, efficient, and appealing?
• How will assessments be weighed?
• How will students submit their work?
• How will students access their grades and feedback?

Peer Assessment and Review

If you plan to incorporate a peer evauation component, consider the following:

• Will students get credit for their job as a peer reviewer? How will this be evaluated?
• What criteria will students use in their peer review?
• Will these reviews be made to the individual student or as part of a discussion that others can view?
• Are these formative reviews that can be used by students to improve their work prior to final project submission or are they summative reviews

Alternative Assessments

Consider some of the following alternative assessments:

• Checklst
• Conference and Interview
• Portfolio
• Rubric
• Student Journals

Learn more at Assessment from Virtual Inquiry.

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