Designing assessments to support deeper learning

New ways to test and feedback on students’ progress that help enhance their learning

Advice on ways to test and monitor student progress that support deeper learning

Assessment is an area of rich debate in higher education with a multitude of opinions on how to do it better for both students and staff. But one thing that most can agree upon is that there is much room for improvement. This collection offers insight and guidance from university staff who are using a wide range of assessment strategies to boost student learning outcomes, from authentic assessment design to doing away with grades entirely.

Assessment design that supports authentic learning (and discourages cheating)

Catherine Wehlburg shares tips for creating a learning environment and assessment design that encourages authentic learning and reduces the temptation to cheat

Catherine Wehlburg

Athens State University

A focus on learning outcomes

Advice on designing and delivering more authentic, equitable and transparent assessment and feedback

Equity, agency and transparency: making assessment work better for students and academics

Carol Evans explains how to design assessment and feedback practices that are authentic and deepen students’ learning and confidence in the long term

Carol Evans

Cardiff University, University of Southampton

Using immersive tech, such as augmented reality, can revolutionise assessment in universities

Using technology to revolutionise the way you evaluate

Even amid the great shift online, assessment methods have often remained mired in the traditional system, says Monica Francesca Contrino

Monica Francesca Contrino

Monterrey Institute of Technology

Education and grades are often in direct conflict in higher education, so it might be time for a messy divorce

Education and grades are often in direct conflict – it’s time for a messy divorce

Universities don’t do a very good job of credentialing, and the process actively harms students and their learning, so why do we persist? asks Danny Oppenheimer

Danny Oppenheimer

Carnegie Mellon University

Advice on designing assessment to encourage authentic application of knowledge

How to make sure assessment practices are as authentic as possible

We all want employers to be confident that students have the skills to do the job. And these skills still require assessment, it’s just done a little differently, says Paula Reilly

Paula Reilly

Arden University

Inclusive pedagogy: using multimedia as a tool to enhance and transform assessment

Rachel Challen outlines key steps to enhancing the design, direction and delivery of assessment using digital tools

Rachel Challen

Nottingham Trent University

Taking grades out of teaching

Advice on implementing ungrading to improve student learning outcomes

Feedback rather than ranking: how to start ungrading in order to improve learning

Katharine Johanesen explains how to replace traditional grading with self-assessment and feedback throughout a course in order to improve learning outcomes

Katharine Johanesen

Juniata College

Advice on practical considerations when ungrading

So, you want to take the grades out of teaching? A beginner’s guide to ungrading

Susan D Blum shares her key recommendations for anyone wishing to remove grades from their teaching, in order to focus their students’ energies upon learning

Susan D Blum

University of Notre Dame

A scantron sheet. Do we dehumanise students when we put them into spreadsheet rows?

Grades are dehumanising, but ‘ungrading’ is no simple solution

There is nothing ideologically neutral about grades, and nothing ideologically neutral about the idea we can neatly and tidily do away with them, says Jesse Stommel

Jesse Stommel

University of Mary Washington

How to guide students to assess and feedback on one another's work

Recommendations for incorporating and guiding peer assessment in the classroom or online

Claudia Hernández and Karla Banda offer practical advice on how to incorporate and direct productive peer assessment among students

Claudia Janeth Hernández Cardona, Karla Margarita Banda Martínez

Monterrey Institute of Technology

Guiding students to learn from each other through peer feedback

Sam Evans and David Collett share a framework to guide students in effective peer review to boost learning outcomes

Sam Evans, David Collett

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Diversifying assessment formats

Advice on using blogs to showcase and assess students' knowledge

Students as educators: the value of assessed blogs to showcase learning

Matt Davies explains how assessed blogs help translate the thrill of interactive learning into tangible outcomes that enrich and showcase students’ knowledge

Matt Davies

University of Chester

Advice on using campaign based assessments in higher education

Putting the case: campaigning documents as assessments on vocational degrees

Russ Woodward looks at the merits and practicalities of using campaign-based assessments on vocational higher education courses

Russell Woodward

University Centre, Grimsby: The TEC Partnership

Using Blackboard learning journals as a form of online assessment

Translating creative assessment styles online: Blackboard learning journals

Traditional exams can inhibit students, while more creative assessments provide a forum where their talent and knowledge can shine. Madeleine Davies discusses a technique to offer creative assessments online

Madeleine Davies

University of Reading

Improving exam marking and grading practices in higher education

Turn the marking process on its head by using ‘reverse grading’

Davita Günbay explains how reversing the narrative between ‘what I got’ and ‘what I was given’ can help learners engage and take responsibility for their learning

Davita Günbay

Near East University

Making grading in university courses more reliable

Inconsistent or inaccurate grading can have serious real-world consequences for students. Paige Tsai and Danny Oppenheimer offer tips on how to recognise and fix the problem

Paige Tsai, Danny Oppenheimer

Harvard Business School, Carnegie Mellon University

Guiding students in better self-assessment

How to guide students to assess and feedback on their own work to improve online learning

Guiding learning by activating students’ inner feedback

David Nicol explains how students can be guided to make comparisons and feedback on their own work, rather than relying on instructor comments, for improved learning outcomes

David Nicol

University of Glasgow

Teaching students to self-assess their written work as a crucial academic skill

Vivid language: teaching online students to assess writing

Audra Spicer explains how online classes can provide opportunities to make student self-assessment visual, engaging, immediate and comprehensible

Audra Spicer

Colorado State University Global

Advice on developing regular quizzes that test students' understanding so they can address any gaps in their knowledge

Designing ‘knowledge checker’ quizzes that motivate students to review feedback and revise learning

Jonathan Sim advises on designing regular quizzes as a tool to ensure students review their assignment feedback and address gaps in their understanding

Jonathan Sim

National University of Singapore

Advice on the changing nature of higher education assessment

Let’s all slow down before banishing invigilated exams forever

Despite the detractors, there still aren’t many better ways to ensure academic integrity and test knowledge and understanding, say Andy Grayson and Richard Trigg

Andy Grayson, Richard Trigg

Nottingham Trent University

Are online exams better for student mental health?

Traditional exams under tightly invigilated conditions are highly stressful for students, but online alternatives bring their own issues, says Michael Priestley

Michael Priestley

Durham University