What are the best practices for testing and grading?
If you are wondering what kind of test or assignment is best in a given situation, you may need to start by referring back to the learning objectives of the course. Test and assignment design will be driven by... Click for more
If you are wondering what kind of test or assignment is best in a given situation, you may need to start by referring back to the learning objectives of the course. Test and assignment design will be driven by which changes in students you want to measure. Do they now know more? Can they now think more analytically? Can they now synthesize disparate pieces of information? Certain instruments can easily measure student memorization or comprehension. Different instruments will be needed to determine whether or not a student can think critically. Overall, your "assessment" of student learning occurs at two levels. Some assignments will be used to make a formal judgment about whether or not students have met the learning objectives set forth in the syllabus. Common assessments used for this "summative" purpose are exams, research papers, and course portfolios that determine whether a student will pass the course or not. Other evaluative activities (technically called "formative") might be used to promote student reflection on his/her own progress in the course, and to help the instructor monitor that progress well before making a definitive judgment. In any given course it is helpful to students to offer them many opportunities to test and track their own progress, so they can consider how to improve their performance. Click for less
