To assess student learning is to obtain and analyze evidence of students' development of the knowledge, skills, etc. that indicate the extent to which students are meeting learning objectives. That is, students must demonstrate their learning in some tangible way, which can be either formative or summative.
Summative assessment involves an evaluation of student learning at the end of a unit or course, a "summing up" of the content or substance of what students know, can do, etc. Summative assessment is often formal and associated with grades. Examples of summative assessment include comprehensive exams, research papers, projects, reports, presentations, etc.
Formative assessment refers to an evaluation of student learning during an intermediate moment of the learning process, which provides an opportunity to give students feedback and to allow them to reflect on their progress, ongoing challenges, strategies they might pursue moving forward, etc. Summative assessment is often informal and not graded - at least, not for the content or substance of student learning. Examples of formative assessment can include a range of options, such as:
- Prior Knowledge Probe: Use a short survey at the beginning of a course or unit to uncover student misconceptions or what they may already know or have experience doing, etc.
- Minute Paper: Ask student at the end of a class session or video lecture to write down what was the most important thing they learned or what questions they have.
- Muddiest Point: Have students indicate what point or idea in a lecture, discussion, reading, film, lab procedure, etc. was most confusing or unclear.
- Peer Review: Have students offer each other feedback - using a rubric or handout guide - about work such as papers, assignments, etc.
- Self-Reflection: Have students comment on their own work and their process for doing it, indicating for instance what is challenging, which strategies they are using, what they ought to do differently moving forward, and so forth.
Find many more examples of assessment techniques for both in-person and online courses in Learning Assessment Techniques (Barkley and Major, 2016)
Alignment and Transparency of Assessment
Formative assessment activities are most effective when they allow students to work directly with or apply course content and receive feedback or engage in self-reflection that, in turn, helps them prepare for summative assessments. Indeed, it is helpful for any activity students are asked to do in a course to be aligned clearly with learning objectives and include some manner of formative assessment that helps them prepare for summative assessments. Therefore, be transparent about the purpose of activities and assignments, clearly indicate the criteria and standards for success involved in assessment, and delineate the necessary tasks to be completed. The Transparent Assignment Design Template provides a good model of transparency.
The value of assessment can also be enhanced when activities, assignments, etc. use real life contexts, which helps students discern the relevance of their learning in the course to their lives outside the course or work after the course is over. The Teaching Toward Career Readiness Toolkit provides a variety of examples of "career readiness" assignments.