The Course Assessment Cycle

Good assessment begins with the end in mind. First decide what you want students to learn or be able to do in your course.

Course Goals
These are broad aspirational statements that set the larger picture of the course for you and your students.

Course Learning Objectives
Learning objectives are more specific than goals, and must be measurable. Specific and measurable learning objectives help instructors design assessments that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills.

Guidelines for writing course goals

• Goals are broad statements that describe what you want for your students by the end of the course.
• Goals should be student centered. 
• Goals do not need to be measurable and can use more general terms like "understand" or "value."
• Goals are able to be translated or divided into one or more specific, measurable learning objectives.

For more information about student learning objectives, complete our self-paced resource guide on Creating Learning Objectives.

Course alignment is a design process that ensures learning objectives, assessments, and course learning activities are all well linked. The learning objectives you craft will drive your choice of formative and summative assessments, which will then determine which learning activities you plan for class time. Making this connection clear and explicit for your students helps to reinforce your course organization, effort in design, and the relevance of assignments and activities.

Learning Objectives ⇒ Evidence & Assessment Methods ⇒ Instructional Resources & Learning Activities

Course Alignment Tool

How do I know what assessment methods to use?

There are many tools and methods for assessing learning, but not all are appropriate for each of your learning objectives. Some assessments work best for objectives focusing on the lower levels of Bloom's Taxonomy (e.g., remembering or understanding), while others work better for higher order objectives (e.g., evaluating or creating). The list below, while not exhaustive, provides some guidance to point you in the right direction.

• Remember: Clicker questions (try Vevox), quizzes/exams (e.g., objective questions: multiple choice, true/false, matching, fill in the blank)
• Understand: Concept mapping, summaries, infographics, quizzes/exams (multiple choice questions, short answer questions)
• Apply: Discussion posts, lab reports, portfolios, quizzes/exams (multiple choice questions, short answer questions)
• Analyze: Case studies, essays, critiques, muddiest point, research paper
• Evaluate: Essays, debates, discussion posts, presentations, peer evaluation (try FeedbackFruits)
• Create: Research proposal, artistic composition, essays, website designs, business plans

Collecting Assessment Data
Collecting data for the purposes of a learning assessment involves more than just assigning a course grade for your students. Therefore your assessment methods and course assignments should be developed to align with your course objectives. Assessment data collection can involve both direct and indirect measures. 

Direct assessment

• involves methods and tools that have students perform a task based on what they learned in the course.
• can include the tools embedded in course assignments (e.g., multiple choice questions, short answer questions, essays, lab reports, etc.).
• often incorporates the use of rubrics to measure learning in more subjective assignments such as written work or presentations.

Indirect assessment

• involves collecting data on perception of learning, typically by asking students to self report what they gained from a course.
• includes methods such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, and course evaluations.

Data Analysis & Interpretation

This step is made easier if you have defined criteria for successful learning on each student learning objective.  Here are some questions to consider:

• Are there specific question(s) on a multiple choice quiz or exam that target your learning objective(s)? If you are using multiple objective questions to measure a single learning objective, what percent of correct responses indicates successful learning? 
• What scale point on your rubric(s) indicates a student met the learning objective(s)?
• What is the benchmark learning rate (i.e., the percentage of students who learned what you intended) for you to consider the course successful in teaching your learning objective(s)?

These questions may differ based on the assessment methods you selected for each of your learning objectives. Once you have answered these you can determine which student learning objectives were met by the majority of students, and which were more challenging for them to meet.

The main value of assessment is using the information to improve the student learning experience. Therefore, after collecting and interpreting data, it is important to close the loop by making adjustments to your course. The assessment process can reveal opportunities for change whether students met your minimum criteria for successful learning or not. Below are some questions for you to consider in each of these situations.

When students demonstrate successful learning on a given objective:

• Did you have appropriate expectations for your students? Were they challenged enough? Should you raise your expectations in future semesters?
• What did you do to ensure your students met the learning objectives(s)? Were specific activities or modes of giving feedback particularly effective? Could these activities or methods be used in other areas of the course?
• Would some of your practices in the course/section being assessed work in other courses/class sections?

When students do not demonstrate successful learning on an objective:

• Did your students have adequate time and opportunity to digest, practice, and receive feedback about this learning outcome? Could you add additional problem solving activities or class time in the future?
• Do you need to reconsider the learning outcome itself, or the method used to assess it? Redesigning assignments can sometimes help in this situation.

Responses to the questions above will help you conceptualize potential course modifications. Writing up an assessment report summarizing your findings and recommendations is also good practice.