Authentic

Authentic assessment asks students to demonstrate skills and knowledge by performing realistic tasks within the discipline. It provides opportunities to practice, consult resources, feedback, and refine performances and products.

• Support Authentic Assessments by providing a rubric. Review Teaching and Learning Innovations, Introduction to Rubrics 
• Using Quality Matters Standards and Other Rubrics to Create Assessments – Dr. Bob Dubois 

Formative

Formative assessment is designed to provide feedback to both students and instructors about how well the learning process is going. The following examples allow students to assess their own understanding of course concepts. 

Examples:

• Self-tests using Canvas Quizzes tool 
• Think-pair-share activities, Discussion Forum, or group spaces such as Google Drive or Canvas chat 
• Low-risk assignments that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and abilities such as Materia widgets 
• Peer review and feedback

Summative

Summative assessment is designed to provide evidence that students have achieved a learning outcome or otherwise gained skills or knowledge throughout the course.

Examples:

• End-of-semester exams
• Projects such as recorded presentations, interviews, and demonstrations 
• Portfolios such as Folio, ePortfolio, and Google site
• Presentations using Zoom, Panopto, Studio, and Flip
• Final papers, projects, and portfolio

Traditional

Traditional assessment (defined mainly as discrete-item testing) is used to emphasize the acquisition of a body of knowledge or skill. Does a student know the who, what, when, and where? Traditional assessment strategies are helpful when you want students to identify one best answer and/or target isolated skills in a concrete fashion.

Writing multiple-choice questions can be challenging, especially when challenging students’ higher-order thinking. Below in the video gallery, you will find OIT’s instructional video guide to writing higher-level multiple-choice questions.