Your Syllabus

Be sure to state your assessment policies clearly in your online syllabus:

• Include clear course objectives (Student Learning Objectives) so students will know how to direct their efforts and understand how their work will be evaluated.
• Include a clear statement of how you will assess student learning.
• Include the institutional policy regarding academic dishonesty.
• Include information on the weight of each assignment or exam in the overall course grade.

Alignment

Be sure the assessments are aligned with the course-level objectives (Student Learning Outcomes), module-level learning objectives, and learning activities.

Formative and Summative Assessment

Consider using formative assessment (an informal assessment that is done along the way, without taking a grade) along with your summative assessments.

• Formative assessment can help the instructor know what is unclear to students and intervene accordingly. Formative assessment can also be used when you allow students to submit drafts and get feedback. They will use the feedback to improve the final versions of their assignments.
• Summative assessment is used at the end of a module, assignment, unit of study, or course for the purpose of recording a grade. Feedback can and should be given for summative assessments, too, although the grade is usually final.