Assessment
Further Reading

Assessment is a technical term for all the things we do to measure (or "assess") student learning.

It can encompass an incredibly wide range of activities, from standardized tests to performances to multi-media installations to term papers. They are the things we ask students to do to help us know whether they have learned what we hoped they would.

While tests, quizzes and papers are a traditional way of assessing students, there's a wide variety of ways students might demonstrate their skills. Simulations, debates, portfolios, media creation, or analysis of cases are all strategies we might use to get closer to capturing "real world" skills we want students to possess.

Motivating Students

For more ideas about engaging and motivating assessments, watch this video:

Further Reading

Authentic Assessment - Blog post where author Breana Bayraktar explains how authentic assessments engage students' creative and problem-solving capabilities, and "mimic real-life situations." Good "Read more" section as well. (Estimated time: 5 minutes)
Alternatives to Proctored Exams - This article by the Kentucky Community & Technical College system offers suggestions for unproctored exams, as well as alternative forms of assessment. (Estimated time: 5 minutes)
Research Paper Alternatives - blog post offering a multitude of suggestions for humanities, science, business, etc. (Estimated time: 5 minutes)
UnEssay - This is an example of a type of assessment where students demonstrate their learning non-traditionally. For more examples, see what people have posted under the Twitter hashtag #UnEssay and #UnEssays. (Estimated time: 5 minutes).
Resources from the Transparency in Learning and Teaching project (TILT Higher Ed) Mary-Ann Winkelmes’ research and videos.
- Also see Mary-Ann Winklemas’ Checklist for Transparent Assignments

Further reading: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel Pink.