How to Assess Students’ Learning and Performance

Learning takes place in students’ heads where it is invisible to others. This means that learning must be assessed through performance: what students can do with their learning. Assessing students’ performance can involve assessments that are formal or informal, high- or low-stakes, anonymous or public, individual or collective.

Here we provide suggestions and strategies for assessing student learning and performance as well as ways to clarify your expectations and performance criteria to students.

• Creating assignments
• Creating exams
• Using classroom assessment techniques
• Using concept maps
• Using concept tests
• Assessing group work
• Creating and using rubrics