C3 - Variety

Variety is looking to see that a course includes a balance between both formative assessments, which provide opportunities for growth and revision, and summative assessments, which provide a measure of student performance over time. Both have value in teaching and learning. 

Variety in assessment activities tends to:

• Improve the validity and reliability of course assessments as a whole.
• Allow students to demonstrate learning in multiple ways.
• Increase student interest and engagement in learning activities. (it’s not the same old, same old every time.)

Another way to ensure variety is to offer flexibility by giving students more than one assessment option and letting them choose a preferred format. So, for example, if they are being asked to explain the process of mitosis or provide literary analysis of Toni Morrison's novel, The Bluest Eye, they have the choice of doing that as an essay or a slide presentation or a screencast. And if you're feeling daring, you could even provide students with the grading criteria and let them tell you how they'll demonstrate their learning. =-)

Formative Assessment

The idea behind formative assessment is to monitor learning while it's happening with the goal of determining comprehension, progress and learning needs. In other words, it's an effective way to improve teaching and learning for the current student. Formative assessments are typically low-stakes, like practice quizzes, first drafts, quick reflections or discussions.

Summative Assessment

Summative assessment, on the other hand, is designed to evaluate student learning by comparing it against some kind of benchmark or standard of performance. These assessments are often high-stakes, like mid-terms, final projects, or a senior recital.

Where to Look

Look in discussions, assignments and quizzes.

What to Look For

Identify that the instructor is not relying on solely one modality for measuring learning (e.g., only quizzes). The course should include a variety of assessments tools so students with differing strengths have equal opportunities to be successful.