3C. Additional Resources

Note that for downloadable files (usually in pdf format), clicking on the link itself should prompt you to download the file; to open a preview window within this page, click on the icon at the end of the link.

• The UC Denver training has a module about assessments that covers when you might want to include tests, essays, concept maps, and projects / performances based on your learning outcomes.
• This assessment structure rubric Download assessment structure rubric
  can be used to evaluate your assessments as as group.
• Two articles about the importance of giving students choice:
  • Anderson, M. (2016). The Key Benefits of Choice Links to an external site.. Learning to Choose, Choosing to Learn, ACSD.
  • Parker, F., Novak, J., and Bartell, T. (2017). To engage students, give them meaningful choices in the classroom Links to an external site., Phi Beta Kappan

Creating assessments

• BYU’s Faculty Center outlines 14 Rules for Writing Multiple Choice Questions Links to an external site.; Vanderbilt’s CFT expands on those rules in their guide on writing good multiple choice questions Links to an external site.
• Kansas Curriculum Center has a fairly long but detailed guide on writing effective questions Links to an external site. – although intended for K-12 teachers, the principles all apply to college exams and assignments as well
• Once you have aligned your outcomes and assessments, it becomes much easier to write assignments that are transparent about their purpose and criteria, as advocated in Winkelmes, et al, "A Teaching Intervention that Increases Underserved College Students’ Success Links to an external site.," Peer Review, Winter/Spring 2016, Vol. 18, No. 1/2
  • Related blog post: "How Transparency Improves Learning" Links to an external site., Teaching Tidbits blog
  • Transparency template Download Transparency template
• This assignment rubric  Download assignment rubric 
  can be used to evaluate your summative assessments and is based on the research in the scholarship of teaching and learning that identifies elements of teaching that best support student learning.

Additional issues to consider

• In addition to designing your assessments, make sure you have given some thought to how you will grade that work Links to an external site.. Rubrics can be important tools for ensuring consistency and fairness in your grading; for guidance, see UCDenver's tutorial for creating rubrics Links to an external site., Yale's CTL discussion of creating and using rubrics Links to an external site., or the Eberly Center (Carnegie Mellon) page on creating and using rubrics Links to an external site..
• Although the focus here is on the assessments themselves, another important piece of course design is deciding on how those assessments are used to determine the final grade.
  • Feldman, J. (2019), Why It's Crucial -- And Really Hard -- To Talk About More Equitable Grading, Mindshift, Feb 10, 2019
  • Schwartz, K. (2019), How Teachers Are Changing Grading Practices With an Eye on Equity, Mindshift, Feb 10, 2019