Design assessments to help students demonstrate the knowledge and skills described in your course SLOs. Start by identifying the evidence students need to provide. Then, select assessment formats that best capture that evidence. And sequence assessments intentionally so students have opportunities to practice, receive feedback, strengthen their skills, and demonstrate proficiency through larger performance assessments.

Article Contents

• Start With the SLO: Determine What Students Need to Demonstrate

• Build an Assessment Path From Practice to Performance

  • Practice Assessments

  • Performance Assessments

• Sequencing Practice and Performance Assessments

• Use Feedback to Connect Assessments

• SLO-Aligned Assessment Design Checklist

Start With the SLO: Determine What Students Need to Demonstrate

Begin assessment design by identifying what students should be able to do and what evidence would demonstrate proficiency.

Ask:

• What knowledge or skill does the SLO describe?
• What would students need to do to practice knowledge and skills?
• What would students need to do to produce evidence of proficiency?
  • What assessment format best allows students to provide that evidence?

You first use the SLO to determine the evidence needed, and then you select the assessment format that best measures that knowledge or skill.

In the table below, the flow is from left to right across the row: 

Build an Assessment Path From Practice to Performance

Create a sequence of assessments that helps students develop the knowledge and skills needed for larger demonstrations of learning, moving students from practice to performance.

Practice Assessments

Early, lower-stakes (i.e., low points) assessments provide students with learning and feedback opportunities, and the assessment results can also point you towards learning trends, helping you provide instructional supplementation and adjustment when needed.

Students take practice assessments to:

• reinforce knowledge and skills;
• apply concepts in guided ways;
• identify misconceptions;
• receive feedback before larger assessments;
• build readiness for more complex work.

Examples include:

• knowledge checks;
• practice quizzes;
• discussions;
• reflections;
• skill exercises;
• draft submissions;
• milestone activities.

Instructors can use practice assessment results to:

• identify common misconceptions;
• determine where additional explanation or examples are needed;
• adjust instruction;
• provide supplemental resources;
• modify future learning activities or assessments.

Performance Assessments

Use performance assessments to ask students to demonstrate proficiency through more complex applications of knowledge and skills. These are typically the higher point value assessments assigned around the middle and end of the course (e.g., midterms and finals).

Examples include:

• projects;
• reports;
• presentations;
• case studies;
• professional artifacts;
• final demonstrations of learning.

Sequencing Practice and Performance Assessments

Sequence assessments so students have opportunities to develop and demonstrate learning. Starting from the initial learning content, you should stage intermediary practice assessments that gradually become more complex. As the term progresses, your students move from practice and into performance as they learn from your instructional content and assessment feedback.

Learning Content → Practice → Feedback → Performance

Sample Assessment Sequence

Use Feedback to Connect Assessments

Provide feedback throughout the assessment sequence so students understand their progress, identify areas for improvement, and strengthen the knowledge and skills needed for future assessments.

Use feedback methods that match the purpose and complexity of the assessment.

For practice assessments, use feedback methods such as:

• Correct answers and explanations
• Feedback notes on quiz questions
• Worked examples
• Links to resources or supplemental materials
• Class announcements addressing common misconceptions

For performance assessments, use feedback methods such as:

• Rubrics & rubric comments
• Written comments
• Annotations
• Audio or video feedback
• Class-wide feedback addressing common strengths and challenges

Include student-driven feedback opportunities when appropriate:

• Peer review
• Self-assessment
• Reflection on feedback received and future application

Provide feedback that helps students understand what they are doing well, where improvement is needed, and how to apply feedback to future assessments.

For helpful tips on giving feedback, read Communicating with Warmth and Clarity in Online Courses.

SLO-Aligned Assessment Design Checklist

Use this checklist to review whether your assessments align with your Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and provide students with a clear path from practice to performance.

Note: You can print or save this page as PDF to mark off items as you develop your assessments.

□ Start with the SLO

• □ I identified the knowledge and skills students must demonstrate.
• □ I determined what evidence would demonstrate student proficiency.
• □ I selected assessment formats based on the evidence I need students to provide rather than selecting activities first.
• □ Each assessment aligns with one or more course SLOs.

□ Build a Path from Practice to Performance

• □ Students complete practice assessments before major performance assessments.
• □ Practice assessments reinforce the knowledge and skills needed for later performance.
• □ Assessment complexity increases as the course progresses.
• □ Major assessments require students to integrate and apply what they have learned.
• □ The assessment sequence follows a logical progression from learning content to practice to performance.

□ Use Practice Assessments Intentionally

• □ Practice assessments allow students to check their understanding and develop skills.
• □ Students receive opportunities to apply concepts before larger assessments.
• □ Practice assessments help identify misconceptions and learning gaps.
• □ I review practice assessment results to determine whether additional instruction or resources are needed.

□ Provide Meaningful Feedback

• □ Students receive feedback throughout the assessment sequence.
• □ Feedback helps students understand strengths and areas for improvement.
• □ Feedback includes guidance students can apply to future assessments.
• □ I use appropriate feedback methods for the assessment, such as:
  • □ Answer explanations or worked examples
  • □ Rubric comments
  • □ Written, annotated, audio, or video feedback
  • □ Class-wide feedback
  • □ Peer review or self-assessment opportunities, when appropriate

□ Review the Assessment Sequence

• □ Every assessment serves a clear instructional purpose.
• □ Assessments are connected rather than isolated activities.
• □ Students have opportunities to practice before demonstrating proficiency.
• □ Feedback from one assessment prepares students for the next.
• □ The assessment pathway supports students in demonstrating proficiency by the end of the course.