Making choices about assessment design

Exploring a range of assessment methods may provide academics with an opportunity for creativity in the design and development of assessments, and creativity on the part of our students as they experience new forms of learning and develop a range of skills.  

Assessment tasks may mirror professional challenges or roles. Where some assessment methods, such as exams, test students’ ability to perform under pressure in an isolated and time-constrained environment, other methods, such as group assessments, can test their ability to work collaboratively and over extended periods of time. Active engagement with professional bodies or employers can promote relevance and create opportunities for students to develop a range of skills.  

Global perspectives can be promoted through case studies, using live briefs from international organisations, incorporating policy papers into assignments and designing assessments that require students to consider multiple perspectives. 

Tasks such as student-led research projects allow students to develop both disciplinary knowledge and research skills. Regularly reviewing disciplinary developments also helps to update assessment content, while drawing connections with research communities and professional networks can help to ensure assessment currency. 

Assessment load (how much, what length) and timing of assessment are key design choices. The purpose is not to overload our students with more assessment points but rather to enable them to learn progressively from completing their assessments with the accompanying skills development that this will involve. This should be considered both within the individual courses and across the whole programme.  

Assessments spread evenly throughout the academic year allow students to make better use of feedback opportunities. All moments of assessment are opportunities for learning and these are more effective when they are embedded in ongoing processes of feedback and dialogue among staff and students. 

Students should receive feedback on formative assessment within three weeks of submission, as defined in the Code of Good Practice. In addition, students will receive feedback on summative assessment completed during a course prior to the examination period. Further guidance on giving effective feedback is available in the Toolkit. 

Where courses have more than one assessment task it is important to reflect upon the weight that is given to each task and for there to be a clear rationale behind such weighting. Spreading assessment across the academic year with a mix of methods of assessment and opportunities for formative development is likely to induce students to study progressively rather than to reward cramming at the end of the academic year cycle. 

See an example of how an LSE department approaches weighting assessments.

Assessment tasks can support the development of a broad range of skills - such as the ability to communicate and collaborate in a variety of settings, present ideas orally, work in groups or teams or enhance digital literacies.   

When considering the assessment methods that are best suited to your particular course, you may wish to reflect on the key skills that you want your students to develop. This list helps you identify the assessment method that is best for your course needs: 

• Application of data: examples include case studies, policy papers or problem sets. 
• Comprehension: examples include annotated bibliographies, blogs, case studies, oral assessments or research designs. 
• Communication: examples include blogs, course participation, essays, oral assessments, posters or podcasts. 
• Constructing meaning: examples include essays, policy reports or position papers. 
• Conceptual thinking: simulations and games, portfolios or blogs. 
• Critical thinking: examples include case studies, essays, oral assessments or problem sets. 
• Discriminating between sources: examples include annotated bibliographies, Multiple Choice Quizzes or research designs. 
• Evaluation: examples include essays, Multiple Choice Quizzes or literature reviews. 
• Identifying core concepts: examples include course participation or wiki entries. 
• Organising data: examples include oral assessments, policy papers, portfolios, posters or simulations and games. 
• Presenting findings: examples include podcasts, posters, blogs or oral assessments. 
• Self-management: examples include course participation, portfolios, group assessments or simulations and games.  
• Summarising abstract concepts: examples include annotated bibliographies, podcasts, blogs or posters  
• Synthesis of data: examples include case studies, posters, research reports.  
• Synthesis of meaning: examples include oral assessments, posters or wiki entries. 

As well as considering alignment between formative assessment, summative assessment and intended learning outcomes, think about how students can progress to assessment tasks through teaching and learning activities both during contact time and solo study. This might include short writing tasks, activities which foreground how to work with sources or use evidence, Moodle quizzes or Mentimeter multiple choice polls, or short presentations. These all present opportunities for feedback and/or self-assessment of learning. Reflective tasks and opportunities to give feedback to peers in scaffolded ways can also help develop students’ understanding of assessment criteria.