This document discusses assessment strategies for measuring student learning. It defines formative assessment as assessment for learning that occurs during the learning process and provides immediate feedback, while summative assessment is assessment of learning that occurs after instruction to evaluate student work. Examples of formative strategies include brainstorming, diagnostic questions, and minute papers. Examples of summative strategies include exams, essays, presentations and portfolios. The document also provides details on specific strategies like case studies, statement correction, and oral exams outlining their benefits and disadvantages.

1. Assessment characteristics and benefits
observing and
measuring learning
 student-centered (i.e., “Students will….”)
Students will identify in hand sample 3 common rocks
produced from cinder cone eruptions, including texture,
composition, and rock name.
 measurable
Students will understand how cinder cones form.
vs.
Students will compare and contrast the changes in eruptive
style that a cinder cone experiences in its lifetime.
 Helps students better understand expectations and reflect on their learning.
 Provides evidence for student learning.
 Informs course and program design.
 Can be used for course and program evaluation and accreditation.

2. Formative assessment vs. summative assessment
 “Assessment for learning”.
 Occurs during the learning process.
 Provides immediate feedback.
 Typically low-stakes.
 Engages students in active learning.
 “Assessment of learning”.
 Occurs at the end of the activity,
module, course, etc.
 Feedback does not happen in real
time.
 Typically higher stakes.
 Typically evaluates a student
product.

3. Assessment ExamplesFormative
Brainstorming
Case studies
Concept maps
Diagnostic question clusters
Drawing pictures or diagrams
IF-AT
Immediate Response Systems
Just in time teaching
One-Minute Papers
Poll Anywhere/Kahoot It
Quizzes
Reading Assessments
Statement Correction
Strip Sequences
Team-Based Learning
Think-Pair-Share
Summative
MC Exams
Free Response Exams
Essays
Group Exams
Oral Exams
Practical Exams
Open Book or Open Note Exams
Presentations
Written Reports
Portfolios
Peer-Led Team Learning
Rubrics
Descriptions of assessment strategies from Dirks, C., Wenderoth, M.P., and Withers, M., 2014,
Assessment in the College Classroom.

4. IF-AT
Intended learning outcome:
Students will retrieve and apply prior knowledge to answer questions and employ
feedback to correct misconceptions.
How it works:
“Answer-until-correct” interactive testing system (scratch-off).
Benefits:
 Students and faculty get immediate feedback.
 Promotes peer collaboration.
 Useful in a variety of class sizes and formats.
 Low-stakes practice answering multiple-choice questions.
 May highlight misconceptions.
Example: stay tuned!

5. Case Studies (as an assessment strategy)
Intended learning outcome:
Students will evaluate a real-life problem and apply their knowledge and understanding
to solve it.
How it works:
Students work through (real or hypothetical) scenarios during which they apply
scientific concepts to social, ethical, political, or research-based dilemmas.1
Benefits:
 Fosters scientific habits of mind and higher order thinking skills.
 Students are interested in place-based learning and societally relevant topics.
Examples: National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science; Boulder Creek hazard
mapping

6. Statement Correction
Intended learning outcome:
Students will evaluate a statement and apply their understanding to correct
mistakes.
How it works:
Students identify the error in a statement and discuss possible corrections with
a partner or group.
Example:
Several students have incorrect statements, like: “Convergent boundaries
between ocean and continental asthenosphere, like the one between the South
American Plate and the Nazca Plate, result in the creation of lithosphere and are
characterized by mid-ocean ridges.”…then they have to go around the room to
find the 2-3 students who have the correct terms.

7. Strip Sequence
Intended Learning Outcome:
Students will evaluate a process and apply their understanding to recreate the
logical steps of the process.
How it works:
Students work with a partner or group to place the steps of a process in the
appropriate logical order.
Example:
Development of an angular unconformity to facilitate an understanding of
geologic time…
Deposition, uplift, lithification, burial, deformation, uplift, deposition, etc.

8. Oral Exams
Advantages
• Students can fully express their ideas
• Students with strong oral communication skills can showcase this talent
• Nearly impossible for students to cheat
Disadvantages
• Students may be intimidated
• Students are not anonymous
• Students with weak communication skills may be negatively impacted
• Only a limited number of topics can be tested in an allotted amount of time
• Evaluation is subjective unless a validated and reliable rubric is used
*presentation topics can match possible questions

9. Open Book/Open Note Exams
Advantages
• Potential to shift questions from lower to higher Bloom levels
• Measure students’ ability to find and use information
Disadvantages
• Requires more desk space
• May give students a false sense of security and discourage adequate
preparation
• Students may have difficulty with time management during tests
*Also a great way of getting students to buy textbook; maybe ask just a few
questions…or use an unanswered long essay.

10. Portfolios
Advantages
• Demonstrates development of student work over time.
• Provides an opportunity for creative expression.
• Allows student work to take multiple formats.
Disadvantages
• Students may be unfamiliar with/intimidated by the format of a portfolio.
• Students may take longer constructing the portfolio than considering its content.
• Labor-intensive evaluation
• Evaluation is subjective (tight, rigorous rubrics are essential)
*Helpful to give students lab time to use a rubric on a test field report/portfolio entry.

11. Groups for the next exercise:
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4
Randall Nicole Martha Angela
Michael Benjamin Mark Bryan
Jessica Hector Tor Sadie

12. Let’s try an IF-AT…
 Each person should have an article.
 Each group should have a penny and a “scratch” form.
Instructions:
 5 minutes: read the article individually (won’t be enough time!)
 On your own, answer the multiple-choice questions without referring back to the article
or discussing your answers.
 With your teammates, reach a group consensus about the correct answer.
 Scratch off the group’s choice. The correct answer is denoted by a star.
 If applicable, keep scratching until you get the correct answer.
 Scoring: 2 points for the star revealed on the first scratch; 1 point for the star revealed on
the second scratch; 0 points for the star revealed on 3-5 scratches

13. Designing effective assessments (30 minutes)
 Please work in the same groups as the IF-AT exercise.
 Each person gets 10 minutes of the group’s time. In those 10 minutes:
 1 minute or less summarizing the activity that you brought. Include the topic
and a brief description of how you run it in class.
 Remaining time: brainstorm with group members on some assessment
strategies that you’ve learned about that might work well this the activity.
 After 10 minutes, please move on to the next group member.

14. Assessment action planning (15 minutes)
In your individual workspace, please respond to the two assessment-
related action plan questions.