Overview
Effective grading and assessment are essential for measuring student learning and providing valuable feedback. Thoughtful strategies, including aligning assessments with learning objectives and using varied methods, promote deeper understanding and student growth. Clear, constructive feedback and transparent grading practices further enhance the learning experience by building trust and fostering a positive classroom environment. The following explores practical strategies for creating effective grading and assessment systems.
- Summative Assessment: The best summative assessments are cumulative and require students to recall and retrieve important information, at different times, in multiple ways. (See: Summative Assessment and Feedback).
- Transparency: Be transparent. Let students know how, when and why they are being assessed. (See: Transparency in Assessment ).
- Clear Instructions: Provide clear instructions for every assignment, activity and exam question, along with the resources needed for students to be successful. (See: How to Write an Effective Assignment )
- Varied Assessment: Use a combination of assessment types to meet the needs of learners. Provide multiple ways for students to show their learning. (See: Universal Design for Learning: Tips for Assessment )
- Assessment Review: Complete the assessment yourself or have a colleague complete it and evaluate the instructions. If you can’t do it, they won’t be able to either. (See: Teaching Students to Evaluate Each Other)
- Rubrics: For assignments and essay-type questions, rubrics are an essential tool to ensure fairness, objectivity and consistency in your grading. (See: Creating and Using Rubrics )
- Higher-Order Thinking: Using multiple choice questions doesn’t mean you can’t test higher order thinking. (See: Writing Multiple-Choice Questions that Demand Critical Thinking)
- Focus on Knowledge: Keep in mind when you design your assessments that you are measuring a student’s knowledge, not their test-taking skills.
- UTSA Standards: Review the following to ensure you meet all UTSA standards and requirements for grading.
Resources
For more, review these additional resources:
- Effective Feedback
- Canvas to myUTSA Account Grade Transfer (Midterm grade submission is required for undergraduate courses)
Support
For support, email [email protected], call 210-458-4520 or book a consultation with our TLDT experts.