Assessments
Faculty use multiple types of assessment to understand student learning and to demonstrate the impact of their instruction. These assessments—diagnostic, formative, and summative—each serve a distinct purpose and together provide a comprehensive picture of the teaching and learning process.
Across all these types and forms, assessments are central to demonstrating teaching effectiveness. They show not only what students learn, but how faculty design, scaffold, and evaluate learning in purposeful ways. By presenting varied assessments—alongside feedback, rubrics, and contextual narrative—faculty can provide compelling, concrete evidence of the impact and quality of their teaching.
- Diagnostic assessments occur at the beginning of a course or unit and help instructors learn about students’ prior knowledge, skills, and misconceptions. Examples include pre-tests, background knowledge probes, skill inventories, or early writing samples. Diagnostic assessments are not graded; their purpose is to guide instructional planning and ensure that teaching starts from an accurate understanding of where students are. When used in documenting teaching effectiveness, diagnostic evidence shows how faculty tailor instruction to student needs, differentiate learning experiences, and make intentional pedagogical decisions from day one.
- Formative assessments are low-stakes activities embedded throughout the learning process to monitor progress and provide feedback. These might include in-class activities, draft submissions, quick quizzes, reflections, polling, or digital learning checks. Formative assessments demonstrate how faculty actively support learning as it unfolds—using feedback, revision, and targeted interventions to help students improve. They offer valuable documentation of responsiveness, instructional agility, and a commitment to continuous learning.
- Summative assessments evaluate student learning at the end of a unit, major assignment, or course. Examples include final exams, research papers, presentations, performances, and capstone projects. Summative assessments reveal the extent to which students meet course outcomes or achieve competency benchmarks. When faculty include samples of summative work along with rubrics or grading criteria, they provide clear evidence of course rigor, learning expectations, and the skills students develop.
- Portfolio assessments can serve a formative, summative, or dual purpose. When used formatively, portfolios track student progress over time, encourage reflection, and support revision, providing feedback that guides learning. When used summatively, portfolios act as a culminating demonstration of mastery, showing the breadth and depth of student achievement against learning outcomes. Many instructors use portfolios in both ways: students build them throughout the course with feedback and revisions (formative) and then submit a curated final version for evaluation (summative). This dual function makes portfolios particularly powerful for documenting teaching effectiveness, as they capture both student growth and final competence.
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Plan with checkpoints in mind: Build 2–3 short assessment moments into each class session (beginning, middle, end).
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Use low-stakes, high-frequency checks: Think polls, quick writes, one-minute papers, or short problem solves—not grades.
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Vary the format: Mix verbal, written, digital, and collaborative assessments to capture different learners.
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Ask targeted questions, not just “Any questions?” Use prompts tied directly to your learning objectives.
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Use think–pair–share deliberately: Treat it as an assessment by listening for misconceptions.
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Leverage quick tech tools: Clickers, LMS quizzes, shared docs, or polling apps allow instant feedback.
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Assess before you teach: Start class with a retrieval question or short pre-check to gauge prior knowledge.
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Collect evidence without overloading yourself: Exit tickets, short reflections, or sample work from a few groups can be enough.
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Respond visibly to assessment data: Adjust pacing, reteach, or clarify in real time so students see the value of assessments.
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Separate practice from penalties: Keep most in-class assessments ungraded or participation-based to encourage risk-taking.
The instructor...
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introduces class objectives and uses questioning to spark interest and check for background knowledge
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uses a 2–3 question poll or group activity every 15–20 minutes during the lecture to reset attention and check comprehension.
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asks students to predict the next step/action in a process before showing it; uses worked-example pauses to clarify that students know how to proceed without guidance.
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tells students to complete a one-minute paper: “What’s the most confusing point so far?”
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ends with a single retrieval question from the day’s objective (exit ticket).
The lab instructor...
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uses pre-lab knowledge checks (2–3 questions).
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walks the room with a skill checklist (setup, safety, technique, collaboration).
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asks students to justify decisions out loud while working.
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requires mid-lab predictions before data collection finishes.
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ends with a brief reflection: “What went wrong, and what did you adjust?”
The instructor...
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uses auto-graded micro-quizzes (3–5 questions max).
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embeds reflection prompts inside videos to hold students accountable.
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requires weekly low-stakes discussion summaries, not just posts.
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uses self-check quizzes before major assignments.
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asks for audio or video check-ins to assess conceptual understanding.
An Assessment by Dr. Amanda Patrick, Department of Chemistry
https://www.chemedx.org/article/bookend-activities-highlight-chemistry-central-science