Overall, we assess student learning. Assessments can range from high to low stakes and are typically either formative or summative in nature.¹

As instructors we assess things like:

• What do students already know or believe about the course topic?
• Did students do the reading?
• Do students understand key concepts?
• How effective is our instruction?
• Does the class discussion reflect any developing or emerging knowledge of the course concepts?
• How engaged are students in class?
• How effectively can students communicate through writing?
• Does student writing reflect analysis and synthesis of content?
• Do students have knowledge about; comprehension of; ability to apply; and the ability to analyze, synthesize, or evaluate course topics?²

¹Lower stakes assessments give students a chance to learn from their work before their work is assessed on tasks that count for a substantial percentage of the course grade (e.g., exams, papers, presentations).

While formative assessment is primarly done to strengthen student learning, summative assessment primarly focuses on evaluating a students’ accumulated understanding of course material.

Typically formative assessment is lower stakes and summative assessment is higher stakes.

²Bloom's Taxonomy is a useful tool to help you decide what kinds of skills, concepts, or things you want to assess.