Tools
In "Understanding by Design" Wiggins and McTighe describe three basic questions to consider in assessing student learning:
- What kinds of evidence do we need to find hallmarks of our goals? (Tasks are designed with consideration of what performance will reveal.)
- What specific characteristics in students' responses, products, or performances should we examine to determine the extent to which the desired results were achieved?
- Does the proposed evidence enable us to infer a student's knowledge, skill, or understanding?
Wiggins, Grant and McTighe, Jay. Understanding by Design (Expanded Second Edition). Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development: Alexandria, VA, USA, 2005 (page 382).
The subpages included here provide information about a number of tools, strategies, and techniques that are helpful in conducting assessment. They do not represent the only tools available, and will be expanded as interests are expressed, and as good examples become available.
Many of these concepts overlap each other. For example, evaluation of an embedded assignment might utilize a rubric. Therefore some of the concepts in the Tools pages will link to each other. (Also see examples in the "General Examples.")
Tools
Department projects from the Teagle-funded Tri-College Assessment Project are organized (with links) by the tools they employed on the project Website.
Please contact rshores1@swarthmore.edu or dial x6879 with questions and ideas about tools and strategies, so that these pages can be developed in a way that best address the College's needs.
