A list of assessment methods

BACK

^

Listen to this article

Acknowledgment : The information in this table is adapted from Reading University. (n.d.). Varied assessment. https://sites.reading.ac.uk/curriculum-framework/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/03/A-Z_of_Assessment_Methods_FINAL_table.pdf

Assignment	Format	What’s involved
Article or website review	Written / Oral	Students write an account or present an oral presentation on designated articles.These often include an evaluative element to demonstrate depth of reading and level of understanding in concise formats.
Article or website review	Written / Oral	Students write an account or present an oral presentation on designated articles.These often include an evaluative element to demonstrate depth of reading and level of understanding in concise formats.
Case studies	Written / Oral / Problem based / Practical	Students are required to work through a case study to identify the problem(s) and to offer potential solutions; useful for assessing students’ understanding and for encouraging students to see links between theory and practice. Case studies could be provided in advance of a time-constrained assessment.
Concept maps	Written / Oral	Students map out their understanding of a particular concept. This is a useful (and potentially quick) exercise to provide feedback to teachers on students’ understanding.
Critical incident accounts / Reflective Journals	Written / internships	Students on internship keep diaries, journals, or blogs in which they record their experiences. They can be asked to write about a critical incident in terms of context, what happened, the outcomes, how theoretical material they have learnt underpins the process and how they would do things differently in future.
Debate	Oral	Presenting a case, persuading, defending a position
Essay	Written	Students are required to write an essay on specified or agreed topics within given parameters e.g. word count, use of different literature sources etc.
Essay plans	Written	Instead of writing a full essay, students produce an essay plan to demonstrate their preparation, planning and reading on a set or agreed topic. Useful for formative, self- and peer-assessment.
In-tray exercises	Written / Oral	Students are provided with an initial dossier of papers to read, prioritise, and work on, with a variety of tasks and new information given at intervals throughout the period of assessment. This simulates real practice where unknown elements and irrelevancies are often encountered.
Literature review	Written	Students are required to carry out research, to read carefully, to analyze and synthesize theories and findings, and to make an organized argument about the body of research on a topic.
Make or design something	Practical / Written	Students are required to make or design something, e.g. podcast, video clip, web page etc; useful as a group work exercise.
Multiple choice questions (MCQs)	Written - Moodle	Can be useful for diagnostic, formative assessment, in addition to summative assessment. Well designed questions can assess more than factual recall of information, but do take time to design.
Online discussion boards	Written - Moodle	Students are assessed based on their contributions to an online discussion for example, with their peers.
Open book exams	Written	Students can use any or specified resources to help them answer set questions under time constraints. This method removes the over-reliance on memory and recall and models the way that professionals manage information.
Oral presentations	Oral / Recorded	Students are asked to give an oral presentation on a particular topic for a specified length of time and could also be asked to prepare associated handout(s). Can usefully be combined with self- and peer-assessment. Could be recorded avoid taking up too much class time with delivery.
Performance	Practical / Oral / Written	Students are required to give some form of performance, e.g. Practical Arts, a pitch etc.
Portfolios / e-Portfolios	Written / Internships / Problem-based	Students provide evidence for their achievement of learning outcomes; these commonly incorporate a reflective commentary.
Posters	Practical / Written / Oral	Students are asked to produce a poster (either real size or as a PowerPoint file) on a topic. Can be used individually or in groups to assess a range of activities.
Problem sheets	Written	Students complete problem sheets, e.g. on a weekly basis. This can be a useful way of providing students with regular formative feedback on their work and/or involving elements of self- and peer assessment.
Question banks	Written - Moodle	Students are assessed on their ability to produce a certain number of questions on a topic. This helps students to recognise what they do and do not understand about a topic and is a useful way for staff to collate a question bank that could be used for quick formative quizzes throughout the course.
Reflective diaries	Written / Internships / Practical	Students record their learning over a period of time, interspersing narrative with a reflective commentary which could support the development of an action plan.
Research projects / Group projects / Applied projects	Written / Practical / Oral / Performance / Problem based / Internships	Potential for sampling wide range of practical, analytical and interpretative skills. Can assess wide application of knowledge, understanding and skills.
Role play	Written / Oral / Performance	Students write or give a presentation taking on a particular role.
Short answer questions	Written	Useful to assess a wide range of knowledge/skills across a module.
Simulations	Practical / Written / Oral / Problem-based	Text or virtual simulations are provided for students who are then required to answer questions, resolve problems, perform tasks, and take actions etc., according to changing circumstances within the simulation. Useful for assessing a wide range of skills, knowledge and competencies.
Thesis dissertation	Capstone - Written	Potential for sampling a wide range of practical, analytical and interpretative skills and to assess a broad application of knowledge, understanding and research skills.
Wiki / Blogs	Written	Students are required to keep an individual blog, e.g. to record their progress on a project, or a wiki; could be used as part of a group project exercise.
Viva voce	Oral	Useful for exploring students’ understanding of a wide range of topics. Depending on class size however, they can be time consuming for teachers.