Summative Assessment

LEARN: What and Why

Summative assessments ask students to demonstrate their mastery of course concepts and skills; they include term papers, class presentations, portfolios, final projects and high-stakes exams. They are completed at key points in a course (e.g. the end of a unit, mid-term, end), formally graded, and used to give the student a final grade in the course.

If planned effectively, formative and summative assessments can be used in conjunction to provide students with a chance to learn, grow and demonstrate their competencies gained throughout the course. It is critical that the summative assessment clearly relates to content covered in the course and assesses the attainment of established learning objectives.

ENGAGE: How to do it

Principles of Summative Assessment:

These principles (adapted from Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick (2006) and the Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, and extended upon) can guide instructor strategies:

Allow options in student expression

allow students freedom and flexibility to express their knowledge and skill mastery creatively and in ways that honor how they constructed meaning
provide multiple options for students to demonstrate their development in skills and knowledge in the course

Make Parameters Clear

ensure that parameters (e.g., length of assessment, depth of response, time and date, grading standards) are well defined
confirm students with disabilities are provided with the supports the need

Use a Rubrics and Exemplars

use a rubric to lay out and describe performance criteria for a range of grades
- See Brown University’s guide for Designing Grading Rubrics
clearly articulate what an ideal summative assignment looks like, when assigning it—or even at the start of the term, so students know what they’re working toward
provide examples of a high-quality assignment (previous student work, something you create, etc.)

Assess Comprehensiveness

develop summative assessments that provide an opportunity for students to consider the totality of a course’s content—to make broad connections, demonstrate synthesized skills, and explore deeper concepts

Design Clear, Effective Questions

aim to ensure that essay/open-response questions use clear language in regard to expectations
follow recommended guidelines for designing effective multiple-choice questions

Provide timely and meaningful feedback

Aim to provide feedback on students’ work as quickly as possible (depending on length of assignment, within 2-15 days!)
Timely feedback helps students develop their learning and increase learner engagement
Use technology to your advantage—a short video or audio recording can be quicker and more helpful than writing out comments
Read more on Providing Feedback to Students Online

Use authentic assessment approaches

create assignments that ask students to ‘do’ or ‘think’ like a person who works in the field (e.g. a case study, presentation, research article, etc.)
require students to use technology tools as they are used in real life, as opposed to for the sake of a project

APPLY to your course

Higher-Order Thinking SATs (Summative Assessment Techniques)

There are a number of ways to assess students’ development of new skills and mastery of course content besides a traditional exam—an assessment technique that is problematic and challenging, especially in online courses. The creative approaches highlighted below require the use of the higher order thinking skills that summative assessments are meant to assess (unlike a multiple-choice/short-answer test). The variety—especially if students are given options—also align with UDL principles .

Summative Assessment Technique	Description	Tools
Slide-supported presentation	Students (individually/in groups) give live or pre-recorded presentations on some aspect of the course	Google slides Powerpoint Zoom
Essays/Paper	Analytical, persuasive, informative, evaluative, etc. When used in online teaching, papers can be submitted through Turnitin to check for plagiarism	Canvas Assignments Turnitin
Students as teachers	Students tasked with teaching the class about some aspect of the course, using a teaching ‘platform’ or format that they choose; they have to ensure their fellow students understand the material	Echo360 Voicethread Zoom/polls iClicker
TEDtalks	Students record themselves giving a talk on a course topic in the style of a TEDtalk	Echo360 Zoom Canvas Studio
Structured Debates	Students are assigned or choose a side of a controversial course topic, a fixed time to present their position, and speaking order in the debate. Debate can be done synchronously or asynchronously.	Zoom Voicethread
Research-based article	Students write an article based on their own original or others’ research	Canvas
Literature Review/Annotated Bibliography	Students complete a literature review or annotated bibliography on a course topic	Canvas
Media Publication	Students write an article about a complex course topic for the audience of a mainstream media publication – can be op-ed; a summary of an original research pub; book/film/play/exhibit review; etc.	Canvas
Create the test	Students write an exam (multiple choice, fill-in-the-bank; etc.) covering major course topics; other students can take it!	Google Forms
Create a website	Students develop a website to showcase, e.g.: their art, their political platform, their research, their organization/business	Wordpress.com Wix.com
Explain your answers	Students complete a multiple-choice/short answer exam, but also explain how they arrived at the answers they did (can also help reduce cheating issues)	Canvas Quizzes

Conducting Exams Online

Multiple-choice tests are popular in online learning. They are easy to administer and easy to score. However, it is not easy to create a fair, quality multiple choice test that accurately assesses student achievement. And and when taken online, multiple-choice exams are more prone to cheating. Before you give students a multiple-choice exam, please review the follow guidelines and resources:

Review and Revise

1. Review your course, asking:

What types of summative assessment do you use in your course, and how often?
Are students given a variety of opportunities and assessment types to demonstrate their skills and mastery of content?
Are the assessments accessible?
Are students given clear criteria/rubrics/models for what constitutes success?
Do your exams follow the guidelines provided?

2. Then, revise:

Identify places where you can use add or modify a summative assessment that requires and encourages the use of higher order thinking and skills.
Try adding in a new higher-order thinking SAT: use the resources and links above to help you.

References & Resources

Brown University. Designing Grading Rubrics.

Dawson, P., Henderson, M., Mahoney, P., Phillips, M., Ryan, T., Boud, D., & Molloy, E. (2019). What makes for effective feedback: Staff and student perspectives. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 44(1), 25-36.

Trumbull, E., & Lash, A. (2013). Understanding formative assessment: Insights from learning theory and measurement theory. San Francisco: WestEd

Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning. Designing Quality Multiple Choice Questions.

Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning. (2017) Formative and Summative Assessments.

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