Evaluating Learners: How Much Is Enough?
- How many evaluation activities in a course are enough to grade and provide a final mark to students?
- How much work should students do to demonstrate their learning through course evaluation methods (tests, quizzes, projects, assignments)?
- How much is too much — when student learning will suffer because of too much workload, expectations and brain power?
- Are we teaching students how to be learners in the evaluation process and including evaluations of their methods and strategies?
- Should all courses have a learning outcome about metacognition — learning about learning?
This page provides a one-stop spot to dive a bit deeper into thinking about how much is the right amount of evaluation to have in a course that will support quality student learning but also support a balanced course for well-being of the learners and instructors.
Answers to Statements at Bottom of Page (10, 14, 15, 19 and 20)
institutional Policy
North Island College has an Evaluation of Student Performance policy (3–33). Key principles and procedures are shared below but NIC instructors are encouraged to fully read the entire policy.
- Policy 3–33 Evaluation of Student Performance: Link
- Principle #3: Evaluation of student performance will be aligned with course learning outcomes and is inclusive of diverse learning needs.
- Procedure #1: The student’s final grade for a course must be comprised of a minimum of three evaluative components with no single evaluation worth more than 40%.
- Procedure #2: Evaluations should be varied to ensure students can meet the courses’ learning outcomes.
- Principle #6: NIC supports student success by not permitting evaluations worth more than 10% of their final grade to be assigned in the last week of classes.
- Procedure #6: Evaluations totaling more than 10% of the final grade may be due in the last week of instruction as long as they were assigned prior to the final week of classes. Normally, assignments will not be due later than the last day of classes.
- Principle #4: Students must receive adequate feedback (normally a minimum of 20% of the total grade) in advance of the academic withdrawal date for their program.
NIC Assessment and Evaluation Principles and techniques
- Principles of Assessment and Examples: Link
- Assessment: Simple, Focused and Aligned Ideas: Link
- Classroom Assessment Techniques: Link
Student course Time: Workload Calculator
- A nifty tool for instructors to use when planning the activities and learning experiences for students. Including both instructional and evaluation strategies, this tool (originally created by Betsy Barre at Wake Forest University), has been adapted by UBC
- Student Course Time Estimator: Link
- Use to estimate the workload you will be expecting students to undertake in your course(s) and this will help in looking at student evaluations and making suitable alignments.
Evaluation Alignment Chart
- The very best way to see how much is enough — is to map out your course learning outcomes with the evaluation (summative assessment) and the teaching strategies to see if you are abiding by the principles and procedures per the policy ALONG with the workload calculator results of how much work students are doing in the course ALONG with reflecting on what students learn/stickiness of learning a few months after the course
- This is called course “constructive alignment” where each learning outcome has sufficient formative (informal, practice) opportunities and aligned and properly designed evaluations (formal, summative) to allow students to demonstrate their learning.
- A well-designed evaluation can cover multiple learning outcomes and provide a suitable demonstration of student learning.
- Why should assessments, learning objectives, and instructional strategies be aligned? (CMU) — Link
| Course Learning Outcome | Evaluation Method (summative) | Learning Level | Assessment (formative) | Teaching and Learning Strategies |
| create a project plan with identified deliverables and measures of success for an authentic community project |
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| work collaboratively and efficiently as a team throughout the course engagements and community project |
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Assessment design
Well designed assessments (informal and formal) really help with student learning and cut down on causing more stress for students in trying to understand the assessment off the top. The following pages provide some terrific and simple ways to design assessments to ensure they work from day 1. Some charts to help you align assessments with learning outcome language are also provided via the links below too.
learner Readiness: SepARATING bEHAVIOURS FROM lEARNING
Instead of muddying the evaluation waters with elements like: participation, attendance, on-timeness etc. — consider separating these “behaviours” from the demonstrations of student learning. One way to do this is use a “learner readiness/professionalism rubric” self- assessment to highlight those actions, activities and aptitudes that help create successful student learners. CTLI Word Doc for editing.
RANking the Evaluation Plans
Examine the following collection of evaluation plans for a course. Consider which plan might work best for the learning outcomes: PDF Handout
20 Evaluation statements: Evidence-based or not?
Consider the following statements for reflective thought about evaluating learners (meaning the tests, projects, quizzes, exams, projects, reflective activities — that are graded/valued/with marks/percentage).
Which statements are aligned with evidence-based research? Jot down the number of the statement that you feel is backed by evidence/research. (Answers at top of page)
- The more evaluations in a course, the more information instructors obtain to make a more accurate decision on a grade.
- Many smaller evaluations are better than fewer larger evaluations in a course.
- The more evaluations the more chances students have to demonstrate their learning.
- Evaluation methods that have content that is searchable on the internet are not good methods.
- Detailed rubric matrices outlining criteria across 3–4 levels are the best way to evaluate student learning.
- Group activities with one evaluation per group are helpful for students to build their collective learning experiences.
- Each evaluation should only be designed to test one course learning outcome at a time.
- The more demonstrations of learning the more data instructors have for an appeal or question about a grade.
- The more evaluations, the more engaged learners will be in doing homework, showing up to class and paying attention.
- Reducing emphasis on a grade and increasing emphasis on feedback aids in student learning.
- Written assessments are time consuming to mark because you have to comment and provide feedback on the whole submission.
- Peer and self-evaluation components are for informal feedback and never part of a final course grade.
- Invigilated final exams are the best way to ensure you are seeing student’s original work.
- Taking a test is a good skill all students need to learn how to do — but teachers need to teach these skills first.
- Many low stakes evaluations allow students to demonstrate learning in smaller chunks and with less stress.
- Course final grades are accurate indicators of the learning students did in that course.
- An instructor must assess every learning outcome in a course to ensure they are accountable for quality student learning.
- The marks/weighted percentages for an evaluation method need to be aligned with the amount anticipated student effort, time and work involved.
- Post-secondary instructors spend more time in the assessment of learning (summative) than the assessment for learning (formative).
- A well-designed single assignment/test/project can satisfy many learning outcomes and provide useful information for marking.