Assessment of student learning and performance is a regular part of classroom instruction. Students take quizzes and exams, engage in team-based projects, write essays and lab reports, and give presentations and performances on any given day of the academic term. Regular and timely formative assessment provides students with feedback so that they can gauge their progress. Assessment information can help instructors improve their own teaching practice by understanding how well students are achieving the learning outcomes for the course and identifying where instruction can be improved.

Students and instructors alike may see assessment as a necessary evil, a hoop to jump through, or an anxiety-driver. But with thoughtful planning, assessment can be an important teaching tool. As a key component of course design, assessment can help you:

• Clarify your teaching goals and make sure that your course activities and assignments align with what you want students to learn.
• Clearly share your expectations with students for their work in your course and how you evaluate their performance.
• Foster communication and feedback between you and your students.
• Support students to actively engage in their own learning process.
• Get just-in-time information about student learning, allowing you to adapt instruction to meet students’ needs.

To learn more about how to use assessment in the classroom and to explore questions on the subject, please use the growing set of resources on this site. For consultations, trainings, and learning communities about research-based learning, teaching, and assessment methods, reach out to The Institute for Learning and Teaching (TILT) at CSU.