Description
Assessments communicate both to the instructor and the student how they are doing in achieving the learning outcomes of their course. Assessing student learning allows educators to measure students’ understanding, track their progress, and identify areas where intervention may be necessary. In higher education, however, instructors often face challenges in designing assessments that accurately measure learning while also addressing diverse student backgrounds and levels of preparation. Additionally, instructors must ensure that assessments align with course learning outcomes and evaluate meaningful understanding rather than simple memorization. Effective assessment practices ultimately contribute to better educational outcomes and promote a culture of continuous improvement within schools and classrooms. Demonstrating competence in assessing student learning therefore requires the ability to design assessments that align with learning outcomes, use a variety of assessment methods, develop clear evaluation criteria such as rubrics, and provide constructive feedback that supports student learning and improvement. Therefore, demonstrating competence in creating effective assessments is essential for successful student learning at the postsecondary level.
Artifact & Artifact Rationale
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This artifact consists of the slides used by Dr. Rique Campa during the workshop “Assessing Student Learning” at the MSU Certification in College Teaching Institute during May 8-9th, 2025. It relates to the competency of assessing student learning by introducing techniques such as the “bookends” model, backwards design, and blooms taxonomy, andhighlighting the importance of aligning assessments with learning outcomes and using assessment to evaluate student understanding. Engaging with this material helped me develop the ability to think more intentionally about assessment design and the role of feedback in supporting student progress. This experience informed my teaching by encouraging me to design assessments that more clearly measure learning outcomes and provide meaningful feedback to students.
Reflection
I found the workshop on assessing student learning led by Dr. Rique Campa the most thought provoking and challenging workshop during the MSU Certification in College Teaching Institute during May 8-9th, 2025. In this workshop, I learned about the “bookends” model, backwards design, and blooms taxonomy, as well as the two different types of assessments, formative and summative. Most importantly, I learned that the assessment cannot be an afterthought. There can be misalignment between your teaching and learning objectives and the way you assess this.
As a culmination of this workshop, we completed a microteaching assessment, which I found more challenging than I’d like to admit. The task involved identifying a threshold concept, engaging in a pair-share, teaching the concept to a small group (for about 10 minutes), and then assessing the group’s learning. Going through this activity underscored how complex and nuanced effective assessment can be. It made clear to me that developing strong assessment skills will require time, practice, and intentional effort.
When I look ahead, one of the aspects of teaching I feel most anxious about is effectively assessing student learning. I recognize that this is a skill that will take time and experience to develop. Although I’m still unsure how it will play out in practice, I understand that with continued effort and reflection, it will become more intuitive over time. Thanks to this workshop, I now better understand the critical role that assessment plays in student learning, and I’m committed to ensuring it is not treated as an afterthought. Moving forward, I will use the tools and strategies from this workshop to intentionally align my learning objectives and assessments using Bloom’s taxonomy as a guide.
As a culmination of this workshop, we completed a microteaching assessment, which I found more challenging than I’d like to admit. The task involved identifying a threshold concept, engaging in a pair-share, teaching the concept to a small group (for about 10 minutes), and then assessing the group’s learning. Going through this activity underscored how complex and nuanced effective assessment can be. It made clear to me that developing strong assessment skills will require time, practice, and intentional effort.
When I look ahead, one of the aspects of teaching I feel most anxious about is effectively assessing student learning. I recognize that this is a skill that will take time and experience to develop. Although I’m still unsure how it will play out in practice, I understand that with continued effort and reflection, it will become more intuitive over time. Thanks to this workshop, I now better understand the critical role that assessment plays in student learning, and I’m committed to ensuring it is not treated as an afterthought. Moving forward, I will use the tools and strategies from this workshop to intentionally align my learning objectives and assessments using Bloom’s taxonomy as a guide.
