by Eyde Olson, Senior Instructional Designer, CTT
Summative assessments often include midterms and final exams, standardized tests, essays, reports, final projects, presentations, performances, or demonstrations. Here are five tips for summative assessments in high-enrollment courses.
1. Reserve the Digital Learning Commons early for secure proctoring.
Peak periods are usually during semester breaks and finals week, so the earlier you reserve, the better the chance the DLC staff can help with solutions.
2. Use multiple choice exams wisely.
Multiple-choice exams are often the default choice for large enrollment courses because they can be automatically scored in Canvas or graded quickly by using scantron sheets like Akindi. While multiple-choice exams have a reputation for testing only low-level thinking skills, it is possible to write questions that prompt students to engage in higher-order thinking like analysis, application, or evaluation skills. For tips on writing these types of questions, visit Assessment: Create more items more quickly.
3. Have students write exam questions.
Are you tired of hearing, “Will this be on the exam?” Consider having students write some of the exam questions. This strategy helps your students focus on key concepts and makes them active participants in their learning.
4. Make use of short writing assignments.
Written assignments can be feasible in large classes, especially if you scaffold the steps of the writing process. You might also incorporate writing into 200- to 300-word response quizzes or a few open-ended questions on exams. Question prompts in these assignments might ask students to apply concepts, solve problems, or explain their reasoning.
5. Follow these tips to support TAs and improve grading consistency.
- Create clear, easy-to-use rubrics in Canvas that align with your learning outcomes to help make grading less subjective and more consistent.
- Do a grade norming exercise with your TAs. Walk through rubric criteria and instructions for grading. Have your TAs compare their grades and feedback and come to consensus.
- Consider having one TA grade the same short-answer question on assignments. This strategy will keep grading consistent because the individual TA only needs to focus on one question.
More details at: https://teaching.unl.edu/resources/large-enrollment-courses/