Assessment and Feedback Resources Hub

There are two important types of assessment: 

Formative assessment: This is an unmarked assessment that allows the students to practice the skills needed for the summative assessment. Formative assessments carry zero credit weighting toward the final mark and are usually completed several weeks before the summative deadline. Formative assessments are the best chance for students to get feedback on their work and use that feedback towards improvement on future work. 

Summative assessment: This is a marked assessment that helps determine the final mark on a course. Summative assessments are most commonly completed at the end of a course.  

The next thing you need to think about when designing your assessments is the category you would like to use. These categories are: 

• Assessment of learning: This is a summative assessment. It typically comes at the end of the course and tests memory and recall and benchmark the learning that a student has done for a given topic.  Examples of assessment of learning include:  
  • Multiple-choice exams
  • Short answer questions 
  • Matching tests 
  • Formal exam structures 

Assessment of learning is at its most useful when you are working with foundational skills or concepts that students need to know for future learning, or when you want to get a quick understanding of how well students have grasped a concept. 

• Assessment for learning: This includes formative assessment, providing students with the opportunity to practice their assessment and receive feedback that will help toward an improved summative assignment. Assessment for learning should be embedded throughout the teaching process and allow students to continually build on their skills. Examples of assessment for learning include: 
  • Memos 
  • Critical response essays 
  • Case studies 
  • Oral presentation  

• Assessment as learning. Assessment as learning is the ongoing self-assessment process where students have the chance for continual feedback through both formative and summative assessments. Students are involved in the assessment process from start to finish. Examples of assessment as learning include:
  • Thesis/dissertation 
  • Extended research project 

The category of assessment will determine the most meaningful way to assess students. You might find it useful to consult the Methods of Assessment of the Reducing and Removing High Stakes Assessment documents to help you think about different methods of assessment that might be appropriate for your context.