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Try Alternative Forms of Assessments

Bloom's Taxonomy

You can go beyond traditional proctored exams and reimagine your course with Alternative Assessments!

Alternative assessments can be a better method to promote learning:

  • increase student motivation and discovery
  • demonstrate a higher level of understanding than just remembering
  • foster ways of thinking used by professionals in the field
  • active learning throughout the semester instead of just cramming at the end of the semester

Step 1: Come up with alternative assessments
Step 2: Re-design your week-to-week learning activities to support your alternative assessments. With a clearer focus of the end goal, it will help you better curate the core, must-have information students need to complete their work.

 

Alternative Forms of Assessments (can be facilitated through Canvas):

  • Homework: Readings, mini case studies, quizzes, infographics, concept mapping, learning journals
  • (Research) Papers: Longer case studies, call to action, compare and contrast, data collection > analysis > interpretation of results, learning reflections
  • Projects: Data collection, computer program, blueprint, scientific modeling, portfolios
  • Presentations/Videos: Projects, pitches, 60-second ads, experiments, explanations, podcast debates, panel discussions
  • Peer Evaluations for in-class or out of class groupwork (iPeer)
  • Live Oral Exam, Oral Report: 5-10 mins to answer question or provide solution
  • Video recorded exams: students access exam questions and given a limited amount of time to video record and submit each solution to unlock the next question. Can use Canvas quizzes to distribute questions, a Question bank to randomize questions and allow a file upload as the submission.

NOTE: Canvas Assignments can be used to collect student submissions and Canvas Quizzes can be used creatively for timed assignments and of course, exams. Both support upload of documents or video files.

 

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