Assessment – A Starting Point 

Why assessment matters 

Assessment plays a key role in course and programme design. Students often focus on assessments first. What you assess tells students what really matters in your course. Assessment drives how and what they learn. 

When you design assessment well, it can guide students to engage with the right learning activities and course resources. This helps your students achieve the intended learning outcomes, not just to pass a test. 

At MIT, there are great examples of students learning by doing. For example, learning about construction by building something real, or understanding how air conditioning works by taking a unit apart and putting it back together. These types of assessments promote deeper learning because they allow students to apply their knowledge and skills. 

On the other hand, traditional memory-based assessments, such as quizzes that only test recall, often lead to surface learning. These do not give students a chance to use their learning in meaningful or practical ways. 

What does good assessment look like? 

It is about making sure everything in your course works together to support student learning. This includes what students need to learn (learning outcomes), how they learn it (activities), and how you check their learning (assessment). 

In a constructively aligned course: 

• Students know what they are expected to learn. 
• Learning activities help students build the skills and knowledge needed. 
• Assessment shows whether students can apply what they have learnt. 

To apply constructive alignment, ask yourself: 

• What should students know and be able to do by the end of the course? 
• What learning activities will help them get there? 
• What assessment tasks will support this learning and show they can apply it in real situations? 

Assessment expectations at MIT 

Your assessments must: 

• Measure student performance against the course learning outcomes.
• Give students feedback during the course to support their learning. 
• Help students develop their knowledge and skills over time. 
• Use methods that are suitable for the learning outcomes and graduate profile. 
• Follow programme regulations and meet any external requirements. 
• Encourage original work and reduce opportunities for plagiarism.  

Principles of good assessment 

Effective assessment: 

• Is authentic, based on real-world situations. 
• Is well-sequenced and clearly linked to learning. 
• Helps students develop higher-level thinking. 
• Connects clearly with learning outcomes. 
• Is interesting, challenging, and motivating. 

Good assessment is more than just measuring learning – it supports learning. For example, it’s one thing for a student to write about building a house; it’s another to actually build one. Writing about marketing is different from creating and carrying out a marketing plan. 

You also need to consider the number of assessments in your course. Too many assessments can overload students and break learning into disconnected pieces. Fewer, well-designed assessments that connect multiple learning outcomes are often more effective. 

Here are some helpful strategies: 

• Reduce the number of assessments where possible. 
• Focus on assessing all learning outcomes. 
• Use larger, integrated tasks that assess a range of skills and knowledge. 
• Design assessments that support deep learning and build independence. 
• Avoid using assessment only to make students complete work or stay on track. 

Assessments should go beyond repeating what you’ve taught. They should show how well students can use what they’ve learnt in new or creative ways. When used well, assessment becomes a powerful teaching tool. 

Rethinking your approach 

Across higher education, assessment is changing. There is now more focus on using a variety of assessment types such as portfolios, peer feedback, and self-assessment – not just exams or written tests. 

This shift helps students learn better, both in the short term and long term. It also changes how we think about designing courses and teaching. When you design quality assessments, you are creating opportunities for students to apply their learning in ways that matter.