Exploring Written Assessments
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This article explores written assessments include why to use them in an online course, how to use them, and tips for designing them. |
Table of Contents
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What Are They?
One of the oldest and most widely used types of assessment, written assessments can be used in a variety of forms to assess student knowledge: traditional term papers; short, timed writings; and exploratory planning documents associated with projects or other assignments are a few examples.
Why Use Them?
Writing assessments can be effective for measuring student learning at all levels of cognitive skills from Bloom’s taxonomy — remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating.
The learning management system allows for essay and short answer questions in exams, although you may prefer to use the trackable assignment feature so that you can grade with a rubric (we’ll discuss grading criteria and rubrics later).
Best Ways to Use Them?
Writing is a solid choice for both formative, low-stakes assessments (e.g., 1-minute reflection papers that do not get turned in), as well as summative assessments (such as final papers). Do keep your course objectives in mind, though; if they involve the performance of any kind—say, being able to successfully intubate a patient—then writing may not be the best choice for a summative assessment.
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OPTIONAL: If you wish, read this magazine article that presents ideas for types of writing assignments that are not an essay, by author and consultant Judith Boettcher:
Evidence of Learning Online: Assessment Beyond The Paper (Links to an external site.)Paper
Designing Written Assessments
Designing a Writing Assignment/Assessment
In the online environment, you must write out the details that you communicate verbally in a traditional class. Four members of the Boise State English Department — Melissa Keith, Jen Black, Stephanie Cox, and Jill Heney— have developed a list of strategies for written assignments. While planning a writing assignment, you will need to make decisions about its content and structure:
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PLEASE CHOOSE: Visit one or more of these resources for tips on designing writing assignments:
Boise State Writing Resources (Links to an external site.)
Boise State English Support Resources (Links to an external site.)
- This page contains many faculty resources designed specifically to support English Language Learners, using concepts that apply to writing assignments for all students. The strategies for creating effective writing assignments are particularly relevant.
Writing Resources - This page by Boise State’s Writing Center features slide presentations and information for students about citation, grammar, and the writing process.
Harvard Writing Project (Links to an external site.)Project - Harvard University provides guides for writing in several disciplines.
A Brief Guide to Designing Essay Assignments (Links to an external site.)
Writing Across the Curriculum (Links to an external site.)
- This resource for the University of Richmond (managed by Joe Essid, director of UR’s Writing Center), includes ideas for building writing opportunities using Bloom’s taxonomy (the original version) and many more practical tipsAssignments
References
Boettcher, J. (2011). Evidence of learning online: Assessment beyond the paper (Links to an external site.). Campus Technology. Retrieved from httphttps://campustechnology.com/Articles/2011/02/23/Assessment-Beyond-The-Paper.aspx?Page=1
Boise State University Writing Center. (2013). Writing Center handouts\exercises (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://writingcenter.boisestate.edu/resources/
Boise State English Support. (2018). Supporting Writing Development (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from https://englishsupport.boisestate.edu/for-faculty-and-staff/supporting-writing-development/
Essid, J. (2006). Writing across the curriculum (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://writing2.richmond.edu/wac/binder/
Harvard University. (2013). Harvard Writing Project (Links to an external site.). Project. Retrieved from httphttps://www.writingprogramwritingproject.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k24101&pageid=icb.page123041Keith, M., Black, J., Cox, S., & Heney, J. (2010). Strategies and tips for effective writing assignments in online classes. (Links to an external site.) [PDF]pages/writing-guides
Examples of Written Assessments
One-Page Essay (2 hr)
Activity Directions
Collect and review the notes that you took on your reading.
Write a 1-page essay on one of the topic(s) listed below.
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Your document needs to be a Microsoft Word document (single-spaced text, double-spaced between paragraphs, 800-word limit).
If you do not use Microsoft Word, you can download your document as a .docx file. For more information about how to do that, refer to the Mac OS Pages (Links to an external site.) or Google Documents (Links to an external site.)Pages or Google Documents websites.
When saving/downloading your document, make sure you use the following naming convention: LastnameFirstinitial_EC#
Example for Module 03: BeckieN_03.docx
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Students are encouraged to use the Boise State Writing Center. The Writing Center offers one-on-one consultations at any stage of the writing process.
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Students are encouraged to make use of the full range of Boise State Albertsons Library resources and services including the use of scholarly research databases, library books, and online or face-to-face consultation with reference librarians. Librarians can help define topics, search for sources, and help assess the quality of your sources.
Comments on Written Assessment Example
Specific directions accompany the essay prompt, providing details such as:
The average amount of time students will need to complete the activity.
A description of tasks to complete before the writing activity.
How the learning activity should be completed (individually, in groups, etc.).
Due dates and/or deadlines for completion of various tasks.
The format of the activity (homework, paper, report, project, experiment, interview, etc.).
Resources needed and where to find them.
How to turn in the assignment/activity. Although you may have this outlined in your syllabus already, a quick reminder may relieve you of unnecessary emails from your students.
If student participation in the learning activity will be evaluated, including grading criteria or a rubric. If there is an assessment related to this activity, direct students on how and when to take the assessment. Students need to know how the learning activity is linked to their course grade.
How and when you will give feedback about their participation in the activity?
If there is an evaluation or assessment, students might not understand they need to go to the Grades area of their course or they may be waiting for you to send them an email. Explain how and when you will give feedback about their participation in the activity.
Where do they need to go if they need further clarification on how to complete the activity? For example, do you want them to go to their peers first or to you? Do you want an email or a call?
Research Paper
Students are required to complete a secondary research project in this course. In a secondary research project, researchers gather and evaluate peer-reviewed articles that have been conducted on the topic of interest.
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