Learner-Centered Assessment

Assessment shapes how students engage with learning, influencing their confidence, motivation, and sense of belonging (Carless, 2015; Bovill, 2020). This module invites you to explore how your beliefs about teaching and learning influence the way you design assessments — and how those assessments, in turn, impact how students engage with your course content. When assessments allow students to demonstrate their knowledge in ways that reflect their strengths and experiences, they’re more likely to stay engaged and motivated. By being intentional in your assessment design, you can ensure that assignments align with your teaching values and learning goals, fostering an inclusive and effective learning experience for every student.

Learning Outcomes

After successfully completing this module, you will be able to:

• Analyze how your teaching and learning perspectives influence assessment design and student learning.
• Strengthen existing assessments to align with learning outcomes and increase student agency through the implementation of co-creation and transparency strategies.
• Differentiate between diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment, as well as assessment of, for, and as learning, and evaluate the impact these perspectives have on student belonging, engagement and learning outcomes.
• Design authentic assessments that enhance student motivation, belonging, and engagement by connecting learning to personal and professional contexts.
• Identify critical questions about assessment that you will continue to explore in your practice.

How to work through this module

• This is a self-directed module. You can move forward and backward through the lesson pages.
• Complete any optional self-assessments if they appeal to you.