Courses have different types of assessments, both formative or summative, that may vary based on discipline or even level of course. Formative assessments are mainly to support learning as it is on-going, to identify gaps or see what needs reinforcement. Summative assessments are done in an evaluative way to demonstrate attainment of learning outcomes usually at the end of the course or larger module.
It is important from an accessible pedagogy point of view but also from an Academic Accommodations to support students’ point of view that there is clarity regarding what differentiates these types of assessments in classes. This resource will highlight what each of these assessments are in terms of question type, length, and pedagogical impact in the hopes of supporting teaching teams, student support areas like SAS, and faculty support areas like CPI.
Definitions
Let’s start with the easiest one to define which is what is an Exam. They are high-stakes assessments.
When and Length
An Exam is usually a summative assessment done during a scheduled Exam period either in December or April. Exams can be anywhere from 2 hours to 3 hours in length. They can be called Final Exam or MidTerm Exam depending on when they appear in the course timing. These are Exams usually scheduled by the Registrar’s office officially and are automatically populated in the OASIS system.
Weight and Make-Up
They are usually weighted from 20% up to 50% (note the Faculty handbook states that on one assessment cannot be worth more than 50% of the grade in a course). Exams can have different types of questions in different sections or one type of questions, for example: multiple choice, essay, scenario responses and analysis, calculations, short answer, longer answer, or fill in the blank.
Tests have a lot more opportunity for flexibility depending on the course context and discipline. They tend to be higher stakes assessments.
When and Length
A test can be scheduled at any time during the semester and can be specific to an educational space such as lab tests or studio tests. They can also vary in length from 30 minutes to 3 hours. Tests can be called tests or midterm tests depending on when they happen in the course.
Weight and Make-Up
Tests can also vary in terms of weight in that there can be many tests in a course. They are usually weighted from 10% up to 50% (note the Faculty handbook states that on one assessment cannot be worth more than 50% of the grade in a course). The most common range for weighting for tests is anywhere from 10-25%. They can be summative in nature and can be comprehensive to the totality of the learning in the course or they can cover specific times in a semester such as the first 6 weeks or the last 6 weeks. Tests can have different types of questions in different sections or one type of questions, for example: multiple choice, essay, scenario responses and analysis, calculations, short answer, longer answer, or fill in the blank, lab or studio application exercises.
Quizzes tend to be very formative in nature and serve as knowledge checks as the semester goes on around key concepts for the class. They are low-stakes assessments that serve as preparation for higher-stakes assessments like tests.
When and Length
Quizzes are formative and they can be scheduled in different ways, either at the beginning of class, at the end of class, or online in a synchronous or asynchronous way. Quizzes can be anywhere between 5-15 minutes. They are rarely longer than 20 minutes.
Weight and Make-Up
Quizzes can happen at multiple times during the semester. As a result, they are graded individually and then become part of the overall course grade. Usually quizzes can be worth 5-20% of the total class grade. A good accessible pedagogy practice is to drop the lowest or lowest 2 grades for the quizzes if there are numerous (such as weekly quizzes). This will allow flexibility for the students and the members of the teaching team if someone has an absence. Quizzes can be made up of different types of questions, for example: multiple choice, scenario responses, calculations, short answer, matching, true or false, or fill in the blank.
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