Throughout the term, and particularly near the end of the term, assessing the learning of students becomes a crucial aspect of any learning environment and presents new challenges in the online environment. Changing assessment practices has been difficult for our field, which tends to rely on high-stakes exams to determine course grades. Indeed, when the pandemic first hit, our field became focused mainly on high-stakes testing and how to effectively proctor exams. However, there are other forms of assessment promoted in IMPACT that can be used throughout the term, including diagnostic assessment and formative assessment, that serve to monitor student performance, provide feedback on their learning, and communicate our expectations.
In the shift to the online environment, increased vigilance over academic integrity can come into conflict with the equitable assessment of student learning outcomes. Do we consider the options for proctoring through an equity lens? Are we actually measuring student learning or privilege? Overall, how can we leverage the online environment to improve assessment practices to become more equitable?