Category: Quality Assessment

Smart Solutions: Authentic Assessment for GenAI-Era Academic Integrity

Reading Time: 4 minutesThe rise of generative Artificial Intelligence (genAI) in education has brought significant benefits, but it sometimes poses challenges to academic integrity. Traditional assessments are increasingly vulnerable to misuse of GenAI tools, which can generate human-like responses to various tasks. Authentic assessment, however, offers a promising solution to this problem by focusing on real-world applications, critical thinking skills, problem-solving, and the...

Giving Student Feedback Using an Inquiry Approach

Reading Time: 4 minutesStudents rely on feedback – whether qualitative, quantitative, or both; from peers, from you, or both – to understand how they performed on an assessment task. Crafting quality feedback takes thought and care from the person providing it. In this post, we’ll explore strategies for providing feedback to students through an inquiry approach: non-directive and invitational, this approach positions you...

Getting Creative with Assessment Design

Reading Time: 3 minutesWhere you find yourself Are you building an assignment from the ground up while creating or revising a course outline? Or perhaps you’re looking to refresh an assignment you’ve taught before? In this Hub post, we’ll explore some options and considerations for creative and untraditional assessment design. Traditional assessments . . . and the “untraditional”? Midterms, exams, essays, and multiple-choice...

Why Using Generative Artificial Intelligence Models for Grading High-Stakes Assessments is Problematic

Reading Time: 5 minutesGenerative artificial intelligence has undoubtedly proven to be a useful tool in education, especially in supporting teachers and students in the teaching and learning process (Baidoo-Anu & Owusu Ansah, 2023). Recognizing the valuable role of GenAI in enhancing learning, many educational institutions, including Conestoga College, have started exploring ways to ensure safe, responsible and ethical use of GenAI in promoting...

Alternatives to Graded Weekly Pre-Reading Quizzes

Reading Time: 8 minutesMany faculty wish that students would engage more meaningfully with assigned class pre-readings and other materials. When students show up to class not having spent significant time reviewing pre-work (or even opening the materials at all!), it can feel disheartening and you may be unsure how to proceed. Should you adapt your lesson plan in the moment and go over...

Practicing Student-Centered Assessments in Contemporary Classrooms 

Reading Time: 4 minutesContemporary classroom assessment emphasizes ongoing feedback, student involvement, and diverse assessment methods to enhance learning outcomes. It reflects a shift from traditional testing and grading to more holistic, student-centered approaches catering to diverse student demographics.  Research suggests a connection between faculty’s past assessment experiences and how they implement assessments and evaluate students in contemporary classrooms (Brown et al., 2019). For...

Designing and Implementing Socio-Culturally Responsive and Equitable Classroom Assessments 

Reading Time: 5 minutesThis post was co-authored by Dr. David Baidoo-Anu and Dr. Monsurat Raji, Assessment of Learning Consultants. Given the increased diversities in our classrooms today, student assessment should recognize and value the unique perspectives and experiences of all students and help them demonstrate their learning in a more meaningful way. Therefore, instead of accommodating assessment to meet the specific needs of...

Understanding Socio-Culturally Responsive Assessments

Reading Time: 3 minutesThis post was co-authored by Dr. Monsurat Raji and Dr. David Baidoo-Anu, Assessment of Learning Consultants. As postsecondary schools continue to educate a more diverse student population, there is an increased need to ensure every student has the opportunity for success, regardless of their social, economic, educational, and cultural background and differences.   What is Socio-Culturally Responsive Assessment? Socio-Culturally Responsive Assessment...

What Did I Do Wrong? What Academic Integrity Means to the International Students

Reading Time: 3 minutesBy Dr. Nasreen Sultana, Teaching & Learning Consultant While no study indicates that international students plagiarize more frequently, there are worries that these students might be at a greater risk of committing plagiarism (Valentine, 2006). International students may often need to realize what makes a work plagiarized. For example, Sanni-Anibire et al.’s (2021) research in the Canadian post-secondary context noted...

In-Person Proctoring How-To’s

Reading Time: 4 minutesIn-class proctored tests and exams offer the opportunity to measure student learning in the moment, under observation. These types of assessments can also present you with challenges in upholding integrity and can cause uncertainty in responding in the moment if you suspect a student has cheated. In this Hub post, we will explore best practices for in-class proctoring of tests...

Pre-Assessments in Lesson Planning

Reading Time: 2 minutesWondering what students already know about a topic and how this informs our lesson planning? This post will provide a short explanation as to why pre-assessments are important in lesson planning and examples you can try with your students. Pre-Assessments are included in lesson planning for several reasons, these include guiding your lesson in finding out what students know about...

Uses of Student Work: What You Can and Cannot Do

Reading Time: 2 minutesStudents have intellectual rights under Canadian copyright law to the work they create during their post-secondary education. They also have privacy rights that mean student work cannot be used or shared without their permission. You cannot submit student work to any internal or external technology without a student’s express permission. Likewise, you cannot use student work – excerpts or in...

Leveraging Your Slide Deck, Part 1: Scaffolding Assessments for Student Success

Reading Time: 5 minutesA slide deck can be the focus point of a lesson, presenting key information related to the week’s learning outcomes. A slide deck, however, is not simply an overview of content to be presented to students. It is also a treasure trove of opportunities for: In this Hub post, part 1 of 2, we’ll look at strategies to introduce meaningful...