Assessment Choice

Choice of Assessment Format (Oral vs Written) 

• Level of Instructor Implementation: High effort
• Description of Activity: Students are given the option to complete their summative assessment through either a traditional proctored written exam or a scheduled one-on-one oral examination with the instructor. Both formats cover the same learning objectives and use a mirrored rubric to ensure grading equity.
• Discipline / Field: Any
• Course Type: Seminar, Studio
• Course Level: Any
• Approximate Class Size: <25
• Benefits to Students:
  • May reduce barriers for students with specific learning needs or testing anxiety.
  • By choosing their “stronger” medium for assessment, students can focus entirely on the content, leading to a more accurate reflection of their knowledge.
• Potential Challenges: 
  • Scheduling timeslots for oral exams can be time-consuming for the instructor.
  • Ensuring that one modality of the exam isn’t “easier” or “harder” than the other.
• Implementation Recommendations:
  • • Students opting for oral exam must consent to a recorded session, allowing for play-back and record keeping.
    • Use a set list of core questions for the oral exam that match the themes of the written exam.
    • Create a rubric that grades content accuracy, evidence, and logic rather than “grammar” or “public speaking.” This ensures that both formats are held to the same academic standard.
    • For oral exams, give students the questions 5-10 minutes before their exam officially begins. They can jot down notes to organize their thoughts, but these notes are collected at the end. This prevents the oral exam from being a memory test while ensuring these students do not have an advantage over the students taking the written exam.
    • If fitting, specify the exact topics that will be on the test so that all students can equally prepare.
  
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Choice of Exam Response  

• Level of Instructor Implementation: Low effort
• Description of Activity: In a high-stakes or low-stakes assessment, students are provided with a “bank” of questions and are given the autonomy to choose which ones to answer. For example, an exam might require answering two short-answer questions out of four options.
• Discipline / Field: Any
• Course Type: Any
• Course Level: Any
• Approximate Class Size: Any
• Benefits to Students:
  • May reduce testing anxiety and help build trusting relationships between students and instructors.
• Potential Challenges:
  • Ensuring that different questions carry equal weight/difficulty so the grading remains fair.
• Implementation Recommendations:
  • • Ensure that all choices within a set require a similar level of cognitive effort (e.g., all options are at the “Analysis” level of Bloom’s Taxonomy).
    • Use bold text to clearly state the requirements (e.g., “Choose ONLY TWO of the following”) to prevent students from wasting time answering every question.
  
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Optional Exam Question  

• Level of Instructor Implementation: Low effort
• Description of Activity: Students are given the option to answer an additional question that asks them to apply course concepts in a new way. For example, an exam might include an optional question asking students to apply a key concept to a real-world scenario that is not discussed in class.
• Discipline / Field: STEM, Social Sciences
• Course Type: Lecture
• Course Level:Any
• Approximate Class Size: Any
• Benefits to Students:
  • This gives students a chance to demonstrate deeper understanding and can reduce test anxiety.
  • TIIP student co-creation partners shared that it offers “a second chance to show understanding” without adding pressure for everyone. The opt-in structure also reduces test anxiety for students who might feel pressure to attempt every question regardless of their preparedness.
• Potential Challenges:
  • Students may perceive the optional question as unfair or feel uncertain about whether to attempt it.
• Implementation Recommendations:
  • • Clearly explaining the purpose and grading of the question can help address concerns.
    • Design the question as challenging enough to ensure deeper thinking. Keeping the point value modest helps align effort and reward.
  
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