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UU Inclusive Teaching Toolbox

UU Inclusive Teaching Toolbox > Assessment > Designing an equitable assessment

Section: Assessment
| Designing an equitable assessment | Selecting Diverse and Non-Triggering Cases   | Clearly and transparently communicating assessment    | Providing fair grading | Providing fair feedback |

Designing an equitable assessment

An international student at a Dutch university is asked to work in a team and do a final presentation as part of their assessment. However, this student has mainly been assessed by writing short answers to test their memory of the content. This student struggles to understand and perform well in this newly introduced form of assessment, foreign to them until now. 

Students coming from different backgrounds are unlikely to have the same level of familiarity with all types of assessments Higher Education Academy . (2014) Assessment and feedback .That is why it can be important for teachers to gain awareness of students’ previous assessment experiences, which may reveal gaps or blind spots in a course’s assessment method Higher Education Academy . (2014) Assessment and feedback . Additionally, providing students with multiple forms and types of assessment allows them to demonstrate their abilities or strengths in a range of different areas Cuseo, J. (2021). Effective culturally-inclusive assessment of student learning and academic performance. . This enables students’ knowledge and skills to be demonstrated through multiple approaches and methods providing them with an equal chance of achieving Cuseo, J. (2021). Effective culturally-inclusive assessment of student learning and academic performance. . This is essential in order to ensure that the differences between students’ performances on assessments are not due to language ability, lack of understanding of assessment procedure, or lack of access to the assessment procedure, but instead represent actual differences in their discipline-related skills, abilities, and knowledge Higher Education Academy . (2014) Assessment and feedback .

Tools  

Assessing students’ prior experience  

  • At the beginning of a course, ask students to fill-out the following form on their previous assessment experiences or make a quick round within the classroom asking about their experiences. 
  • If you want further information on, for example, what kind of scientific papers students have written, you can ask students to send you an example of a previous assignment. 

Lay-out and special accommodations  

  • Ask students if they have the necessary tools and resources (e.g., software and equipment) to complete the assignment LSA Inclusive Teaching University of Michigan: Creating Inclusive Assignments and Assessments .
  • Ask students if they require additional assistance, ie extra time or other accommodation. 
  • Consider accessibility of your fonts: the most legible fonts are Arial and Calibri size 12pts or larger. 
  • Make sure images are not integral to the content and/or describe images using alternative text.  
  • Discuss the assessment in more detail with student(s) who have particular concerns, i.e. language issues, health concerns. 

Language  

  • Make sure that the language used in the assessment does not exceed that of the learning materials or teaching and learning activities and is suited to the stage of the students’ academic trajectory. 
  • Ensure that your assessment employs inclusive language. For more information on inclusive language see the section in learning materials.    
  • Check how understandable/accessible your assessment is for non-native speakers by getting feedback from students or colleagues for whom the language of the assessment is not their first language. 
  • Explain any new, key, or complex words in different ways to maximize the chances that the students will understand them correctly. 
  • Allow students to use a dictionary in assessment moments.  

Content  

  • Check the assignment or assessment descriptions to ensure that they do not require or assume a certain level of understanding about one particular (i.e. Dutch) culture. For instance, international students are unlikely to understand the assignment if it contains words like ‘vmbo/havo/vwo’ which require familiarity with the Dutch educational system. 

Format   

  • Consider including multiple assessment moments that provide students with more than one chance to show their knowledge and abilities Montenegro, E., and Jankowski, N. A. (2017). Equity and assessment: Moving towards culturally responsive assessment. Occasional Paper, 29.
    Cuseo, J. (2021). Effective culturally-inclusive assessment of student learning and academic performance.     . 
  • Consider including various forms of assessment to allow students with different skill sets to be tested fairly. For example, combine written and oral assessments, evaluate work done during class (such as quizzes) as well as homework, or evaluate both individual as well as group work Montenegro, E., and Jankowski, N. A. (2017). Equity and assessment: Moving towards culturally responsive assessment. Occasional Paper, 29.
    Cuseo, J. (2021). Effective culturally-inclusive assessment of student learning and academic performance.
    LSA Inclusive Teaching University of Michigan: Creating Inclusive Assignments and Assessments     .  
  • If students raise any legitimate issues with an assessment method, consider providing alternative ways for them to demonstrate their knowledge, such as a video presentation rather than a ‘live’ performance or formulating take-home exams over traditional in-person written exams LSA Inclusive Teaching University of Michigan: Creating Inclusive Assignments and Assessments .