Learning Evaluation Methods

Exams are one way to evaluate a student's progress.

One of the most important tasks that an instructor has is to develop evaluation methods to assess how well students comprehend the topics presented in class and in textbooks. There are several approaches for evaluating your students' grasp of topics taught in your classroom.

Tests and Quizzes

Developing tests and quizzes is one of the most effective means to gauge how successful your students have been at learning the materials assigned inside and outside the classroom. Create your own tests and quizzes or use standardized tests and quizzes provided by your department. Although a multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank answer can demonstrate a student's ability to memorize information like names, dates and other facts, this may not be ideal when you want students to understand how historical events have far-reaching and complicated ripple effects in today's world.

Projects and Presentations

Assign projects or presentations on topics covered. Develop an assignment sheet with different topics from which students can choose. Students will appreciate being involved in the assignment selection process -- it could mean the difference between demonstrating how white carnations can change colors and creating a simple battery from a lemon, a penny and a dime. However, use this method only for lessons that don't require comprehensive knowledge. After all, while students can choose assignments that play to their strengths and interests, they can neglect unwanted projects and presentations that seem tedious. Still, the potential for learning exists because every student will see a demonstration on a different topic and each should absorb that presentation's information.

Essay

Teachers want students to have a comprehensive understanding of many lessons, such as American history. (For instance, the student should know when a battle occurred, what started it, who fought whom, and the impact of the skirmish, such as effects still seen today.) An essay question will allow a student to use his analytical abilities to give a long-form answer in his own words, demonstrating that he can summarize the topic well. Essay answers ensure teachers know how well students understand the material.

Learning Games

Use engaging learning games to assess younger students' information retention. For example, for a second-grade classroom in which you have been covering the three branches of the United States government, create a felt-covered chart that depicts a tree with three branches on it. Find news images from the Internet that fit with each branch. Print them out and affix Velcro on the back of each image so that it will stick to your chart. Ask students to help you decide on which branch each image should go. Images should include a judge, U.S. presidents and Congress members. For elementary-school children, attire alone -- such as a judge's robe -- should signal hints.

References

• University of Washington: Evaluating Student Learning
• The NASA SCIence Files: Homemade Batteries -- Grade 3