Summative Assessments: Types

Summative assessments evaluate learning at the end of a unit, course, or instructional period. While typically used to gauge final outcomes, these assessments can also serve formative purposes, tracking progress throughout a course. Below are common types of summative assessments, with equity-minded design tips and links to additional resources.

Exams

Exams typically consist of a set of questions aimed at eliciting specific responses and can include multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, diagram labeling, and short-answer questions. When designing exams, equity-minded principles ensure they are accessible and effective for all students.

  • Relevant:
    • Ensure test questions align closely with course learning objectives.
    • Include applications of course concepts to real-world scenarios that resonate with students’ interests and skills.
  • Authentic:
    • Require skills that students may use in their academic, professional, or personal lives, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration.
    • Test a range of cognitive skills, from lower-order (recall and understanding) to higher-order (evaluation and application).
    • Example: Include case studies that ask students to apply concepts to solve real-world problems.
  • Rigorous:
    • Focus on tasks requiring application of skills or creation of new knowledge in novel or complex situations, rather than simple recall.
    • Include multi-step problem-solving or questions requiring students to justify their answers through reasoning.
  • Transparent:
    • Clearly communicate what knowledge and skills are being tested.
    • Provide practice questions that illustrate the types of questions students will encounter on the exam.
    • Explain scoring criteria, such as whether answers are marked for both accuracy and process, or if penalties apply for incorrect answers.
    • Transparency is particularly important for international and first-generation students who may be less familiar with the exam format.
  • Inclusive:
    • Use language, scenarios, and examples that reflect the diverse lived experiences of your students without assuming specific cultural knowledge.
    • Write clear, concise, and unambiguous questions to minimize confusion, especially in online or large-class settings where clarification may not be possible.

Best Practices for Exams

  • Open-Book or Group Exams: Encourage critical thinking, collaboration, and analytical skills. These formats also reduce stress and support equity (Johanns et al., 2016; Martin et al., 2014).
  • Exam Wrappers: Include follow-up reflections to help students assess their preparation and engage in metacognition (Lovett, 2013).
  • Resources for Writing Questions:

Projects 

Projects are versatile tools for assessing student learning and often involve completing a series of steps to produce a final product. These tasks are particularly effective for fostering creativity, critical thinking, and real-world application. Examples include presentations, research papers, essays, or digital storyboards.

1. Presentations

  • Description: Students create slide decks or posters to support oral presentations explaining their project’s motivation, process, and outcomes.
  • Benefits: Efficient for assessing higher-order thinking, application, and communication skills.
  • Challenges: In large classes, presentations can be time-consuming. Conducting group presentations or scheduling them during labs or recitations can help.
  • Tips: Use small group presentations or schedule during lab/recitation sections to manage time in large classes. Group projects also promote collaboration, communication, and time management.
  • Learn More: 

2. Research Papers

  • Description: Research papers involve structured written reports that analyze or synthesize literature, often following the format (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion). 
  • Benefits: Build critical thinking, organizational, and writing skills, particularly in research-focused disciplines.
  • Challenges: Without sufficient guidance, students may struggle to structure their work effectively. Grading large volumes of content can also be challenging for instructors.
  • Tips: 
    • Scaffold tasks like topic selection, literature searches, and drafting.
    • Train students to use tools like citation managers or AI search engines.
    • Provide rubrics and incorporate peer feedback to give timely support.
  • Learn More: 
    • .

3. Essays or Commentaries

  • Description: Open-ended written responses to prompts that require students to present evidence-based arguments.
  • Benefits: Encourage creativity, critical thinking, and individual expression.
  • Challenges: Similar to research papers, essays can be difficult to grade and time-consuming without clear rubrics and guidance.
  • Tips: 
    • Provide rubrics, writing samples, and peer feedback opportunities. Be transparent about the ethical use of AI and its role in writing processes (Matthews, 2023). 
    • It is also important to consider and comply with norms set by FERPA, when sharing work of students from past classes. 
    • Instructors should address the use of AI writing tools by including clear policies in , discussing plagiarism ethics, and training students to use AI responsibly (e.g., for structure, grammar, or spelling). Transparency about the benefits of fully engaging in the writing process is essential (Matthews, 2023).
  • Learn More: 
    • .

4. Digital Storyboards

  • Description: Visual projects like films, photo essays, or artwork that narrate a concept or process.
  • Benefits: Combine creativity, higher-order thinking, and collaboration.
  • Challenges: Students may lack access to materials needed to create high-quality projects.
  • Tips: Provide access to materials (e.g., art supplies, software) and use scaffolding to guide students in mastering elements like narrative, visuals, and sequencing.
  • Learn More: 

Making Projects Equity-Minded

  1. Relevant: Align tasks (e.g., critical thinking, collaboration) with learning goals.
  2. Authentic: Address real-world problems that resonate with students’ interests and future needs (Wiggins, 1990).
  3. Rigorous: Use multi-step tasks that require analysis, synthesis, and application, with scaffolding for support (Schrank, 2016).
  4. Transparent: Share detailed rubrics, clear objectives, and examples of successful projects (Winkelmes, 2023).
  5. Inclusive: Incorporate diverse voices and creative formats, ensuring access to required resources (Montenegro & Jankowski, 2020).

Explore more resources on and G.

Portfolios

Portfolios are curated collections of student work that demonstrate their learning, skills, and potential for future opportunities (Vitale & Romance, 2005). Often used in performance-based disciplines like art or humanities, portfolios can also be effective in science and engineering for evaluating proficiency through e.g., CV, research statements, ). Alternately, portfolios may be composed of research papers, presentations, or (Dibrell, n.d.).

Equity-Minded Portfolios

  • Relevant: Include diverse work aligned with course objectives and student goals.
  • Authentic: Evaluate synthesis, application, and creation of new knowledge relevant to professional careers.
  • Rigorous: Require higher-order thinking, such as problem-solving and analysis, demonstrated through curated work.
  • Transparent: Co-create rubrics with students to clarify expectations and include their voices.
  • Inclusive: Allow students to include earlier work to showcase growth. Provide access to materials to ensure equitable participation.

Tips for Implementing Portfolios

Explore tools such as digication to learn more about systematic ways to evaluate and assign portfolios in a transparent manner. Click on the respective links to view examples of CU undergraduate student portfolios in art, engineering and English. You can also find more examples on ASSETT’s BuffsCreate, a service providing all CU learners access to a subdomain and support to create an ePortfolio.  

References:

  Brame, C. (2013) . Vanderbilt University. 

  Chen, Y. (2018). . Center for Teaching and Learning, Kent State University.

  Division of Learning and Teaching. (2022, March 30). . Charles Sturt University.

  Lovett, M. C. (2013). . In Kaplan, M., Silver, N, Lavaque-Manty, D., & Meizlish, D. Using reflection and metacognition to improve student learning. Stylus Publishing: Sterling, VA., pp. 18-52.

  Johanns, A., Dinkens, J., & Moore, J. (2017).. Nursing Education in Practice, 27, 89-94.

  Martin, D., Friesen, E., & De Pau, A. (2014).. Nurse Education Today, 34(6), 971–977.

  Dibrell, D. (n.d.). . The University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley.

  Vitale, M. R. & Romance, N. R. (2005). . In J. J. Mintzes, J. H. Wandersee, & J. D. Novak (Eds.), Assessing Science Understanding: A Human Constructivist View, Educational Psychology. Burlington: Academic Press. (pp. 167–196). Burlington, VT: Academic Press.

Center for Teaching and Learning. (2021, May 06). . Boston University

  Division of Learning and Teaching (2022, March 30). . Charles Sturt University.

  Dogan, B. (2021). . The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling Website. University of Houston College of Education.

  Matthews, D. (2023, March 14). . Vox. 

Further Readings & Resources:

You can find additional resources and references below to learn more about incorporating different types of summative assessments and feedback in your class. Particularly notable is the , which provides a detailed description of best practices in incorporating the above assessments in each discipline in an equity-minded manner. Charles Sturt University also has a substantive . For individualized support, you may also schedule a consultation with our team.

  Division of Learning and Teaching. (2022, March 30). . Charles Sturt University.

  Montenegro, E., & Jankowski, N. A. (2020, January). (Occasional Paper No. 42). Urbana, IL: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA).

  Chan, J. C. K. & Ahn, D. (2023). . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 120(31): e230202012