Designing Assessments that Align with Objectives

Formative Assessments and Scaffolding

Formative assessments are smaller in scope but play a critical role in supporting student learning. They allow instructors and students to monitor progress toward achieving course and module objectives, while providing low-stakes opportunities for students to practice applying new knowledge and skills.

Scaffolding refers to the incremental introduction of course content through learning activities and assignments. By sequencing tasks and feedback, scaffolding helps students build toward more complex summative assessments with greater confidence.

When sequenced thoughtfully, formative assessments create natural checkpoints that reduce cognitive overload, support retention, and prevent students from feeling overwhelmed — especially in online environments where learning is often self-directed.

Benefits to Students

Formative assessments are smaller, lower-stake assignments that should build learning and comprehension gradually through the course. When sequencing of these assignments is done correctly, each assignment steadily builds on the preceding, adding information gradually in such a way that one logically leads to the next. Formative assessments build students' confidence by helping them learn the content and practice the skills they need to succeed in larger summative assessments such as a final project, paper, or any other large assignment that requires students to demonstrate mastery of several concepts. Read more about the 9 Benefits of Using Formative Assessment to Increase Student Growth.

Benefits to Instructors

Building-block assignments allow you to monitor the student's progress in the course and provide useful feedback that will guide the student to mastery of the concepts and skills required. As a result, you give students what they require to increase academic achievement and to stimulate learning about their world (PowerSchool, 2022). Additionally, your decisions on instructional strategies to take can be data-driven as you learn which activities resonate with students (PowerSchool, 2022).

Rationale

The University offers programs that engage students in collecting, analyzing, and communicating information; in mastering modes of intellectual inquiry or creative work; and in developing skills adaptable to changing environments.

HLC: This item aligns with #3b on the HLC Criteria for Accreditation.

What Reviewers Look For

Formative assessments are smaller in scope but relate to and support larger, summative assessments. Examples could include low-stakes worksheets, discussion boards, quizzes, or any other activity that allows the instructor and students to monitor student progress toward achieving course and module objectives.

Formative Assessment Example

Instead of the traditional method of testing students once at midterms and once at finals, each module can offer a formative assessment (low-stakes worksheets, discussion boards, quizzes, or any other activity that allows the instructor and students to monitor student progress toward achieving course and module objectives). For example, the following can be used as part of a discussion board where students choose one or more question prompts to answer. They will then read and respond to each other's posts. As a result, you as the instructor get a sense of your students' understanding.

From your perspective, what's the most important thing you learned from this module? Why do you think so?
What do you want to learn more about, and why?
What did you enjoy most about the assignments from this module? Why do you think that is?
What made you curious while going through this module's activities? How does learning feel different when you're curious?
What questions do you have about anything we covered in this module?

Scaffolding refers to the incremental introduction of course content through learning activities and assignments to help students reach learning outcomes. The item is met if the formative assessments are sequenced in a way that appears to guide students toward mastery of the course (and/or module) objectives.

Scaffolding Example

Imagine you're designing a course where the final goal is for students to "Create a marketing plan for a startup business." To help students achieve this complex task, you scaffold their learning by breaking it into smaller, manageable steps that build on each other.

Module 1: Understanding Marketing Basics
- Objective: "Define key marketing terms and concepts."
- Activity: Students read foundational materials and complete a quiz to test their understanding of marketing principles.
Module 2: Analyzing the Market
- Objective: "Conduct a SWOT analysis for a selected industry."
- Activity: Students choose an industry, gather data, and submit a short analysis identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Module 3: Setting Objectives
- Objective: "Develop measurable marketing objectives for a startup business."
- Activity: Students write three SMART marketing objectives based on their SWOT analysis and receive instructor feedback.
Module 4: Creating Marketing Strategies
- Objective: "Propose positioning, product, and pricing strategies for a target audience."
- Activity: Students submit a draft of their marketing strategies and discuss their ideas in a peer review activity.
Module 5: Developing the Full Marketing Plan
- Objective: "Compile a comprehensive marketing plan that integrates previous work."
- Activity: Students combine their SWOT analysis, objectives, and strategies into a final plan, refining their work based on earlier feedback.

What You Can Do

Break Down Major Assignments into Smaller Steps: Identify the final summative assessment (e.g., paper, project, exam) and divide into smaller, manageable pieces students can complete over time.
Design Low-Stakes Formative Assessments: Create quizzes, discussion posts, worksheets, or reflections that give students opportunities to apply knowledge and get feedback before high-stakes tasks.
Sequence Assignments Logically: Organize formative assessments so that each one builds on the last, preparing students for more complex tasks in later modules.
Provide Timely Constructive Feedback: Use formative assessments to deliver feedback students can act on before turning in major assignments. This builds confidence and improves performance.
Include Rubrics for Clarity: Attach clear rubrics or grading criteria to formative assessments so students know what’s expected.
Offer Peer Review Opportunities: Encourage students to give feedback on each other’s work to develop critical thinking and collaboration skills
Use Results to Inform Your Teaching: Analyze how students perform on formative tasks and adjust instruction or provide additional support as needed.
Utilize LMS Tools for Scaffolding: Use Canvas tools (like module prerequisites, quizzes, and submission stages) to structure content and guide learning.
Provide Examples or Demos: Share sample assignments or brief walkthrough videos so students know what successful work looks like.
Encourage Reflection: Ask students to reflect on feedback and their progress over time. This promotes self-awareness and deepens learning.