Planning Assessments

The Learning Portal by College Libraries Ontario provides Top Tips for creating an accessible learning environment, which can be translated into assessment planning and design:

• Communicate clearly, and check for legibility and clarity.
  When developing the assessment instructions, select verbiage that is clear, concise, and easy to understand. Use Sans Serif and 12-14pt fonts and contrasting colours in your materials. When providing audio/video instructions or discussing the assessment, be sure to face the class, and speak clearly and concisely, so students understand meaning through physical cues.
• Don’t make assumptions about abilities.
  Do not assume that each of your learners is able to hear, see, learn, or understand in the same way. Preparing an assessment that offers instructions in different ways (written, audiovisual, infographic) will increase accessibility for all learners in your class.
• Be patient and understanding.
  Some of your learners may take more time to understand the assessment, gain comfort in navigating the online environment and tools, and consequently ask more questions. Be patient, and provide opportunities for learners to reach out to seek that clarification.
• Make resources available for students.
  Resources required to complete an assessment should be readily available for your learners, unless the search and access is a required component of the assessment. Linking websites, articles, and professional resources right in your LMS will reduce learner confusion and anxiety when completing the assessment.
• Ensure assignment instructions and resources are compatible with assistive technologies.
  Make sure that assessments and assessment instructions are accessible to e-readers and images are translatable for visually challenged learners. Understanding Document Accessibility will assist you in creating accessible documents.

Use the preset templates and themes in your word processing software. These are already configured to meet accessibility requirements.

CAST (formerly the Center for Applied Special Technology) has outlined specific actions that can be taken to support equity and inclusion, and respect the diversity of learners, when designing assessments (CAST | UDL Tips for Assessment [PDF]):

• Align assessments to learning goals.
  Plan and develop your assessments in alignment with your course learning outcomes, program learning outcomes, and professional requirements and expectations. Assessments should be purposeful and meaningful, which will support student understanding of relevance and importance.
• Reduce unnecessary barriers to access.
  Assessments may have inadvertent and unnecessary barriers to successful completion, such as instructions that are not translatable by e-readers, or include colour coding or cuing, or favour written expression or creativity in a limited amount of time. Planning your assessments with a lens to reducing barriers that are not tied to the learning outcome(s) will improve student success.
• Support learner variability through flexible assessments.
  Provide choice. Students learn in different ways, therefore we can anticipate variability and so they should be provided options to demonstrate their learning and understanding in a way that is meaningful and relevant for them.
  “Flexible options not only enhance access, but can also reduce perceived threats or distractions and ensure all learners are able to demonstrate their skills.” (CAST, 2020, p. 3)
• Clarify expectations.
  Clear communication about assessment targets reduces learner anxiety around performance expectations. Using supports such as rubrics, exemplars, checklists, and descriptive point-form instructions, as well as planning dedicated time and space to answer questions, will improve learner confidence in completing the assessment.

In remotely delivered/online classes, students may be participating globally. This presents some unique challenges related to planning assessments to ensure equal opportunity and accessibility. Remaining flexible to make modifications as necessary will help, as well as making efforts to:

• Plan for time zone variations. Survey your students at the start of the course to determine where each is learning from. This can be done using a standard survey approach, or through an ice-breaker activity such as pinning a location on a map in Padlet. Broaden time and date restrictions for access to, and submission of, online assessments to cover a 14-24 hour period to allow all students the opportunity to complete the assessment at a time that is appropriate for cognitive engagement. Use a time zone meeting planner, such as the World Clock Meeting Planner to facilitate equitable and accurate scheduling. Use the special access or exceptions options in your Learning Management System (LMS) for scheduled or timed online assessments or assessment submissions to make the assessment available for specific students at an appropriate time in their time zone.
• Confirm technology reliability & resource access. Internet reliability may be inconsistent. Remaining flexible and understanding, and preparing an alternative will reduce students’ anxiety. Some websites, domains, and/or software access may be restricted in some countries.  At the start of the course, provide a list for students to check access well ahead of assessment requirements and implementation. Confirm that the students have access to the textbook(s) and professional resources that will be required for open-resource testing.
• Understand religious, cultural, and social observances differ for students both domestic and internationally-situated. At the start of the course, have your students relay important dates that may impact their ability to complete scheduled assessments:
  • Religious and cultural observances
  • Social and government holidays
  • Variability in what constitutes a workweek, workday, or weekend.