1. The End is the Beginning: Thinking Strategically About Assessment
Britta Thompson PhD
Paul Haidet MD MPH
Office for Scholarship in Learning and Education Research (
Penn State College of Medicine

2. Objectives for Today:
At the end of the session, participants should:
Design assessments that take into account course objectives and “educational transfer”
Strategically choose among different types of assessment methods for a given course objective
Use backward design to think about assessment

3. Time to Form Teams…

4. Keep the conversation going using the #jeffassess hashtag on twitter!

5. Application 1: Which will lead to the GREATEST Proficiency?
“at the end of this module, students will be able to:”
Define the ingredients and techniques used in making spaghetti sauce
Evaluate differences in ingredients between their own sauce and three other students’ sauces, based on a taste test
Discuss the reasons for including common ingredients (such as a carrot) in spaghetti sauce
Prepare, from scratch, a batch of spaghetti sauce
You are teaching a cooking course with adult students who are interested in learning cooking theory and skills. One of your modules is on italian food, and, in particular, making homemade spaghetti sauce. Of the following objectives, which one, if achieved, will lead to the GREATEST PROFICIENCY in cooking?

8. Application 2: Which question will BEST ENSURE synthesis and application in novel situations?

9. Continuing the conversation, “virtually”… Application 3
Which of the choices represents the BEST ORDER in which to design your module?
Tweet your answers to #jeffassess; we will join the conversation from the train on our ride home!

10. In Summary… Lessons from #jeffassess
Define the competencies you want students to attain early in the process
Think about teaching and assessment simultaneously
Assessments can be used as learning tools
Assessments can constrain (or not) students to think critically
Ensure that assessment and the model of assessment is thought about early
Valid and reliable assessment of competency trumps attestations of knowledge
Ensure the continued involvement of learners when developing assessments

11. A final thought: The End is the Beginning:
The principle of BACKWARD DESIGN:
What is it I hope the students will have learned, that will still be there and have value, several years after the course is over?
Or more simply:
What should the students be able to DO when this course (or session) is over?
From: L Dee Fink, Creating Significant Learning Experiences