Writing Educational Assessments

𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐳𝐳𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞—they’re your chance to confirm that learning objectives are not only understood but also put into practice. To craft effective assessments, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬. What should learners be able to do by the end of your training? Once you know this, you can design assessment questions or activities that directly reflect those outcomes. 𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒, 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑜𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑎 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑎 𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑜-𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑎𝑠𝑘 𝑟𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑎 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑝𝑙𝑒-𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. In instructional design, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. Each assessment should map directly to a learning objective. When learners complete the assessment, their performance should clearly indicate whether they’ve achieved the intended outcome. This approach not only validates the training’s success but also highlights areas for improvement in both the content and the learners’ understanding. Remember, 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬—𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡. By ensuring they’re aligned with your learning objectives, you set your learners up for success and create training that truly drives results.

Here’s a harsh truth about assessments: If your exam feels like a trap, it probably is. 😵💫 Most assessment questions aren’t measuring anything—just checking for short-term memory. Learners deserve better. We should write assessments that teach, challenge, and reveal understanding, not confuse people with trick questions or irrelevant trivia. So I made this 👇 Here are eight techniques I use (and teach others) to write better assessment questions: 𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 – “This maps directly to the objective.” Every question should exist because of your learning goals, not despite them. 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗠 – “This feels like the real world.” Why are you testing it if it’s not something they’d do on the job? 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 – “I’m not thrown off by format.” Clear questions = better focus on thinking, not decoding. 𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗭𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 – “I’m not spotting patterns.” No more “C is always right.” Mix it up. 𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗜𝗗 𝗡𝗘𝗚𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗦 – “I’m not getting tripped up.” Tricky wording ≠ higher difficulty. It just creates confusion. 𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗜𝗗 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗩𝗘 – “I can’t game the system.” They’re lazy distractors. Retire them. 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬 – “There are just enough options.” More isn’t better. Smarter is better. 𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗪𝗘𝗥 𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗧𝗛𝗦 – “One answer doesn’t stand out.” Stop giving away the correct answer with extra detail. 👇 Save this for your next module. Tag a fellow learning designer who needs this. #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #eLearningDesign #AssessmentDesign #LXD #LearningCulture

Assessment for Learning vs. Assessment of Learning: Understanding the Difference In education, assessments are more than just tools to grade students—they are pathways to understanding and growth. However, there’s often confusion between Assessment for Learning (AfL) and Assessment of Learning (AoL). Let’s break it down: Assessment for Learning (AfL): Guiding Growth 🧠 What It Is: Ongoing assessments used during the learning process to provide feedback and guide teaching. 🎯 Purpose: To identify what students understand, where they’re struggling, and how to improve. 💡 How to Do It: Use formative methods like quizzes, peer reviews, or reflective journals. Ask open-ended questions to stimulate thinking. Provide timely, actionable feedback. Assessment of Learning (AoL): Measuring Achievement 📝 What It Is: Summative assessments used to evaluate what students have learned at the end of a unit or term. 🎯 Purpose: To gauge overall achievement and assign grades. 💡 How to Do It: Design exams, final projects, or presentations. Align assessments with clear objectives and standards. Analyze results to inform future curriculum planning. The Confusion: Many educators use these terms interchangeably or focus heavily on AoL, mistaking it as the only form of assessment. This can lead to missed opportunities for real-time intervention and growth during the learning journey. The Solution: Balance Both Approaches: Use AfL for feedback and AoL for grading. They complement each other. Involve Students: Encourage self-assessments and peer feedback as part of AfL. Create Clear Objectives: Ensure both types of assessments are aligned with learning goals. Reflect and Adapt: Use insights from AfL to tailor lessons and from AoL to refine long-term strategies. When we shift focus to Assessment for Learning, we emphasize growth over grades, nurturing a mindset where mistakes are part of the learning process. And that’s where true education happens. #AssessmentMatters #TeachingStrategies #FormativeAssessment

Many of the traditional multiple choice questions we use in assessment are abstract and measure only whether people recall facts they heard in the last 5 minutes. Converting these questions to scenario-based questions can increase the level of difficulty, measure higher level skills, and provide relevant context. 🎯 Transform traditional recall-based quiz questions into practical scenario-based questions to test actual job skills and decision-making abilities. 💡 Before writing questions, identify when and how learners would use the information in real work situations. If you can't find a practical use, reconsider the question. 📝 Keep scenarios concise and relevant. Often just 2-3 sentences of context can shift a question from testing memory to testing application. 📊 Align assessment questions with learning objectives. If your objective is application-level, your questions should test application rather than recall. Read more tips and see before and after question examples: https://lnkd.in/eARzjDfJ

After watching my teachers prepare question papers I just felt — that a question paper to a teacher is like a child to a mother. Even when it's done, she checks it again — not out of doubt, but dedication. Because she cares. 💛 Maybe I’m unable to express the analogy in words exactly the way I felt it. But here's what I observed: I saw a teacher revisit a fully-prepared question paper. To an outsider, it may have seemed done. But to her, it was still evolving. She wasn’t satisfied until every question did more — to challenge, guide, and reflect learning outcomes more meaningfully. 🎯 This is what many don’t see: Teachers don’t just create question papers. They craft learning experiences. Tips for Designing Better Assessments (with Bloom’s Taxonomy): 🔹 1. Start with the end in mind Clearly define the learning outcome or skill you expect from your students. 🔹 2. Mix cognitive levels from Bloom’s Pyramid Design a thoughtful blend of: Remember – List, Define Understand – Explain, Summarize Apply – Use, Demonstrate Analyze – Compare, Examine Evaluate – Critique, Justify Create – Design, Construct 🔹 3. Use action verbs intentionally Don’t just say “write” — ask: What do I want them to show me? “Describe” , “Evaluate” or “Design.” 🔹 4. Align marks with thinking level Reserve more weightage for questions that push critical or creative thinking. 🔹 5. Always ask yourself: Is this helping the student grow… or just recall? Designing meaningful assessments is a blend of pedagogy, empathy, and purpose. And the best teachers? They never stop refining. 💯 She rewrites… not because she has to, but because she cares to. #Assessment #Exams #evaluation #TeacherReflection #BloomTaxonomy #AssessmentMatters #Educator #QuestionPaperTips #mindset