Designing assessments

The main question that every teacher must ask themselves in the context of summative assessment is:

What do I want students to take away from my course?

Summative assessment must be clearly linked to learning outcomes, as this is the way to ensure its validity (validity).

In mathematics, for example, this may include understanding mathematical language, the concept of algorithms, logical reasoning, and problem-solving, rather than only knowing formulas and solving routine tasks.

Similarly, in languages and communication, summative assessment should encompass the ability to express meaning, argue, and adapt a message to the context, rather than focus solely on the correctness of grammatical structures.

In natural sciences, the goal may be the application of concepts to real-life situations and the interpretation of experimental results, rather than mere reproduction of theoretical facts.

In computer science, assessment may include analytical thinking, problem-solving, and solution design instead of an exclusive focus on knowledge of programming language syntax.