To think about alignment, consider the following:

• Could learners explain a concept through answering a multiple choice quiz?
• Would learners’ ability to design an experiment be an appropriate measure of whether they can list the steps of the scientific method?
• Can a matching question show you whether students can define the branches of government?

The answer to each of these questions is “No!” In these examples, the stated learning objective and the assessment are not in alignment. Identifying the action verb in the learning objective and the action verb for the assessment is a good way to confirm alignment.

• Multiple-choice questions are good for testing the ability to identify a correct answer out of several options. A better assessment of the ability to explain would be a long-answer question.
• Designing is a higher-order thinking skill than listing. A better assessment would be simply to ask learners to list the steps. Lower-level learning objectives (remembering, comprehending) should not be assessed by asking learners to perform higher level tasks (applying, analyzing, evaluating, creating).
• Matching questions test the ability to identify the correct definition. A better assessment to measure the ability to define would be a long-answer question.
  

Learn more:

• Refer to this Bloom’s Taxonomy verb chart to help ensure that assessment levels are not higher than objective levels.
• Read the DELTA News Article, “Course Maps Support Student Success”
• Read “Why Should Assessments, Learning Objectives, and Instructional Strategies Be Aligned?” from Carnegie Mellon University.

Some students will perform better on certain types of assessments than others due to the nature of the assessment. If something about the nature of the assessment poses a barrier for students, then their performance might not be reflective of their level of mastery. For example, if timed exams cause a student a lot of anxiety, they may perform worse on that sort of assessment than on a take-home exam, project, or paper that measures the same learning.

Learn more:

• Read “Variety In Assessment and Assessment Methods” from University of New Brunswick.
• Read “Optimize Student Performance with Universal Design for Learning” in DELTA Teaching Resources

In this article, we will discuss the three types of Moodle assessment tools: Quizzes, Assignments, and Forums. Use the information about each tool below to select the appropriate option for your assessment.