Assessment

The assessment strategy you choose in a blended course can include online assessments as well as in-person assessments. Online assessments are the most flexible and accessible for students who cannot attend in-person meetings, so the typical recommendations for blended courses are to provide primarily online assessments whenever possible. However, there are certain types of assessment that are better suited for in-person meetings (McGee & Reis, 2012).

You can make use of online assessments you developed for online courses throughout the pandemic by continuing to provide online quizzes, exams, written assignments, projects, and even presentations. While in-person meetings are best spent on providing active learning opportunities for students, you may want to implement some key assessments in person. For example, final exams, presentations, or demonstrations of practical skills. You may want to also plan for ways to accommodate students who can’t attend an in-person assessment so that you will be prepared if it’s required. For each assessment, you can consider whether it would benefit from or require in-person versus online administration.

Academic integrity is an important consideration for assessments. See the Academic Integrity Toolkit for ideas about designing online assessments that support academic integrity, and consider using in-person assessment when these strategies aren’t feasible.