This paper examines how assessment and grading practices have evolved post COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, more programs have begun implementing Competency-Based Education (CBE) in their practice. This article offers suggestions for higher education institutions and faculty considering implementation of CBE in their assessment practices.

Formally describing and assessing the difficulty of learning and teaching material is important for quality assurance in university teaching, for aligning teaching and learning activities, and for easing communications among stakeholders such as teachers and students. This paper proposes a novel taxonomy to describe and quantify the difficulty…

Although competency-based education (CBE) has existed since the early 1970s adult-focused degree programs, interest in CBE has spiked in recent years due to the increased attention on higher education affordability and accountability. This article reviews the extant literature on CBE to address the following questions: (a) What are the definitions…

Weekly testing coupled with a mastery performance requirement generated higher student performance in an introductory psychology class. (DE)

Proposes a grading system for nursing education, consisting of (1) a within-class component, based on mastery testing and criterion-referenced assessment to develop academic knowledge and clinical skills; and (2) a between-class component, based on norm-referenced assessment to provide a statistically sound class ranking. (SK)

University students given performance objectives, diagnostically tested, and given immediate feedback are compared with students who receive no objectives and are not diagnostically tested. Students' attitudes toward instruction are evaluated following diagnostic testing. (Authors/SA)

The effect of increased enrollment is considered on: the provision of individual attention to students, degree of course rigorousness, student evaluation, and test construction. Results from Ohio State University suggest no evidence that increased enrollment has an adverse effect on scholarship. (LBH)

Mastery learning is a systematic approach to instruction in which students are required to attain specified levels of competence. This paper provides a rationale for using mastery learning in the introductory public speaking course and clarifies the differences between traditional and mastery learning approaches by contrasting their assumptions…

A review of the development and innovation of testing at the higher education level focuses on Ralph Tyler's testing emphasis on the educational process and the objectives of instruction, a precursor to the current trend of integrating formative evaluation into the curriculum development process. (CB)

A description is given of an assessment model for undergraduate preservice teacher education students. Sequentially, it begins at the point of the student's entry into the teacher education program and continues through the student's entry into the profession. The model is constructed for the four-year baccalaureate teacher preparation program…

Investigates the problem of setting appropriate criterion levels for evaluating learning and of the effects of changing that level on student achievement and attitude towards instructor. Subjects were 75 university students enrolled in a course in educational psychology. (EAO)

This article provides information on designing a college course grading plan. It reviews the history of grades; describes and discusses common approaches to grading; examines the purposes of grades, problems with current practices, and situational factors to consider in selecting an approach; and proposes eight principles to observe in developing…

Mastery and performance goals can dramatically influence college students' self-regulated learning. These independent but complementary types of goals are shaped in important ways by how faculty organize and structure their classrooms for learning, particularly through the tasks assigned, development of student authority, and the focus of student…

This study compared the impact of three forms of evaluation on the mastery of course content by special education majors. Results indicated higher levels of mastery were achieved by students during short- and long-term formative evaluation conditions, relative to summative evaluation. Students also viewed formative evaluation formats more…

A computing literacy course at Michigan State University for non-computer science students was designed with a fixed course structure and continuously changing course content. The structure provides feedback for assessing students and revising content to meet the changing demands of client departments, changing student experience, and changing…