Assessment

Leveraging Technology Effectively: Part 5

How can you navigate inevitable changes to learning technologies in higher education? How do you integrate Leveraging Technology across a program?

USask Moving to a New Method of Collecting OER Usage

Starting in the 2025 fall term, a brief form will be used for instructors to report their use of open educational resources (OER) in courses.

Leveraging Technology Effectively: Part 4

In the fourth article in this series, we’ll explore ways that learners can make progress toward meeting the Leveraging Technology competency.

Leveraging Technology Effectively: Part 3

In the third article in this series, we’ll look at what students will do to develop this competency.

Leveraging Technology Effectively: Part 2

This is the second article in a series about the Leveraging Technology student competency. In this article, we’ll explore terms that are used a lot, but many people don’t know their meaning.

Leveraging Technology Effectively: Part 1

This article on steps for choosing appropriate learning technologies is the first in a series related to the Leveraging Technology Effectively competency.

GenAI and Sustainability: Being Aware of the Environmental Impact of AI

AI is a powerful tool that we can use to create a better tomorrow, but what are the environmental costs that we are seeing today?

Setting Up Secure Assessments

Assessments that need security require more planning.

Shuffling Questions and Answer Options in Canvas Quizzes

Enhance the security of digital assessments in Canvas with these tips.

Randomizing Canvas Quizzes Using Item Banks

In Canvas quizzes you can have quiz questions selected randomly from a larger bank of questions. There are several benefits to this approach and a few things to carefully consider.

Understanding Canvas Quiz Logs

The primary purpose of quiz logs is to assist in investigating any issues students may encounter during their quizzes. They capture various actions and timestamps throughout the quiz attempt.

Digital Exam Disruptions: Providing More Time or Attempts in Canvas

There will be instances where students or Canvas will experience internet connection issues. When this issue impacts a student’s ability to finish the exam, you can provide more time or attempts.

AI and Authentic Assessments: Preparing Students for an AI-Enabled World

Instructors need to be sure that students are ready for life post-graduation in an AI-enabled world. How can we test both foundational skills and knowledge alongside AI skills and knowledge?

Designing Assessments that Leverage GenAI

GenAI has made its impact on every field and discipline. To help prepare our students for life post-graduation, instructors will have to consider how to help their students leverage GenAI tools.

Being Transparent with AI Use: How to Cite, Disclose, and Document

When using GenAI tools, the best practice is to be as transparent as possible. This concise guide gives a brief overview of how to do this.

AI and Academic Integrity

How are students using AI and how can we clarify expectations?

AI is here and you can ACE it!

Learn how to use GenAI tools in a way that is effective and efficient with the "ACE Your AI Use" model

A Teaching Tool: The EDI Flower

The EDI Flower Design Tool is a comprehensive framework aimed at fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) for USask classrooms. This overview highlights the EDI Flower’s principles and provides suggestions for resources to integrate EDI into teaching and learning practices.

Level of learning audit for exam questions

Find out which level of thinking on Bloom’s taxonomy your exam questions are assessing.

Should I Use an Oral Assessment?

Find out if an oral assessment is a good choice for your course.

Understanding Oral Exams

Learn how to use oral exams to confidently assess students’ foundational knowledge and skills.

Creating Multiple Choice Questions that Assess Higher Order Thinking

Make the most of your multiple-choice questions by moving beyond assessing understanding to analysis, evaluation, and beyond.

Open Book Online Exams as Opportunities for Authentic Problems Solving

How to craft thought provoking exams that allow students to apply and expand upon their learning.

Enhancing Reflective Practice in the Age of AI

Help your students deepen their learning through reflective practice.

Preparing Students for Giving and Receiving Constructive Feedback

Enrich students learning and share the task of giving feedback by helping your students help each other.

AI Resistant Oral Assessment Tasks

Explore an array of oral assessment tasks that can help you better understand your students’ abilities without the aid of AI.

Forward Steps for Academic Integrity and Record-keeping

Building and maintaining a streamlined record-keeping process at USask.

Fostering Inclusive Learning Environments at USask: The EDI Framework for Action

USask’s EDI Framework for Action emphasizes creating inclusive learning environments. Here we offer practical approaches to help foster a diverse, supportive, and accessible educational experience for all students and educators.

Assessing Student Reflections

Reflection bridges theory and practice, fostering growth through meaningful insights. Explore strategies, tools, and frameworks to assess reflective learning effectively.

Addressing 6 Key Areas of Student Need: Strategies for Academic Integrity

Promoting academic integrity begins with addressing 6 core needs of students. Here are related strategies, links, and resources to help you support academic integrity in students.

Progressing Your Program’s AI Strategy

We have been in a reactive phase of responding to AI where our focus has been on which uses of AI to permit in assessments. Now, two other areas need attention so we can shift into being proactive.

USask Community Plays Major Role in Creation of OER

As USask celebrates ten years since the first adoption of an open textbook in a large class, instructors and students continue to create OER for use at USask and beyond.

Embracing Authentic Assessment in Higher Education

Authentic assessment in higher ed reveals critical challenges: power dynamics, cognitive overload, mentor training gaps, and ethical risks. Thoughtful design can balance these issues, enriching real-world learning and career readiness.

Determining Levels of Acceptable GenAI Use

Use a framework to decide what level of GenAI use to permit in your course.

How to talk with students about suspected academic misconduct

Discover ways to approach conversations with individuals or the whole class when academic misconduct is suspected.

Canvas New Analytics

Learn how to use Canvas New Analytics to see how students are doing in your course

The 10-year anniversary of OER at USask brings celebrations and opportunities!

The 2024-25 academic year marks an important milestone for USask.

Student Volunteer Experience to Credit-Earning Experiential Learning Course

Transform volunteer work into academic credit! Discover how USask is turning student experiences into valuable, credit-earning opportunities through innovative experiential learning course.

Ask, Find Out, Act: The Benefits of Inquiry-based Learning

Inquiry-based learning sparks curiosity by encouraging students to ask questions, explore answers, and actively engage with content, leading to deeper understanding and meaningful learning experiences. Read this excerpt of a blogpost by Dr. Lee Beavington at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), reposted with permission.

Inclusive Teaching Strategies

Reflecting on Your Teaching Practice

What is Formative Assessment?

Writing Mathematical Expressions in Canvas Using LaTeX

Canvas offers tools for teachers in math and science to create accessible, properly displayed equations; learning LaTeX can further enhance your course's efficiency.

Identifying Plagiarism

Learn about some common indicators of plagiarism while also noting other possible explanations.

Bringing Theory to Life Through International Experiential Learning

Discover how international experiential learning bridges theory and practice, offering students immersive experiences that enrich their education and global understanding. Dive into real-world learning!

Elevating mentorship in higher education: The key to effective preceptor development

Discover the transformative impact of mentorship in higher education. Learn how effective preceptor development is key to nurturing future leaders and fostering academic excellence.

The Life-Giving Role of Field Work in Biology Courses

Explore how hands-on fieldwork in biology courses breathes life into learning, fostering deeper understanding and engagement with the natural world. Discover the transformative power of outdoor education!

Gamifying Learning Experiences

Discover how gamification can transform your teaching! Learn strategies to engage students and enhance learning through game-like experiences.

Embedding Research, Artistic, and Scholarly Skills: A Step-by-Step Guide for Classroom Success

Elevate classroom success with this guide on embedding research, artistic, and scholarly skills. Gain practical steps to enhance student learning and engagement.

Adding Experiential Learning to an Introductory Course

Boost engagement and learning by integrating experiential activities into introductory courses. Learn how practical experiences enhance academic understanding.

Reflective Journaling: How instructor feedback helps students improve

Enhance student growth with instructor feedback in reflective journaling. Learn how targeted comments can improve student writing and critical thinking skills.

Generating Learning Outcomes using Generative AI

Having strong learning outcomes is important, but it can be challenging work. Leverage AI to help you create strong learning outcomes for your course.

Getting AI to Write Questions for You

Learn about prompting Microsoft Copilot to have it generate formative assessment questions for you.

Inbox Assignment

Transform your teaching with Inbox Assignments! Engage students and boost learning outcomes through real-world email scenarios.

Prompting Generative AI to Help You Plan for Your Class Quickly

Learn some basics about prompting AI to have it help you get ready for class.

Canvas New Quizzes: Frequently Asked Questions

If you are creating a quiz in Canvas, we recommend you use the New Quizzes engine instead of Classic Quizzes. Got questions? Take a look through this FAQ.

Canvas New Quizzes – Adding Accommodations

If you need to provide students with quiz accommodations, it's important to know that adding accommodations in New Quizzes looks quite different than Classic Quizzes.

Differences between Canvas Classic and New Quizzes

Summary of the differences between New Quizzes (now available in Canvas) and Classic Quizzes.

8 Reasons to Be Excited About Canvas New Quizzes

Canvas has a new quiz engine. Here are 8 reasons why you might be excited about making the move to New Quizzes!

Relationship: Supporting Indigenous Student Success

Higher education has a responsibility to address the lived reality for Indigenous learners. Educators can look to build authentic relationships with learners and manage learning outcomes.

Indigenization and Assessment - Rethinking Traditional Practice

Examining assessment practices to determine the impact on Indigenous student success will provide opportunity for an enhancement of practice and improved outcomes.

Syllabus Generator Offers Ease and Support When Creating Your Syllabi

To assist you in writing or revising your syllabus, the USask Syllabus Generator Tool can be accessed directly through Canvas. This tool includes all required sections, the recommended sections and sample language.

Comparing two online quizzes: Formative Assessment

This post aims to compare the design of two online quizzes to determine how each design impacts student learning.

Student Voice and Choice: Co-Creating Choice Boards

Students who choose assessments that are personally relevant are more likely to be motivated, engaged, and take ownership of their learning.

Assessing student participation and attendance

Learn what the research says about grading attendance and get tips for how to grade participation in your class.

An Outcomes-Based Practice Continuum

This article will discuss a continuum of outcomes-based practices including referencing outcomes, assessing outcomes, and reporting student achievement on outcomes.

Defining Authentic Assessment

Authentic assessment emphasizes real-world application of skills and knowledge. Learn how it enhances student engagement and aligns with meaningful learning outcomes.

Assessing Outcomes versus Grading Assignments

Shift your focus from grading tasks to assessing outcomes. Learn how this approach fosters deeper learning and provides a more meaningful evaluation of student progress.

Experiential Learning - Top 5 Resources

If you’re wondering how to enhance your experiential learning practices and make meaningful connections with learners’ knowledge and experiences, here are five valuable resources to support experiential learning. Discover rubrics, learning modules, reflection models, and prompting questions.

How do you know when you need Experiential Learning?

Identify when your teaching can benefit from experiential learning to boost student engagement with practical, real-world applications.

Give Efficient Feedback

Learn the most important things to give feedback about in your classes, and how to make feedback highly efficient.

Creating Efficiencies: Grading Discussions in Canvas

Strategies to assist you and your students to have a better experience using Canvas Discussions for learning.

Grading Reflection

Reflect on grading practices to enhance student learning and equity. Discover how thoughtful assessment can drive better educational outcomes. How can you determine if someone’s reflection is good enough, and how can you signal that to students so they reflect well and understand the feedback and grades they receive?

Keep it active with classroom polling

Learning technologies like Poll Everywhere can help keep your class active and engaging.

Flexible Assessment Weighting: Offering Students Choice

Letting students choose how their assessments are weighted can reduce stress, boost engagement, and build self-reflection — making your course more flexible and inclusive!

You May Have Too Much Content, But What Should You Take Out?

The key is thinking about the essential ideas of the course and what skills and knowledge students require to really learn them.

Using Poll Everywhere to Integrate Formative Assessment in Courses

Poll Everywhere is integrated polling tool at USask. As you begin planning for the fall term, you may be considering how you will make use of formative assessment in your courses, including the use of Poll Everywhere.

Using Poll Everywhere in an Asynchronous Online Course

Learn more about using Poll Everywhere in your asynchronous online courses, including instructions for how to embed the activity into a Canvas page.

Administering Written Exams via Canvas

Canvas can be used for replicating a “take-home” style of exam in a digital setting. Learn when to use this approach, and how to set it up for a smooth launch at exam time.

Effective Feedback in Online Courses

A look at three broad approaches to providing feedback in an online course, and learn about Canvas tools that can support you with effective feedback.

Making it Accessible: Turn on Live Captions in Zoom

Make your Zoom meetings more accessible with live captions

Keep recording when you present content

The shift to remote instruction during the pandemic proved that there is value to recording your lectures. This article dives into why this practice still holds value and how to do it.

Creating and Sharing H5P Activity Without a Website

H5P is a free and open source collection of tools you can use to create interactive content that can be embedded into Canvas, WordPress, and Pressbooks. This post explores an alternative method if required.

Creating and Sharing H5P Activities from WordPress and Pressbooks

H5P can be used for creating engaging learning content that can be embedded into Canvas, WordPress, and Pressbooks.

Hidden Gems – H5P

H5P is a free and open source collection of tools you can use to create interactive content.

How Students Interact With Your Online Course Predicts Their Success

Understanding how students engage with online materials can help you predict student success.

How Canvas Supports Learner-Centred Assessment

Explore using Canvas to integrate the Learning Technology Ecosystem Principles. In this one, we look at the "Inclusive of learning-centred assessment" principle.

Posting Feedback and Grades in Canvas

Learn how to post grades and feedback for students in Canvas.

Understanding Timer, Availability, and Accommodation Settings for Canvas Classic Quizzes

Tips and help for Classic Quizzes in Canvas

How Does Canvas Make Learning Accessible?

Using Canvas' built in Accessibility Checker to ensure fair assessments for all students

What Does a Well-Designed Canvas Course Look Like?

Designing a new course in Canvas? This article will help you create a well-designed course and avoid making mistakes.

Utilizing Peer Feedback in Canvas

Encouraging students to do peer-reviews on Canvas for higher quality work.

Using Authentic Assessment to Integrate Current Events Into Courses

Using authentic assessments to look at current events through the lens of your discipline can increase student engagement and reduce issues around academic integrity. Such assessments provide students opportunities to apply what they've learned in a context similar to how they'll use that knowledge beyond their university years.

The What if...'s of Live Zoom Sessions

Are you interested in using Zoom for online, synchronous learning? Here are a few things to consider.

How to Make an Effective Rubric

Resources to help you create and develop a useful rubric.

How to Get Students to Hand in Quality Work by Planning for Choice

In my course, at this level, at this place of progress in their learning, what do students need to demonstrate to me?

Leveraging Peer Feedback in an Online Environment

This article explores how peer feedback enhances learning and provides learners with an opportunity to share their work and hear from peers the strengths and areas for improvement.