Assessment at USask
Advancing Assessment to Support Student Learning
Assessment is fundamental to teaching and learning at the University of Saskatchewan. Effective assessment supports student learning, provides meaningful evidence of achievement, informs teaching practice, and contributes to the continuous improvement of courses, programs, and curricula.
Assessment practices continue to evolve in response to developments across higher education, including:
- Advances in educational research
- Professional and accreditation expectations
- Competency-based education
- Flexible learning environments
- Emerging technologies, including generative artificial intelligence (AI)
Together, these developments have created new opportunities to strengthen assessment while maintaining rigorous academic standards and supporting meaningful student learning.
In response to these developments, the University has adopted a coordinated approach to strengthening assessment across the institution. Interested in how this work developed? See the document linked below.
Where USask is now
Assessment Transition (2026–2027)
The University is currently preparing for implementation of the new Course-based Assessment Policy and Course-based Assessment Procedures, which come into effect in Fall 2027.
Current implementation activities include:
- Colleges and schools developing local assessment procedures aligned with the institutional procedures.
- Supporting educators through professional learning, consultations, and assessment resources.
- Supporting curriculum renewal and assessment redesign, including milestone-based and competency-based approaches where appropriate.
- Updating course documentation, including syllabi, to reflect new assessment expectations.
- Preparing educators, academic leaders, and colleges for implementation.
This transition represents the next phase in implementing the University's coordinated approach to assessment while supporting diverse disciplinary, professional, and accreditation contexts.
A coordinated institutional approach
The University's coordinated approach to assessment includes four interconnected elements. Together, these elements establish a shared institutional foundation while enabling colleges and schools to implement assessment practices that reflect their disciplinary, professional, and accreditation contexts.
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Element |
Purpose |
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Provides the evidence-informed foundation for assessment at USask. These principles describe the characteristics of effective assessment and establish shared institutional expectations for assessment practice across the University. |
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Establishes the University's expectations and commitments for assessment, reflecting institutional priorities for meaningful, transparent, equitable, and evidence-informed assessment. |
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Describes how the Policy is implemented by articulating the responsibilities of students, educators, academic leaders, and the institution. The Procedures support both conventional and competency-based approaches to assessment while promoting transparency and consistency. |
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College-level Procedures and Addenda |
Enables colleges and schools to implement the institutional procedures in ways that reflect disciplinary, professional, accreditation, and program-specific contexts. Where appropriate, colleges may develop addenda to address assessment practices unique to particular learning environments. |
This approach recognizes that decisions about assessment remain grounded in disciplinary expertise and academic judgment. The institutional approach establishes shared expectations while enabling colleges, schools, and educators to determine assessment approaches that are appropriate for their disciplines, programs, and learners.
Supporting implementation across the University
Implementation of the University's assessment approach is supported through collaboration among governance committees, colleges and schools, academic leaders, faculty, and institutional partners across the University.
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Implementation Support |
How It Supports Implementation |
|---|---|
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Professional Learning |
Workshops, consultations, resources, and the USask Assessment Conference support educators in implementing the University's assessment approach and exploring evidence-informed assessment practices. |
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Curriculum & Program Partnerships |
Partnerships with colleges and schools support curriculum renewal, assessment mapping, milestone development, competency-based assessment, and other program-level initiatives identified by the academic unit. |
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Faculty Leadership |
Assessment Champions and other faculty-led initiatives provide opportunities to share assessment practices, foster peer learning, and showcase approaches from across disciplines. |
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Policies, Resources & Guidance |
Policies, procedures, FAQs, syllabus guidance, templates, and implementation resources support educators, academic leaders, and colleges throughout the assessment transition. |
Learn more
Institutional Approach
- Assessment Principles
- Course-based Assessment Policy
- Course-based Assessment Procedures
- College-level Procedures
Assessment Transition
- Development of USask's Assessment Approach
- Assessment Transition FAQs
- College-level Procedure Resources
- Templates & Guidance - coming Fall 2027
Professional Learning & Support
Get Support
- Attend workshops to learn about a specific assessment principle and how to use it for your course.
- Get a one-to-one consultation to design a full assessment consistent with the assessment principles for your course.
- Departmental support and funding available to support common approaches on assessment. You can have workshops tailored for your department and get funding to work on assessment together through the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning (GMCTL).