Use assessments to gather, analyze, and interpret evidence to determine how well student learning meets the stated learning outcomes.
Formative assessment: monitors student learning throughout a course and provides students with feedback they can use to improve their learning
Summative assessment: evaluates student learning at the end of a course and indicates where a student's level of achievement falls as measured against a benchmark
Establishing criteria for assessing student work allows the professor to clearly communicate expectations to students and makes assessment more reliable. "The criteria should be explained to students long before the students undergo an assessment. This enhances learning and encourages students to become reflective, empowered, self-regulated learners" (Stuckey et al 245).
The Law School's outcomes include performance criteria against which student learning is measured.
The Institute for Law Teaching and Learning includes a number of sample rubrics.
Formal activities for assessing learning outcomes:
Informal activities for assessing learning outcomes:
(Adapted from Texas Tech University's Assessing Student Learning in Degree Programs.)