Assessments: Who Cares?

Challenging Learners So They’re Confident in Their Learning

Have you ever taken a test and instantly known the answers, just by how the questions or answer choices are worded? Please consider my dramatic reenactment as an example:

What is the correct answer?

1. Could it be this one?
2. Maybe it’s this one?
3. This is the correct answer because I’m going to make sure I include all the essential points to make sure you understand it’s the correct answer.
4. Or maybe it’s this one?

This is my third post in a short series where I challenge us to tighten up our instructional design practices. So far, I’ve covered the use of learning objectives and the importance of aligning interactivity to learning objectives. Today I’ll be diving into assessments (which, spoiler alert, should also be aligned with learning objectives).

Note: This blog specifically focuses on question-based assessments, not hands-on application assignments or final projects.

Misusing Assessments

The goal of an assessment isn’t to prove a learner completed a course. If you approach building an assessment with that mindset, you’ll end up with questions like the one above. You shouldn’t dilute an assessment just to achieve the completion rating you’re aiming for.

You can also end up with a question like the one above if you’re nervous about the learner’s ability – or willingness – to learn. I’ve seen it multiple times over my 16+ years in this field, when we’re asked to rewrite assessment questions because they might be too hard or ask too much of the learner.

In both situations, I’m often left wondering why the training is happening in the first place.

In my blog about interactivity, I referenced John Keller’s ARCS model, which speaks to motivation. When discussing adult learners, we’re trying to make learning meaningful so they feel it’s useful and are motivated to complete the training. Moreover, we want them to trust that any future training will also be worth their time. One way to do this is by making assessment questions worthwhile. Imagine being forced to take a 30-minute e-learning course — trudging through every screen, interaction, and piece of audio — only to be asked a series of “no duh” questions. You might as well have just provided the assessment so people could move on to  something more productive.

So, if you’re going to invest the time and resources in creating a learning event, make sure to invest just as much in giving learners a chance to practice what they’ve learned and even be tested on it to prove they’ve acquired the necessary information.

Formative vs. Summative Assessments

There are two types of assessments:

1. Formative assessments are used to help learners practice what they’ve been learning or check their understanding of what’s been presented so far. A couple examples are quizzes or knowledge checks. These assessments are important because they allow learners to build on their knowledge little by little, making sure the building blocks are secure enough to keep building upon. In adult learning, these assessments are often not scored but typically include in-the-moment feedback.
2. Summative assessments are equivalent to final tests. These assessments are meant to test the learner’s knowledge and determine if they’ve successfully met the learning objectives. They’re scored, often with a pass/fail rating, and if feedback is provided, it typically comes after the assessment is completed.

The quality of your assessment questions matters in both cases. If you don’t provide sound questions during the formative assessment, you undermine the building blocks to success. And if you don’t provide rigorous questions in the summative assessment, can you really be sure the learner achieved the objectives?

Not Too Difficult, Not Too Easy: Tips for How to Make Questions Just Right

Now, I’m not saying you should torture your learners or make them feel inadequate when creating assessment questions. But you also shouldn’t patronize them or “water down” the questions for fear someone might struggle. Here are some tips to help find the “just right” level of difficulty:

1. Stick to your learning objectives

Learning objectives were created for a reason and should be used as the blueprint for the rest of the learning event design. For example:

• If the purpose of your training is for learners to remember something (e.g., recall the required components of a machine, list the steps of a process), give them a chance to repeat back what they’ve learned.
• If the purpose of your training is for learners to comprehend something (e.g., explain how the components of the machine work together to achieve the desired result, identify which steps in the process belong to another function), give them a question that requires them to prove they understand, like a scenario-based question.

2. Streamline the questions

• Make the questions meaningful and direct.
• Allow for some extrapolation, or in other words, ask a question that will force the learner to recall other information or understand a bigger picture, rather than asking several individual questions about a single piece of content.
• Avoid writing compound questions that ask about more than one topic or issue. For example, “Which of the following reflects the company’s new policy on remote work and how to manage a poor performer working remotely?”
• Avoid trick questions, “not” questions, and true/false questions. There are times when these could be used but more often, there’s a better way to ask the question.
• Avoid questions where all answer choices are correct or none of the answer choices are correct. Get specific with your question!

3. Provide sound answer choices

• Create parallel answer choices, meaning they’re similar in structure. For example, don’t create three answer choices that are just a few words and one choice that’s three lines long.
• Create reasonable answer choices. Sometimes, distractors (incorrect answer choices) can be far off, but still plausible and relevant to the content.
• Provide distinctly different answer choices. While subtleties may be important to understand the content, it’s usually more important to offer learners at least one or two distinctly wrong but reasonable choices.
• If more than one answer is correct, use a multiple-select option or rewrite the question. Don’t include answer options like “A and B,” “A, B, and C,” or “A, C, and F.”
• Try to stick to three to five answer choices so learners are less likely to guess and answer correctly.

Who Cares (Really)?

As much as some people dislike the concept of quizzes or tests, they’re  a great tool for both the people creating the training and the people taking it. When done correctly, assessments can:

• Provide data on what learners understand, what they don’t understand, and where there might be confusion
• Keep learners engaged because they’re interacting with the content in a meaningful way
• Motivate learners as they progress through the training, ideally building their knowledge throughout

Assessments are far more than just a box to check at the end of a learning event — they’re an essential tool for both learners and the instructional designers. When thoughtfully aligned with clear learning objectives, assessments not only test knowledge but also learners’ confidence in applying what they’ve learned. Let’s move past the “no duh” questions and create assessments that truly capture what our learners know and can do. Because when assessments are done right, the learning is too. By finding the right balance between challenge and support, you can create assessments that engage, motivate, and truly measure true learning.