Author name: Charlotte Meijer

Journaling (diary or logbook) and supervision are methods often used as a form of assessment for students doing, for example, an internship. You can use both methods to help students reflect on their experiences and learn from their work in practice.

For journaling, students keep a daily or weekly diary or logbook in which they describe their experiences, thoughts and feelings about their learning process or internship. In supervision, students have regular discussions with a supervisor about their experiences during the internship. So these two methods can be combined well by having the student periodically submit the diary and evaluate it together. You can use both methods to evaluate, for example, the following:

• Reflection – how well does the student reflect on his or her experiences during the internship?
• Problem solving – how effectively does the student solve problems that arise during the internship?
• Independence – is the student able to work independently and take responsibility for his or her work during the internship?
• Communication skills – how effectively does the student communicate with the supervisor and others at the internship site?
• Professionalism – how professionally does the student behave during the internship?

Want to know more?

• 10 ways journaling benefits students – University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
• Journaling: An Assessment Tool for Student Engagement Experiences (pdf) – PennState University

See also: Zelfreflectie, Onderzoek, Projecten en Producten, Productontwerp, Casusopdracht.

VU Taxonomy?

What total group size?

What activity group size?

In a reflective interview, you ask one or more students to look back at an experience or situation, to reflect on what happened and what was learned. It is designed to help students gain insight into their own thinking and actions. For example, you ask the student beforehand to look back at a group project, internship or critical incident, reflect and identify their learning goals. During the interview, you ask the student to describe the experience, what the student learned and how they will act differently in the future. Afterwards, you assess the student based on their ability to reflect on the experience or situation and their ability to gain insight into their own thinking and actions.

Some examples:

• A business administration student is interviewed about a group project he or she has carried out. The student is asked to reflect on how he or she worked with the group, showed leadership and can apply this experience to future situations.
• A journalism student is interviewed about a specific article he or she has written. The student is asked to reflect on how he or she gathered the information, verified facts and can apply the experience in future situations.
• A teacher education student is interviewed about a teaching situation. The student is asked to reflect on how he or she prepared the lesson, how he or she taught the lesson and can apply the experience in future situations.

Want to know more?

See also: Self reflection, Reflective journal.

See also: FeedbackFruits Self Assessment of Skills.

VU Taxonomy?

What total group size?

What activity group size?

A stakeholder interview is a form of assessment in which students conduct an interview with a person who is a stakeholder related to the topic they are learning about. For example, this could be an entrepreneur, a policymaker, an expert, a customer or a user. Students prepare a set of questions and then lead the interview to gather information about the topic. You can let them process this interview and the information from it in different ways, such as a written report, article or a video.

You can use the stakeholder interview to test knowledge and also different skills such as:

1. Preparation – you test how well students have prepared for the interview by analysing the questions and topic.
2. Interview skills – you test students on their skills in asking questions, triggering a conversation and listening to the answers.
3. Analysis – you test students on their ability to analyse and interpret the information gathered from the interview.
4. Communication – you test students on their ability to communicate the information clearly and effectively.
5. Reflection – you test students on their ability to reflect on their own performance and the recommendations they make for improvement.

A stakeholder interview is a good way for students to work with real situations and real problems. This helps them develop their professional skills and understanding of their field.

Want to know more?

• Stakeholder engagement in education and research toolbox – Vrije Universiteit
• Spectrum of stakeholder engagement in service learning – Vrije Universiteit

See also: Onderzoek, Projecten en Producten, Productontwerp, Casusopdracht, Bedrijfsbezoek.

VU Taxonomy?

What total group size?

What activity group size?

A plan of action or planning assignment is a form of assessment where you have students develop a plan or strategy for a particular project or business. This could be, for example, a project plan, a marketing plan, an operational plan or a financial plan. There are various ways in which you can use a planning assignment as a test, such as a case or scenario of a real or fictitious company or organisation for which the students develop a plan. Here, always ensure a clear connection to the material taught, and give students feedback on their plan so they can improve it for the final version. You can also let the students present the plans to their peers, or experts in the field.

A plan of action helps students develop skills such as strategic thinking, problem solving, analysis, presentation skills and collaboration.

There are several ways to test students’ knowledge with a plan of action, for example, assess students on:

1. The content of the plan. Does the plan contain the right information and do students apply the right insights and knowledge?
2. The structure and construction of the plan. Does the plan have a logical structure and do students formulate their ideas clearly?
3. The methods used. Did the students use the right methods to gather, analyse and present information?
4. The practicality. Is the plan practically applicable and do students take into account real-world constraints and possibilities?
5. Creativity and innovation. Do students think out-of-the-box and does the plan contain unique elements?
6. The quality of the presentation. Do the students present their plan in a clear and convincing way?
7. Dealing with feedback. How did the students improve their plan after the feedback?

By evaluating these different aspects, you can get a good picture of students’ knowledge and skills and how they apply them in practice.

Want to know more?

See also: Research project, Productontwerp, Case assignment.

VU Taxonomy?

What total group size?

What activity group size?

A portfolio is a collection of papers, projects and other products created by students during their studies or during a specific course. It is a tool that can help students document their learning and show their development.

You can use portfolio building as a form of assessment by having students submit (some) documents or projects as part of their assessment. Here, they can show what they have learned, how they have applied their knowledge and skills in practice, and reflect on it. For example, you can assess them on writing scientific reports, giving presentations, conducting research, developing projects and reflecting on the learning process for each of these products. 

A portfolio can consist of several components, such as:

1. Reflective pieces – in these, the student describes their learning process and how they have applied the knowledge learned.
2. Work papers – these show products created by the student, such as reports, essays or presentations.
3. Projects – this shows larger projects in which the student has applied his or her knowledge and skills.
4. Teacher feedback – this shows how the student is performing and where there is room for improvement.

Want to know more?

• Medical centres are increasingly working with flexible learning pathways in which Entrustable Professional Activities are taken as a starting point. Through digital portfolio solutions, students’ progress and growth are tracked.
• Portfolio-assessment – Radboud Universiteit
• Using portfolios to assess learning – University of Warwick

See also: Portfolio interview, Reflective journal.

VU Taxonomie?

Welke totale groepsgrootte?

Welke activiteitsgroepsgrootte?

A laboratory practical is a form of hands-on learning in which students apply the theory they have learned in practice. Students can conduct experiments, synthesize materials, do measurements, perform interventions, draw conclusions etc.

In a report, students record their experiences, findings, and results of the practical. You can have them do this (individually or in groups), for example, in the form of a report, a presentation, a portfolio or some other form of documentation. This gives you insight into the students’ skills and knowledge and allows you to give targeted feedback on the performance of the practical and the reporting. It also helps students work on skills such as practical application, problem solving, collaboration, written communication and presentation.

Some examples:

• Chemistry: students conduct experiments in the laboratory to test and analyse materials or synthesise materials. They describe the purpose of the experiments, implementation, results and conclusions.
• Biology: students perform an experiment to investigate the growth of fungi under different conditions and make a report describing how the experiment was carried out, they describe the results and draw conclusions.
• Business administration: the students visit a company and make a report describing the observed supply chain processes, analysing interviews with employees and recommending improvements.
• Computer Science: students develop a software application and produce a report describing how the app was designed, the challenges they encountered, the technologies used and the results of testing.
• Psychology: students conduct a study on the relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership style and produce a report describing how the study was conducted, analysing the results and drawing conclusions.
• Environmental Science: students conduct a field study to investigate the water quality of a river and make a report describing how the field study was conducted, what parameters were measured, analyse the results and make recommendations for improvements.
• Communication Sciences: students conduct a campaign for a social problem and produce a report describing how the campaign was designed, what strategies were used and what results were achieved.

Want to know more?

• Tekstsoorten: practicumverslag – Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

See also: Labster.

VU Taxonomy?

What total group size?

What activity group size?

For a reading assignment, you instruct your students to read a particular text, such as a book, article or scientific research. Then you have them perform an assignment related to the text, for example summarising the content, giving their opinion about it (with justification), taking notes, formulating questions about it, answering questions about it, analysing the text or comparing several texts.

There are several ways to test your students’ knowledge and skills with a reading assignment:

• Written assignment – you have your students write a summary or essay on the text to be read. You assess them on content, style and grammar.
• Oral presentation – you ask your students to give a presentation where they discuss the main points of the text and give their opinions. This allows you to assess presentation skills, knowledge of the text and communication skills.
• Multiple-choice or open-ended questions – give your students a quiz or test with multiple-choice or open-ended questions based on the text read. With this, you test their knowledge of the text.
• Discussion – you ask students to have a discussion about the text by posting annotations and responding to each other.
• Reflection – get your students to reflect on their reading experience and how it affected their understanding or personal development.

Tip: With a reading assignment, you not only test your students’ knowledge but also promote reading skills, understanding and insight into the subject area. 

Want to know more?

• How do you encourage students to do their self-study assignments? – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
• Teaching Techniques for motivating students to read literature (pdf) – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

See also: Perusall, FeedbackFruits Comprehension, FeedbackFruits Interactive Document.

VU Taxonomy?

What total group size?

What activity group size?