On this page: Find preparation tips, resources, and support for implementing PASL.
Preparing for PASL
Many McGill instructors already have assessment practices that align with PASL and will only have to make minor adjustments. Here are some ideas for applying assessment for learning in an assignment:
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Aim to make each assessment task an opportunity for students to deepen their learning.
Learn more about assessment for learning. -
Allow students to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.
Provide a diversity of tasks, for example, presentations, reports, posters, projects, or exams. Learn about planning different assessment tasks. -
Give students early and ongoing feedback.
Frequent (often low-stakes) practice opportunities allow students to demonstrate their learning, and frequent feedback lets them know how their learning is progressing. See an example of how to break down a writing assignment into stages. -
Set clear expectations for students’ work verbally and in writing.
Make sure your students understand how to succeed at assessment tasks in your course. Write meaningful criteria for how to assess students’ learning and share them with students before they submit their work. Learn more about assessment criteria. -
Use assessment tools to communicate expectations.
Consider designing a rubric. Get started with rubrics and learn how to create rubrics in myCourses. -
Engage students in a dialogue around assessment.
Have class discussions with students about their understanding of expectations and criteria. Invite them to collaborate on developing assessment criteria.
PASL implementation resources
Check out these resources to help you align your assessment strategies with the new Policy:
NEW! Course Outline Template and Guide - ready for PASL
The Course Outline Template and Guide includes a checklist of required items and a template with instructions for creating or revising your course outline. Review the latest template to see what changes you might need to make in light of PASL.
Assessment for learning
Assessment for learning is the key concept and rationale behind PASL.
- Learn more about assessment for learning and how to begin integrating it into your courses.
- Find strategies from McGill instructors on designing assessments that enhance student learning and motivation to learn.
- Find strategies for a dialogue approach to providing student feedback.
- Get support on taking a learning-centered approach to designing your courses.
Assessment criteria
Under PASL, instructors must provide clear criteria on how an assessment task will be graded.
- Find a video: Design effective rubrics: Tips for developing assessment criteria.
- Learn about writing effective assessment criteria.
- Read about the basics of rubrics and recommended practices for using them.
Examples of assessment tools
Find a bank of example rubrics and other assessment tools used by McGill instructors that you can use for inspiration and adapt to your course context.
Inclusive assessment
Equitable and inclusive assessments are coherent with assessment for learning and are designed to ensure fair and effective ways of measuring student learning.
- Learn more about what makes an assessment equitable and inclusive.
- Find recommendations for accessible assessment strategies to implement in your course.
- Learn about methods for assessing student learning in keeping with Indigenous knowledges and systems.
Participation
Under PASL, participation is considered an assessment task, regardless of how much it is worth. Students will benefit from a clear understanding of how their participation grade is calculated.
- Read up on ideas for promoting in-class participation and strategies for assessing participation.
- What if you stopped giving participation grades? Learn from one instructor’s experience in this blog post.
- Listen to ideas on designing equitable assessment of participation.
Well-being
The well-being of both students and instructors is foundational to PASL, and promoting “healthy learning environments” is one of its guiding principles.
- Listen to the Teach.Learn.Share podcast for a five-part miniseries on assessment and well-being.
- Access slides and resources from our webinar Assessment for learning to support well-being.
- Find more ideas for supporting student well-being.
PASL promotion resources
Share these resources with your students and colleagues to spread the word about the new Policy.
Book a consultation
Get targeted support designing assessment strategies in time for PASL implementation. Teaching and Learning Services (TLS) offers both individual and unit/program consultations on a variety of teaching and learning topics.
