Online assessments provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning through assignments, projects, quizzes, examinations, presentations, oral assessments, collaborative activities, and other approaches completed or submitted in digital environments. They may involve synchronous or asynchronous participation, using Quercus or other educational technologies.
An online assessment is not necessarily timed, supervised, or closed-book. These are separate design decisions that should be informed by the intended learning outcomes, assessment purpose, and teaching context.
As instructors reconsider assessment practices, including in response to generative AI and other emerging technologies, it is important to examine how assessment design, communication, technologies, and online assessment conditions influence students’ opportunities to demonstrate their learning.
The following strategies can help instructors design and facilitate online assessments that are accessible, inclusive, and usable.
Align Assessments with Learning Outcomes
Begin by identifying what students are expected to demonstrate and whether the assessment provides appropriate opportunities to do so. Learning outcomes may involve knowledge, skills, and attitudes, depending on the course and discipline.
Assessment validity provides a useful framework for examining the relationship between learning outcomes, assessment activities, and the interpretation of student performance.
- Construct validity: Whether evidence from an assessment supports the intended interpretations of students’ knowledge, skills, or other attributes.
- Construct-irrelevant variance: When performance is influenced by factors unrelated to what the assessment intends to evaluate, such as unreliable internet connectivity, unfamiliar technology, inaccessible question formats, or unnecessary time pressure.
- Construct underrepresentation: When an assessment does not adequately capture important aspects of the knowledge or skills it intends to evaluate.
For example, if an online assessment is intended to evaluate students’ ability to analyze evidence, difficulties navigating an unfamiliar digital platform may affect performance without reflecting their analytical abilities. However, if using a particular digital tool is an intended learning outcome, proficiency with that tool may be an appropriate part of the assessment.
The following strategies can help align online assessments with intended learning outcomes:
- Align assessment methods with learning outcomes. Select assignments, projects, quizzes, examinations, presentations, collaborative work, or other formats that provide meaningful opportunities for students to demonstrate the intended knowledge and skills.
- Review assessment conditions. Determine whether requirements such as time limits, synchronous participation, memorization, or the use of particular technologies are essential to what students are expected to demonstrate.
- Examine assessment stakes and evidence of learning. Balance lower-stakes and higher-stakes assessments in accordance with applicable University and divisional requirements. Where appropriate, incorporate opportunities for students to demonstrate their reasoning, document decisions, or revise their work, providing additional evidence of learning.
Communicate Expectations and Support Preparation
Clear, accessible, and timely communication helps students understand what is expected, prepare for an online assessment, and identify potential barriers before the assessment takes place.
The Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework offers a useful approach to communicating assessment expectations through three elements:
- Purpose: Why students are completing the assessment and how it connects to their learning.
- Task: What students are expected to do, including the steps and requirements.
- Criteria: How student performance will be evaluated and what successful work involves.
Assessment planning and communication must also follow the University Assessment and Grading Practices Policy and applicable divisional requirements, including provisions concerning evaluation methods, assessment weighting, deadlines, and changes to assessment arrangements.
The following strategies can help students prepare for online assessments:
- Communicate assessment requirements and procedures. Provide clear, accessible instructions outlining the assessment format, evaluation criteria, deadlines, time limits, and submission procedures. Explain how students will access the assessment, ask questions, and receive clarification, including procedures for unexpected interruptions or technical difficulties.
- Clarify permitted resources and academic integrity expectations. Explain whether the assessment is open-book or closed-book, what materials and technologies students may use, and whether collaboration or assistance from others is permitted. Communicate expectations concerning citation, generative AI, and other technologies, consistent with University policies.
- Provide opportunities for familiarization and practice. Share sample questions, demonstrate unfamiliar assessment formats, or offer lower-stakes practice activities. Help students become familiar with required technologies, navigation, and submission processes before completing graded assessments.
- Provide opportunities to ask questions. Invite students to clarify assessment instructions, expectations, and procedures in advance through Quercus, office hours, or other appropriate communication channels.
- Communicate accessibility and accommodation information. Provide assessment details early so students can identify potential barriers and prepare for their accommodation needs. Encourage students who may require academic accommodations to connect with their campus accessibility office as early as possible.
Instructors can share the Centre for Learning Strategy Support’s Take-Home and Online Exams guidance to help students prepare for these assessment formats. Direct students to relevant tool guides and technical support services, and consult divisional teaching and learning support teams when planning technology-supported assessments.
Consider the Online Assessment Environment
The digital and environmental conditions of an online assessment can influence students’ concentration, participation, and ability to demonstrate their learning. Different assessment formats, including written assignments, projects, portfolios, presentations, collaborative activities, quizzes, and examinations, may introduce different accessibility and participation considerations. Instructors may not control every aspect of students’ assessment environments, but can anticipate potential barriers, make adjustments within their areas of responsibility, and work with relevant University supports.
The following strategies apply across online assessment formats:
- Review digital accessibility. Ensure assessment materials, question formats, instructions, and submission processes are accessible using different devices, input methods, and assistive technologies. Pay particular attention to interactive question types, such as drag-and-drop, hotspot, or image-based questions, which may introduce barriers for some students.
- Identify technology and connectivity requirements. Clarify which devices, software, internet access, and other technologies students will need. Review whether these requirements are essential to the intended learning outcomes and how unreliable connections, limited access to devices, or unfamiliar platforms may affect participation.
- Review timing and assessment conditions. Examine whether assessment windows, time limits, synchronous participation, or other requirements introduce barriers unrelated to the intended learning. Account for different time zones, students’ access to suitable assessment environments, and relevant University and divisional requirements.
- Make navigation and submission straightforward. Organize assessment materials and instructions clearly, using accessible formats and consistent structures. Explain how students will navigate the assessment and submit their work, and provide opportunities to become familiar with unfamiliar interfaces where appropriate.
- Prepare for technical difficulties and interruptions. Establish and communicate procedures for reporting connectivity failures, platform errors, authentication difficulties, or interrupted submissions. Coordinate with teaching teams and relevant technical support services to ensure appropriate assistance is available, consistent with University and divisional requirements.
For additional guidance on accessible digital materials, Quercus features, and assessment technologies, consult CTSI’s Accessibility Guidelines for Teaching and Learning resource.
Additional Considerations for Online Oral Assessments
Online oral assessments, including presentations, interviews, and viva voce examinations, can provide opportunities for students to explain their reasoning, respond to questions, and demonstrate disciplinary knowledge. However, they may also introduce additional demands related to communication, processing information, technology, and participation in synchronous environments.
Where appropriate to the intended learning outcomes:
- Communicate the format, duration, evaluation criteria, and roles of examiners or other participants in advance.
- Use clear, direct questions and avoid unnecessarily complex or multipart phrasing.
- Provide questions or prompts in written as well as spoken formats where feasible.
- Allow appropriate time for students to process questions and formulate responses.
- Explain how students may request clarification, repetition, or breaks.
- Review how audio and video quality, internet connectivity, and platform accessibility may affect participation.
- Provide opportunities to become familiar with the online assessment format and technology, and establish procedures for technical interruptions.
For additional guidance, consult the University of Cambridge’s Online Accessible Viva Voce Guide.
Additional Considerations for Online Tests and Examinations
Online tests and examinations require careful planning to ensure that assessment methods, technologies, and conditions are appropriate for the intended learning outcomes. Decisions about timing, permitted resources, supervision, and examination security can affect accessibility, inclusion, academic integrity, and students’ opportunities to demonstrate their learning.
When designing online tests and examinations, review whether traditional examination conditions are necessary or whether alternative approaches could provide meaningful evidence of student learning, consistent with applicable University and divisional requirements.
The following strategies can inform examination design and administration:
- Design questions that assess intended learning. Use questions that invite students to apply knowledge, analyze evidence, interpret data, solve problems, or explain their reasoning, as appropriate to the learning outcomes. Scenarios, case studies, and disciplinary applications can support assessment beyond factual recall.
- Explore open-book and take-home approaches. Determine whether students may consult course materials or other approved resources. Explain the purpose and expectations of the assessment, recognizing that open-book examinations may still require substantial preparation, analysis, and application of knowledge.
- Review examination structure and settings. Examine whether time limits, fixed examination windows, question randomization, or restrictions on returning to previous questions are necessary and appropriate. Account for accessibility, the comparability of examination versions, and the potential effects of restrictive settings on student performance.
- Address online proctoring requirements. Online proctoring may be appropriate in particular program or assessment contexts but can introduce accessibility, privacy, technology, and logistical considerations. Its use must follow applicable University requirements and divisional approval processes. Consult CTSI’s Online Proctoring resource for further guidance.
- Plan examination administration and support. Coordinate with academic administrators, teaching teams, and relevant support services to establish procedures for examination access, technical interruptions, submission, and approved academic accommodations.
For additional guidance, consult CTSI’s Academic Integrity and the Role of the Instructor and Multiple Choice Question and Quiz Tips resources.
Academic Accommodations
Providing assessment information in advance can help students identify potential barriers and determine whether they need to arrange or use academic accommodations. Encourage students who may require accommodations to connect with their campus accessibility office as early as possible.
Examples from U of T Instructors
University of Toronto instructors have explored a range of approaches to online assessment, including assessment choice, scaffolded assignments, peer feedback, flexible assessment conditions, and opportunities for reflection and revision.
The following examples were shared by instructors during the transition to online teaching in 2020–2021. While developed in particular teaching contexts, these experiences offer insights into how assessment design decisions can support student learning, accessibility, and inclusion.
Liza Bolton and Nathalie Moon, Statistical Sciences, Arts & Science
In an online statistics course, Liza Bolton and Nathalie Moon reconsidered the structure and scheduling of a midterm examination. By dividing the assessment into shorter components and allowing students to choose when to complete them within a specified window, they introduced flexibility while retaining timed assessment conditions. Their experience illustrates how examination scheduling and navigation can be reconsidered to support different student circumstances and approaches to assessment.
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We’d heard from many people that capacity to focus is lessened online, so felt our usual fixed 90-minute midterm test block would not be appropriate. Our solution was to break that 90 minutes into two 45-minute timed components. Students had a 48-hour window in which to complete both sections and were able to plan when to do them, and how much of a break they wanted between, to suit their schedule and test-taking style.
We used Quercus quizzes, and while we know some folks have found restricting navigation back to prior questions useful for supporting academic integrity in online tests, we wanted to avoid this if we could. We know we wouldn’t like it as students ourselves. Splitting our midterm had the benefit of providing an element of restricted navigation, while still allowing students to plan their time in each section based on what they personally found easier or harder.
We also made this test open-book, which we felt was a realistic way for us to acknowledge the differences while learning online. We didn’t make any changes to how we approached setting our questions for the open-book test versus how we used to for in-person (closed-book) tests. Our class grade distribution was solidly in line with previous in-person iterations.
Jason Brown, Biological Sciences, UTSC
In his biological sciences courses, Jason Brown designed examinations that emphasized applying knowledge and explaining scientific evidence rather than recalling information. He also introduced opportunities for students to discuss examination questions collaboratively. This example illustrates how assessment design can make students’ reasoning visible and support different opportunities for engaging with course concepts.
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Even before the pandemic began, my courses featured exams that were entirely application-based, designed to foster my students’ critical and creative thinking skills rather than simply cultivate their memory. Each of my exam questions is centered around the findings of a scientific paper, and I ask my students to explain the results of the paper using the knowledge they have gained in my course. Because students must use their logic to reason out the answer to my questions, even if they have access to their notes or Google while they are writing my exams, they will not simply be able to look up the answers. Thus, I do not need to lock questions, and, indeed, there are often only 24 multiple-choice questions on my 2-hour exams in order to provide adequate time for students to think.
This past semester, I introduced a new aspect to my online exams, establishing Google Docs that students could use during the exam to discuss their ideas about each question with their peers. It’s been interesting for me to have a window into my students’ thoughts as they tackle my exam questions, and many students have commented to me how such collaboration has helped them gain a better grasp of the course material, either because they have to defend their reasoning to their peers or because they get to have someone other than me explain the material to them in a different way that clicks.
Avi J. Cohen and Andrea Williams, Economics and Writing-Integrated Teaching, Arts & Science
In a large introductory economics course, Avi J. Cohen and Andrea Williams developed a scaffolded writing assignment that incorporated peer review, feedback, and revision. Students practiced writing for a general audience before progressing to more complex assignments. This example illustrates how structured opportunities to develop skills, receive feedback, and revise work can support student learning across different levels of preparation and experience.
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Having been online for five years, here is a proven, scalable writing assignment developed by an economist and a writing specialist, integrated into an 800-student introductory economics course with multilingual students and TAs. We teach students how to write an abstract for a general audience, based on an Economist article. This exercise helps students recognize the structure of a good argument, which serves as scaffolding before making their own arguments in longer writing assignments. Students first submit a draft using peer review software (peerScholar, free for U of T students and instructors), and then assess, and are assessed by, other students. With that feedback, students rewrite and submit a final draft graded by TAs using detailed rubrics and moderated marking sessions. Student evaluations rate the peer review process as very valuable, and research shows that giving feedback is actually more valuable in developing writing skills than receiving feedback.
The abstract assignment is scaffolded, fitting in between two other assignments, How to Read Critically and How to (Re-)Write an Op-Ed. All assignment details and resources (including short instructional videos) are available for anyone to use in developing similar assignments more appropriate for their discipline’s writing formats.
Courtney Jung, Political Science, Arts & Science
In a large political science course, Courtney Jung replaced a more heavily weighted assessment structure with frequent, lower-stakes assignments and allowed students to skip two assignments without penalty. This example illustrates how distributing assessment across a course and incorporating flexibility can support ongoing engagement while accommodating different student circumstances. It also highlights the importance of considering teaching-team workload and administrative demands.
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In this course of 1,200 students, we normally ask students to write a 5–7 page essay, and we have a final exam. Once we transitioned to online teaching, we decided to alter our assignments to make them less high-stakes and more likely to keep students engaged with lectures and reading throughout the semester. To that end, we had assignments every week of the semester, and we asked students to complete 9 of the 11 assignments available. As a universal accommodation in the event of emergency or illness, all students were allowed to skip two assignments, in any two weeks they were unable to get the work done, with no penalty.
The assignments themselves took different formats. Some assignments required students to do nothing more than watch the lecture and do the reading and answer questions based on information that was clearly delivered in the week’s material. Such assignments were designed to teach students how to take notes. The second type of assignments included writing prompts. For example, we might ask students to write a thesis statement for an essay that takes a position on the following question: xxx. Or we might ask them to develop an annotated bibliography on Indigenous–settler reconciliation in Canada, using a range of sources. The third type of assignment was a short essay, usually 3–5 paragraphs, on a very specific topic. All assignments included a detailed grading rubric. Once the assignments were handed in, we published an answer key, against which students could compare their own answers, to make grades more transparent.
The upside of such a course structure was that students really did keep up with the course material, rather than trying to catch up by binge-watching all of the lectures in two days before a final exam. The downside was that it took a lot of TA grading hours, and the administrative burden of the course was high.
Kathy Liddle, Sociology, UTSC
In an online sociology course, Kathy Liddle introduced a flexible approach to assessment deadlines, allowing students to request extensions without documentation or penalties. This example illustrates how reconsidering deadlines and documentation requirements can reduce unnecessary barriers and provide students with flexibility to complete their work, while maintaining opportunities for planning and communication.
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The biggest thing that I’m doing differently this year is having a “radical generosity” policy for extensions. Students can get extensions on anything for any reason, without any documentation and without penalty. My decision was based on the fact that my priority is for them to learn the material, but I don’t want to tie the assessment to their ability to turn in something by a particular time. Especially this year.
They don’t have to ask for the weekly quiz or the weekly discussion post. I just leave them open, and then they catch up as necessary. For assignments, I have them contact their TAs to ask for a specific amount of time so that they are making a specific plan for themselves. But we accept every request.
The outpouring of gratitude and appreciation from the students has honestly been overwhelming. That policy is a big part of it.
Safieh Moghaddam, Linguistics, UTSC
In an online linguistics course, Safieh Moghaddam offered students a choice between a final presentation and a written paper, alongside opportunities to discuss the assessment options before making a decision. She also incorporated small-group activities that encouraged peer interaction and feedback. This example illustrates how assessment choice and collaborative learning opportunities can support student agency, participation, and different ways of demonstrating learning.
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During Fall 2020, in one of my C-level courses, I noticed that some of the students were overwhelmed or stressed out by the number of articles that they had to read or the final paper they had to write. In Winter 2021, I decided to make some minor changes in the course design to help the students relieve their stress and succeed in my courses. As well as encouraging the students to work in groups of two or three throughout the semester, one of the main strategies that I used was to give the students the opportunity to choose their final method of assessment. This way, the students picked the assessment method according to their strengths (final presentation vs. final paper). This did not require a full redesign of the course, but I did have to discuss the different aspects of each assessment with the students during our weekly synchronous sessions or one-on-one meetings so that the students could choose one of the two assessment methods based on the schedules and strengths of the group members. This strategy worked really well for me and the students, as they chose the method that would work best for them. I could see the passion and enthusiasm since the choice of assessment created more motivation, and we all know that students learn when they are motivated!
As well as this adjustment, I also included some group activities that were set up to be completed during the synchronous sessions in breakout groups. This way, the students would have the opportunity to work in a breakout group and receive instant feedback from their peers and instructor. This strategy worked really well, as the students worked and shared their ideas in a stress-free environment without worrying about being assessed individually. Using this strategy, participation in synchronous sessions increased greatly, and the students performed better with the presence of their peers.
Chirac Variawa, Engineering, Applied Science & Engineering
In a large first-year engineering course, Chirac Variawa and the teaching team developed a reflective assignment that encouraged students to plan their schedules, manage competing demands, and consider their well-being. This example illustrates how assessment can support self-regulated learning and reflection while recognizing the challenges students may experience when transitioning to university.
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As instructors got back to the drawing board in delivering courses online, the teaching team of a large (~1,100 student) first-year core engineering course re-imagined the learning experience from the student point of view, specifically for those students transitioning from high school to university.
We decided to start from the ground up, revisiting one of the first tools that many students learn in primary school: time management. As engineers, we turned that into a discovery and resource-management process where students actively (and creatively!) put together their timetables, daily, weekly, and monthly, and reflect on those experiences holistically. This encourages students to become aware of projects, deadlines, as well as the importance of personal “time away from the computer.” Being an assignment largely assessed on completion and critical thinking, students are asked to reflect on their own work/life balance in this “new reality,” especially in the context of mental health.
Course Coordinator:
- APS100: Orientation to Engineering
- APS106: Fundamentals of Computer Programming
Kenneth Yip, Cell & Systems Biology, Arts & Science
In undergraduate cell and systems biology courses, Kenneth Yip and the teaching team provided practice assessments that reflected the format, content, and length of upcoming assessments. This example illustrates how opportunities for familiarization can help students prepare for assessment expectations, identify technical difficulties in advance, and focus on demonstrating their learning.
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In the Summer Term, I taught first-, second-, and third-year Cell & Systems Biology courses and am currently team teaching several large undergraduate courses (over 1,000 students).
Assessments are particularly a major concern for our students. In order to decrease stress, we have made practice sample assessments available online that are similar in formatting, content, and length. Our students have been using these to take online technical setup issues out of the equation. They can focus on the actual content and material, and making sure that they understand the material at the right level.
Marco Zimmer-De Iulliis, Chemistry, UTSC
In large first-year chemistry courses, Marco Zimmer-De Iulliis and the teaching team developed a scaffolded writing assignment that incorporated research skills, peer feedback, and revision. Students received guidance on accessing scholarly resources and providing constructive feedback before submitting their final work. This example illustrates how structured assessment stages, clear criteria, and opportunities for feedback can support students in developing disciplinary skills.
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We have developed a writing assignment for our large-enrolment first-year chemistry classes that requires students to write a 500-word paper on an open-ended chemistry topic in CHMA10 and CHMA11 (enrolment ~2,200). Students learn research skills through the completion of a series of scaffolded learning modules on Quercus. These resources show how to access scholarly articles using U of T Library resources, including SciFinder and Web of Science. The essay is delivered in three phases using the online platform peerScholar. The first phase is a draft submission. In the second phase, students are assigned two essays written by their peers, and they are asked to provide feedback on the drafts. We have also developed online Quercus modules to help train students in giving good-quality feedback to support this stage of the assignment. The final phase involves incorporating received feedback and final submission. We have held benchmarking sessions during each offering of the assignment to ensure fair and equitable grading using a rubric. The feedback students provide is also graded by the TAs using a rubric.