Alternative Activities for Assessment

Here are some ideas for possible alternatives to more traditional forms of assessment. These ideas have mostly come from Brown, S., Rust, C. and Gibbs, G. (1994). Strategies for Diversifying Assessment in Higher Education. Oxford, UK: Oxford Centre for Staff Development.

Essay

• Write a newspaper article
• Write a book review
• Prepare a briefing paper for a committee
• Write a letter to the newspaper
• Present a case for an interest group
• Design an information leaflet on X
• Write a web page with appropriate links to inform a lay audience/other students

Short Answer Question

• Devise an encyclopaedia entry
• Devise dictionary entries
• Produce a reference guide to X
• Formulate 3 insightful questions in relation to a particular issue

Lab/Experiment Report

• Prepare a brief for a client
• Write a research note for a journal
• Produce a poster
• Critically appraise a piece of equipment
• Design a laboratory procedure to demonstrate a basic concept  

Seminar presentation

• Participate in a commission of enquiry
• Contribute to a debate
• Present a news bulletin
• Interview an expert
• Produce a documentary