The Principles and Practices of Student Assessment website at the University of Calgary’s Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning presents a step-by-step, structured, and informative guide explaining assessment. Featured content includes introductory information for those who are new to assessment, as well as, detailed information and instructions for educators interested in continuing to improve their teaching. It is transparent, with information listed on the site also useful to students who would like to learn more about and be included in the assessment process.

The site is structured into 4 main sections: Welcome, Strategies, Principles of Assessment and Other Resources. The Welcome section explains the purpose of the site and provides additional information regarding the sections. It also features a variety of tags, to help narrow down the search for those who are not yet familiar with assessment. Strategies contains a variety of guides written by numerous authors in the form of instructive blogs. Each post provides background, a suggested strategy on how to tackle a specific problem and lastly, defines outcomes. This section also features a variety of Assignments, Projects and Presentations, and Tests and Exams, all written in the same format for a detailed guide through the problem. Principles of Assessment features a list of assessment related information grouped into three subsections, helping its users determine where to find the most relevant information: Conceptualizing Assessment, Assessment Practice, and Support for Assessors. The material available in Principles of Assessment is provided in short blurbs followed by more elaborate examples and supported literature. The Other Resources section is simply a list of links to other institutions’ assessment websites. It also contains the Student Reflections section and Course Design resources, which are available through other institutions.

Given the emphasis on communicating the principles of assessment, along with the focus on guidance and accuracy, the University of Calgary’s Principles and Practices of Student Assessment website is this month’s Featured Website in the category of Communication.