When do you choose a project or performance?

Use projects and performances when you want students to cover a topic in depth and engage in authentic, "real-world" tasks. Most projects and performances are challenging and require initiative, planning and problem solving. This means that they can be tailored to assess almost any type of knowledge and cognitive process.

Assessment Tip 1
Semester-long projects or performances can be time-consuming, so it is important to give students meaningful formative feedback as they progress. Weekly or bi-weekly feedback helps students focus on the process of creating the project or performance rather than only on the final product.

Assessment Tip 2: Yes, we definitely recommend a rubric.
Projects and performances are multi-dimensional and complex and a rubric allows you to clearly define expectations. They can also help ensure validity and alignment because they can reflect the specific and observable goals defined in your learning objectives.

See an example rubric for a digital storytelling project or our Creating a Rubric .