Assessment

as an engine
of innovation
For a growing movement of industry innovators,
assessment is more than a means of evaluating
learners—it’s an engine of innovation.
Introduction
Modern assessment experiences are digital, dynamic, and fully 1. Modern assessment experience
interactive, offering more ways of connecting with more learners.
Fully digital, dynamic, and immersive—modern assessments are
using new capabilities to increase learner engagement and become
High levels of engagement help generate a rich pipeline of insights that
a more embedded part of the overall learning experience.
can be used to better understand learner progress, content performance,
and inform decision-making—for product owners, publishers, and
educators alike.
2. Made to measure
Achieving this degree of assessment sophistication is extremely difficult.
Well-resourced early adopters have a clear competitive advantage Digital assessments can quickly transform doing into data, allowing
over those trying to catch up with limited means. modern learning products to use high-quality information to personalize
and improve decision making, and better connect activities to outcomes.
The disparity has created a clear assessment excellence gap—something
that will inevitably widen as innovators make continuous improvements
to meet fast-evolving learner needs.
3. Inclusivity: everyone, everywhere
This ebook unpacks the main areas in which innovation is happening, Breaking down demographic, economic, and geographic barriers requires
exploring the key needs/requirements comprising a modern assessment a multi-track approach that includes responsive design for devices,
experience. These fall into three broad categories: platforms, and browsers; a commitment to accessibility; and the capacity
to support learners offline, and in any language.

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Modern
assessment
experience
Technology has long been a part of everyday life but user experiences
today are more seamless, sophisticated, and intuitive than ever.

Digital platforms such as Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and TikTok have

reset expectations for how we interact with—and through—technology.
These new expectations include those of the modern learner.

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Digital innovation
The greater interactivity of digital assessments creates exciting new possibilities for
learning. When moving assessments online in the past, it was enough to simply replicate the
experience of paper-based assessment. That basic approach no longer goes far enough
since it fails to reflect how learners and instructors interact and use technology today.

Modern learning platforms think digital-first. When designing a digital assessment

experience, they take advantage of the interactive possibilities at their disposal to
better engage learners and give them an opportunity to showcase what they’ve learned.
Modern learning
How digital assessments engage learners platforms think
Bringing content to life through graphics, video, and audio
Integrating contemporary onscreen tools that are relevant
digital-first.
to modern learning (e.g. speech readers or graphing tools)
Delivering interactions that are intuitive, responsive, and immediate
Offering more control over learners’ assessment journeys
by defining which events trigger which actions
Ensuring a consistent, familiar experience on any device

Technology and education are now permanently intertwined. Designing

digitally native assessments requires an ongoing commitment to innovation
to keep pace with changing expectations.
 Embedded and effective
There is a transformation underway in learning and education. Assessment is no longer
siloed from the learning process but used as an embedded part of it.

This is no surprise. In addition to measuring learning outcomes, assessments are effective

in measuring readiness to learn, engagement, and content effectiveness. Embedding
them in the learning process supports learners and instructors by connecting the activities

Assessment is no longer
of one to those of the other.

siloed from the learning What modern learning platforms need from assessment

process but used as an Easy integration at any given point in the learning journey (i.e. before, during,
and after learning activities)

embedded part of it. Ensure the content and user experience flow seamlessly from learning content
to assessments and back again
Leverage and secure their content with an item bank in a way that makes
it easy for authors to create, find, and reuse the questions they need
User-centric features designed to reduce friction and support the needs
of educators, learners, and content creators
Measure content effectiveness to continuously optimize it for learning effectiveness

The complex interaction of instruction, learning, and assessment requires an integrated

approach to empower learners and learning. Assessments do not stand apart. Their role
in reinforcing and validating learning demands they are embedded in learning routines.

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Efficient and satisfying

The success of a learning product is determined by people. From authoring content
to taking assessments to interpreting results and data—learning is people-centered.
When activities are a grind, valuable reserves of time and energy go to waste.

Assessment technology removes resource sinkholes and low-value repetitive tasks,

making more time available to focus on the things that have the most impact.

How automation reduces effort and increases efficiency From authoring content
Auto-scoring answers to reduce instructor workloads and give learners
immediate results
to taking assessments
Automating repetitive aspects of question generation using dynamic
content helps quickly create new datasets for questions
to interpreting results
Using randomization to shuffle question response options makes
assessment prep easier for authors
and data—learning is
Rapidly compiling results into reports helps identify common knowledge
gaps among groups of learners and hasten corrective feedback
people-centered.
While learning products are powered by technology, placing that power in the hands
of people unlocks real value. Automation in its many guises can achieve the double
whammy of making processes both more efficient and more satisfying.
Made to
measure
Learning is a dynamic, non-linear process informed
by diverse abilities, motivations, attitudes, and needs.
To successfully engage learners as individuals means
first understanding what works. High-quality data
makes this possible.

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Dynamic
and engaged
Questions are the heartbeat of learning, opening pathways to inquiry that could lead
anywhere. As learning products strive to promote critical thinking and subject-matter
mastery, questions are powerful tools for advancing learner growth.

For most, however, basic multiple-choice questions no longer go far enough.

Beyond question-types, learning platforms need access to a number of elements

Questions are the
to deliver an experience that both tests and engages learners.

Media-enabled items, onscreen tools, and interactive elements transform questions into
heartbeat of learning,
immersive tools that aid learning, engage learners, and provide an opportunity to reflect
and improve on the overall learning process. opening pathways to
How to meet the needs of modern learners inquiry that could
Build and tailor assessments using the most relevant question types
Continuously connect with learners through feature-rich content
lead anywhere.
and supporting tools such as distractor rationales and time limits
Seamlessly integrate onscreen tools to replicate real-world environments
(e.g. calculators, protractors, graphing to support higher-order thinking)
Reliably support learners transitioning between offline and online environments
Support STEM with specialist tools (e.g. dedicated math-scoring engines
to make learning and grading more efficient and effective)

There is growing evidence that the more authentic an assessment is, the more effective
it is. Question experiences that better simulate the real environment in which skills are
used are also more likely to develop those skills in greater depth.
 Personalized
One-size does not fit all. To nurture active, critical, and engaged learners requires
meeting them where they are, consistently.

This can be difficult to do in a traditional classroom setting. The time and effort
to evaluate each individual’s knowledge, skills, and behaviors are considerable.

Digital assessments How modern technologies can empower

make it easier to educators and learners alike

adapt to each
Adapting assessments based on learner responses by dynamically
presenting questions based on answers and performance
Supporting individualized feedback with in-depth reports that identify
individual learner. strengths and knowledge gaps by subject, depth of learning, and outcomes
Making it easy to edit items to adjust to learners’ needs
Including a variety of mechanisms to personalize feedback
(e.g. free text boxes, audio recordings, and rating scales)

To meet learners’ unique strengths and needs requires frequent, timely, and specific
intervention. Digital assessments make it easier to adapt to each individual learner to
identify engagement, monitor content efficacy, and support better learner outcomes.

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Occasional to frequent
As pedagogy innovates to address the evolving needs of learners, the use of
assessments now extends far beyond the occasional high-stakes exam; instead,
they are being used more frequently and in novel ways that help reduce test
anxiety, scaffold learning, and support skill mastery.

Modern learning platforms use assessments as engines of innovation,

continuously gathering insights that support learners and learning.
Digital technology offers
Advancing learning through assessment more opportunities for
Regular and frequent use of formative exams and quizzes to
gather greater detail on individual and group-based performance
instructors and learners
Applying insights from diagnostic and pre-assessment checks to identify
strengths and weaknesses and adapt learning content accordingly
to capture and reflect
Checking comprehension inline with content, with frequent opportunities
for practice quizzes
on their learning.
Confirming success or otherwise with exit tickets at the end of sections
Providing opportunities for learner self-reflection and self-assessment

Digital technology offers more opportunities for instructors and learners to capture
and reflect on their learning, use and share formative feedback, and record progress.

Formative and continuous assessments help modularize learning into manageable

chunks, with instant learner feedback supporting a more agile overall learning experience.
Inclusivity:
everyone,
everywhere
Education is a fundamental human
right. In order to deliver the best
possible assessment experience
to as many learners as possible,
accessibility and inclusivity must
be at the heart of digital learning’s
ongoing evolution.

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Accessible products
are better products
Users are disabled by environments, not impairments. With over a billion people
worldwide living with some form of disability, accessibility is a legal right in many
jurisdictions, and improving access to education for everyone is also a moral obligation.

Building accessibility into your product also makes commercial sense—it opens

True accessibility
markets, extends reach, and avoids expensive and resource-sapping retrofitting.

However, true accessibility requires continuous design, planning, and investment.

requires continuous
How accessible learning products
meet the practical needs of learners design, planning,
Color contrast designed for color-blind and low-vision users
Keyboard usability for accessible input and navigation
and investment.
Support for the learners’ preferred screen reader
Transcripts, closed captions, and alternate videos for accessible
audio content
Adjustable fonts to improve legibility for users with reading difficulties

Assistive technology has the potential to add accessibility to any learning product.
But just because a product is technically accessible does not mean it is accessible.

Striving to stay compliant is a constant challenge for regulatory reasons, but it’s
a non-negotiable one if products are to fully support learners with diverse needs
and provide a more inclusive learning experience.
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Ever ready
As learners switch between in-class to online learning environments, many are—quite literally—left
to their own devices. Powerful personal computers including laptops, Chromebooks, tablets, and
smartphones put advanced technology at the fingertips of a large volume of learners.

However, reaching all learners means working toward compatibility with a diverse array of
hardware, Operating Systems (OS), and native and third-party browsers, each with its own
update and major release cycles.

With each major release, the list of changes can be long.

Challenges for engineering teams to consider Reaching all learners

Code must work seamlessly across popular mobile and desktop OS means working toward
compatibility.
New UI conventions should not adversely impact visual appearance
and usability
Changes to Software Development Kits can’t cause code breakages
Reliability and security are assured through release cycles
Accessibility accommodations must overcome device-specific limitations

New device and OS releases are much-anticipated, each offering fresh features
and enhancements. But the trade-off for product teams is that these new releases
mean they need to test, recode, and retest across every OS to ensure their product
performs consistently well with each upgrade and release cycle.
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The assessment landscape

has changed forever
Despite being the convergence point of all learning activities, Their efforts extend to assessment, where the bar keeps
most assessment technology has traditionally been static, getting higher, and the assessment excellence gap wider
siloed, and limited in scope. as industry trends accelerate.

As a result, assessment is misaligned with the changing needs of Closing this gap will be crucial for the learning industry
modern learners—most of whom are tech natives, not tech novices. as it enters a new phase in which learner engagement,
To engage these learners requires meeting them where they are. inclusivity, and access have become universal priorities
This creates greater demand for more—and better—resources. in building for the future.

Meeting these demands with a traditional approach or homegrown

solution is not achievable for most companies, who face competition
from a groundswell of innovators who are already building more
flexible products to fit modern lifestyles and learning habits.
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About
Learnosity
Learnosity is the global leader in assessment solutions. Serving over 700
customers and more than 40 million learners, our mission is to advance
education and learning worldwide with best-in-class technology.

Our APIs make it easy for modern learning platforms to quickly launch fully
featured products, scale on demand, and always meet fast-evolving
market needs.

learnosity.com