File: Scholarship of Teaching

Gathering Evidence: Making Student Learning Visible


Our Recommendation

If you take away one thing from this guide, it should be: “Indirect evidence should always be complemented by direct evidence.” This short, accessible guide will help you consider your options for sources of evidence.

How will you collect evidence of relevant student thinking and learning (i.e., data) that will answer your specific question(s)? First, consider how you know what your students are learning.

  • Does doing well on a test mean they’ve really learned the material?
  • How do you measure and make sense of what they’re really learning?
  • How can you gather evidence of their thinking at earlier stages of their learning process, not just in the final, summative assessments like essays and exams?