Introduction Introduction
Within the field of International Relations (IR), as well as across all academic disciplines, scholars have increasingly focused on the concept of assessment and its importance in measuring student learning and the effectiveness of teaching in the classroom. Beyond the classroom, assessment is used to evaluate curricula, departments, programs, and even universities as a whole. It is often the cornerstone of certification at different levels. This essay, however, has a narrower focus, looking specifically at assessment within the college classroom as it pertains to a variety of active-learning techniques. The use of active-learning techniques has expanded in recent years and so have the different assessment methods used to evaluate these teaching techniques. The scholarship on assessment, however, is not as comprehensively developed as the teaching methods themselves. In order to provide a richer context, we will draw not only on literature within International Relations, but also from other disciplines including education. We recognize that assessments can be done for traditional, lecture-based classes as well as classes that incorporate active learning, but the focus of this essay is on assessing active learning, which includes case studies, simulations, games and role-play, small group discussions, collaborative group projects, and service-learning as some of the most widely used exercises. The purpose of this essay is not necessarily to advocate for the use of active-learning techniques but to explore effective student assessment methods for various types of active learning. It is important to capture the state of assessment in the field so that further progress can be made in advancing assessment techniques and effective teaching. This essay begins with an overview of the historical development of assessment tools in general, followed by the development of active-learning assessment tools, as found in educational and discipline-specific literature. We then identify some of the best practices in the assessment of active learning by asking what, why, when and how instructors choose to assess. This section includes discussion of learning objectives, formative and summative assessments, and some of the essential components of assessment. Next we provide specific examples of assessment techniques and measurement tools that can be used in different active-learning contexts. We conclude by identifying several areas for future research in the area of assessment, noting that there is still much to be done in terms of scholarly review.