RESUMO
Embedded assessments, tasks within the context of instruction, can serve as important tools for improving teaching and learning. In this article, we report on the assessment design principles and a nine-step development model that guided the construction of innovative embedded assessments. Using multiple sources of data-expert reviews, a conceptual test blueprint, student interviews, focus group interviews, and student responses to assessments-we were able to analyze the extent to which our assessments align with research-based design principles. Specifically, our results demonstrate that the assessments: (a) align with learning and instructional goals; (b) are cognitively challenging; (c) support student learning; and (d) have reduced potential bias. These assessments were developed in the context of an introductory biochemistry course for nonbiochemistry majors with learning goals in areas of: scientific content, socio-scientific issues, and evidence-based decision making skills. The assessment design principles and development model are generalizable to other science disciplines. We discuss how the application of these design principles can generate valid and reliable embedded assessments that can be integrated into a modern classroom.
