Vary forms of assessments
Do you want to create more engaging, legally secure and flexible assessment forms in your teaching? On this page you will find inspiration and concrete tips on how you can use Canvas and external tools to vary and combine different types of assessment to meet students' needs and promote their learning.
Why vary examination forms?
Using only one type of examination form risks excluding important aspects of students' knowledge and abilities. With today's technological developments, it has also become easier for students to get help with – or, in the worst case, let AI completely generate – their texts. This makes it more difficult to assess with certainty whether the student has actually achieved the course's learning objectives.
More fair assessment
By varying examination forms, a more fair assessment is created, where different elements together provide a more nuanced and authentic picture of the student's knowledge. It also makes it easier to detect unreasonable achievements or patterns that suggest misleading behavior.
More accessible
Variation also promotes accessibility. Students have different strengths, needs and conditions – some express themselves better orally, visually or in interaction with others. By offering alternative formats such as video, visualizations, quizzes or assessed discussions, more students can show what they can do on their own terms.
Increased engagement and motivation
Finally, variation often increases students' engagement and motivation. When the examination tasks are meaningful, varied and well integrated into the course content, they are experienced as more relevant and stimulating. This contributes to deeper learning and a stronger connection to real-world applications and future professional roles.
Different tools and forms of assessment in Canvas
Below we list the possibilities that Canvas offers for assesments and tasks. These tools can then be combined with each other - and each has its own settings where even more possibilities arise. In addition, they can be combined with external tools such as Mentimeter - so the range of variation is large.
| Automatic or manual tests with various question types | Diagnostic tests, knowledge checks, self-marking exams | |
| Individual or group submissions in various formats (text, code, image, video) | Project work, essays, technical reports, oral presentations, demonstrations | |
| Discussions in Canvas where posts and comments can be graded | Formative assessment, peer review, and reflection | |
| Structured, transparent grading criteria that can be linked to assignments based on course level or task-specific expectations | Clarifies what is required for different grade levels |
External tools supported by KTH
| External tool | Description | Examples of use |
|---|---|---|
| Interactive tool for quick feedback and formative assessment | Use during lectures or as part of assessments | |
| Synchronous digital meeting tool with features like recording, whiteboard, screen sharing, and breakout rooms | Oral exams, presentations, project reports | |
|
Tool for creating visual content such as images, videos, diagrams, animations, infographics, or code-generated visuals |
Analysis, statistics, programming, design, or process descriptions | |
| Tool that combines interactive course content, a powerful math engine (Maple), and automated assessment | Assignments, quizzes, visualizing mathematical concepts, coding and programming | |
| Tools like Lucidspark, Zoom Whiteboard, and Microsoft Whiteboard for synchronous and asynchronous collaboration | Group activities, idea generation, visualization, mind mapping, brainstorming |
You can read more about the systems we have for examination here: Education support - examination
Combining assessment tools - some examples
The examples show how to combine multiple tools in one course component or assignment, while addressing accessibility, engagement, and AI-related challenges.
Example 1: Analytical Assignment with Reflection
- Tools: Assignment with text or visualization submission + Graded discussion
- Purpose: Capture both individual analysis and oral reflection
- Description: The student submits an analytical task in any format (text, video, image with explanation), then participates in a discussion thread where different perspectives are shared. Assessment is based on a rubric focusing on analytical ability, reasoning, and communication skills.
Example 2: Lab Report with Video and Quiz
- Tools: Assignment with video submission + Quiz
- Purpose: Assess understanding of process and results
- Description: Students record their lab process and explain their choices, submit the video, and then complete a quiz with applied questions related to the lab. A rubric is used to assess both methodological understanding and analysis.
Example 3: Group Case Analysis
- Tools: Assignment with group submission + Graded discussion + Mentimeter
- Purpose: Collaboration skills, critical thinking, engagement
- Description: Students analyze a case in groups and submit a joint report. They then participate in a graded discussion where groups give feedback on each other’s solutions. Mentimeter is used to anonymously vote on the most sustainable solutions.
Example 4: Statistics Assignment with Visualization
- Tools: Assignment submission (code/image) + Visualization
- Purpose: Assess understanding of data analysis and result presentation
- Description: Students analyze a dataset and submit both code and a visualization (e.g., chart, infographic, dashboard). The assessment focuses on accuracy, clarity, and communication skills.
Example 5: Argumentation Analysis with Quiz and Discussion
- Tools: Quiz + Graded discussion
- Purpose: Practice argumentation skills and identify reasoning types
- Description: Students complete a quiz to practice recognizing different types of arguments, followed by a discussion where they respond to a statement and engage with others’ opinions. A rubric is used to assess the quality of argumentation and respectful interaction.
Example 6: Independent Work in Multiple Formats
- Tools: Assignment submission (any format) + Graded discussion
- Purpose: Promote autonomy, reduce AI misuse, increase transparency
- Description: Students choose the format for their final product (text, video, visualization, or a combination). After submission, they participate in a discussion where they justify their choices and receive feedback. A rubric ensures transparency and fairness in the assessment.