Optimal Assessment Weighting: How much should I weight that final exam?

In this paper, I discuss a fundamental problem for most instructors: how should we weight the different assessments within our course in order to evaluate students effectively? Using a framework which connects curriculum and assessment design, I demonstrate that “fair” evaluation requires a close (and quantitatively measurable) connection between learning outcomes and assessment weighting. I use this framework to provide guidance for optimal assessment design practices, and evaluate a number of commonly-used teaching practices – concluding that many of them pose problems in terms of fairness, when not carefully implemented. I also discuss the implications of alternative grading schemes or other complications for this framework. I finally provide a detailed example of applying these principles to a real-world course, and a toolkit, for use by instructors in evaluating or designing their own courses.