“Assessment does not stand outside teaching and learning but stands in dynamic interaction with it.”
— C.V. Gipps, 2002, Beyond Testing
Dear Colleagues,
As we reach the final stage of the 5E model — Evaluate and Extend — we get to see learning come full circle. This is where understanding turns into evidence and students show how far they’ve come. It’s also a chance for them to stretch what they’ve learned into new ideas, projects, or real-world applications.
In this phase, assessment becomes more than a grade; it’s a moment of insight and growth for everyone. Whether through reflections, portfolios, case studies, or short video presentations, students can demonstrate their learning in meaningful ways. You’ll also find ideas here for making those final activities inclusive and engaging, from offering multiple ways to show mastery to creating interactive feedback moments that keep students connected.
As we enter the busiest stage of the semester, take a moment to celebrate the progress you and your students have made. The Evaluate/Extend phase is a helpful reminder that even amid the rush, pausing to notice growth — yours and theirs — can refocus your energy and renew your sense of purpose for the final weeks ahead.
Warmly,
Rachel & Mendy
Instructional Design Team
Office of Provost | Academic Affairs
“Teaching is successful only as it causes people to learn, and learning is measured by the extent to which it changes people’s behavior.”
— Ralph W. Tyler, 1949, Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction
The final stage of the 5E Instructional Model—Evaluate/Extend—asks a fundamental question: Have students achieved the learning objectives you intended, and can they apply that learning beyond your course?
In this phase, Evaluate means collecting meaningful evidence of student learning through assessment, reflection, and demonstration of skill. Extend means providing opportunities for students to apply that knowledge in authentic or new contexts, reinforcing conceptual transfer and deeper understanding.
For learners, this phase provides clarity, closure, and confidence. Students identify what they’ve mastered, where they still struggle, and how their learning connects to professional or real-world applications. For instructors, it offers evidence — both quantitative and qualitative — of how well the course’s instructional design has worked.
When implemented thoughtfully, Evaluate/Extend turns assessment into a learning event, not a terminal checkpoint. It invites both reflection and growth for students and instructors alike.
Practical Strategies for Evaluating/Extending Activities
Because the Evaluate/Extend phase focuses on evidence of mastery, the most effective activities are aligned with your learning outcomes and designed to reveal students’ ability to apply, analyze, and reflect. This phase succeeds when activities are authentic, reflective, and aligned with course outcomes.
Here are a few ideas (applicable across disciplines) for aligning with your learning objectives, measuring student progress, and encouraging extension of learning.
✔️Case Studies and Problem Scenarios.
Ask students to apply key concepts to a realistic scenario, case, or dataset. This approach assesses whether students can transfer learning from theory to application, evidence of genuine understanding.
✔️Quizzes or Tests with Reflection.
Move beyond recall questions. Include conceptual or applied items that reveal reasoning. Conclude with a reflective prompt such as “Which question challenged you most, and what concept will you revisit?” You’ll gather diagnostic insight while reinforcing self-awareness and metacognition.
✔️Interactive Checks (Kahoot, Harmonize, Poll Everywhere).
Low-stakes checks via game-based or polling tools give immediate feedback to students and instructors alike. The rapid data helps identify persistent misconceptions before the course ends, enabling targeted follow-up or short extension tasks.
✔️Reflective Essays or Multimedia Journals.
Ask students to narrate their learning journey: Which objective have I met most fully? What remains uncertain? How can I extend this learning to my discipline or career? Allow flexibility in the medium – written, audio, or video – to encourage authentic expression and deeper personal engagement.
✔️Recorded Presentations (Kaltura).
Students create short, recorded explanations or analyses demonstrating mastery of a concept and its application in a new context. Use a rubric tied to your learning outcomes and include peer-feedback components. The presentation format encourages synthesis and communication skills.
✔️Cumulative Projects or Portfolios.
Invite students to curate evidence of learning across the course. Each artifact (paper, project, discussion post, lab report) should include a brief annotation explaining how it demonstrates achievement of a specific objective. This cumulative approach allows you to assess growth over time and gives students a tangible record of their intellectual development.
Always map each Evaluate/Extend activity directly to your learning outcomes, and use clear rubrics and reflection prompts to make that alignment transparent to students.
Regardless of the strategy you use, the guiding principle remains the same: evaluation should provide evidence that directly maps to your learning outcomes, while extension invites students to use that learning in authentic, forward-looking ways.
Why Learning Outcomes Matter
Clear, measurable learning outcomes are the bedrock of the Evaluate/Extend phase. They define what success looks like, guide assessment design, and make progress visible. When each assessment explicitly links to one or more outcomes, both faculty and students can determine:
- What learning has been achieved?
- What remains incomplete, and
- What instructional adjustments are necessary next time?
Without that alignment, even a well-executed assessment risks measuring the wrong thing. Evaluate/Extend closes the loop between intention and evidence, transforming outcomes from paperwork into living tools for teaching and learning.
Once outcomes are defined and aligned, reflection ensures they remain central to both teaching and assessment.
Backward Design and Reflective Prompts
Because Evaluate/Extend is grounded in backward design, it provides an opportunity for structured reflection for both you and your students. For yourself, consider questions like:
- Did my assessments actually measure the intended outcomes?
- Do student products demonstrate conceptual understanding, not just recall?
- What will I change next time (e.g., task type, rubric, student choice options) to improve alignment and evidence of learning?
For students, you might offer prompts such as:
- “Which course outcome do I feel most confident about, and how do I know I achieved it?”
- “Where am I still developing, and what strategies will help me improve?”
- “How can I apply what I’ve learned beyond this course?”
Cultivating these reflective habits will turn evaluation into an ongoing dialogue about learning rather than a one-sided report of performance.
Final Thoughts
The Evaluate/Extend phase is not simply the last item on a syllabus. It is the moment where learning and evidence meet. It is both summative and generative, a capstone to the learning cycle and a springboard for continued growth.
By designing tasks that are authentic, reflective, and aligned with course outcomes, faculty can ensure students leave a course not only knowing what they’ve learned, but also how to apply and extend it.
Assessment, in this sense, becomes less about grading and more about cultivating mastery and curiosity.
Inclusive Design in the Evaluate/Extend Phase
The Evaluate/Extend phase provides an ideal opportunity to integrate accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles directly into assessment design. Because this phase emphasizes demonstration and application, it allows opportunities for multiple means of action and expression, different ways for students to show what they know.
Strategies for Accessible, UDL-Aligned Evaluation
- Provide options for demonstrating mastery. Allow written essays, video reflections, podcasts, or visual artifacts when appropriate.
- Use transparent rubrics. Share evaluation criteria ahead of time and phrase them in plain language so students understand how success will be measured.
- Ensure material accessibility. Caption or transcribe any media, ensure documents are screen-reader friendly, and design assessment pages in Canvas with proper heading structure.
- Encourage flexible timelines. When possible, offer short windows for submission rather than a single deadline to accommodate accessibility needs and varied schedules.
- Design for cognitive accessibility. Use consistent instructions and visual hierarchy, break complex assessments into smaller steps, and include brief “summary” or “recap” sections.
These strategies support students with documented accommodations while benefiting all learners. They also align with Evaluate/Extend’s focus on individualized evidence of learning, ensuring that every student can demonstrate mastery without unnecessary barriers.
Meaningful Instructor-Student Interaction in the Evaluate/Extend Phase
In online and hybrid environments, the Evaluate/Extend phase offers key opportunities to demonstrate Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI), the standard that distinguishes quality online instruction from correspondence-style courses.
Strategies for Integrating RSI and Evaluate/Extend
The following RSI practices not only meet compliance expectations; they also provide formative feedback and dialogue that make evaluation and extension meaningful for online learners.
- Structured feedback loops. Provide individualized, timely responses to major projects or reflections. Use text, audio, or video feedback in Canvas, Harmonize, or Kaltura to create personal connections.
- Interactive debriefs. Host brief synchronous sessions (or asynchronous discussion forums) to discuss results, common challenges, and strategies for future improvement.
- Peer review and dialogue. Build peer-assessment components into final projects. Students engage meaningfully with each other’s work while applying evaluative criteria, extending their own learning in the process.
- Reflective discussion. End the course with a reflective discussion where students respond to instructor prompts about their growth, then receive your final feedback. This not only provides closure but also demonstrates ongoing faculty presence.
- Extended learning discussions. Encourage students to post examples of how they might apply course learning to research, internships, or professional settings. Commenting on those posts sustains RSI through meaningful academic dialogue.
When thoughtfully embedded, RSI activities transform the Evaluate/Extend phase into a conversation about learning, one that fulfills compliance expectations while embodying best practices in engagement and feedback.
Instructional Development works with faculty to…
- Explore, design, and experiment with different teaching and learning modes.
- Research and integrate technologies that can enhance teaching and learning.
- Design and develop online courses and programs.
- Write learning outcomes, design assessments, craft activities, and develop content.
- Utilize best practices for using instructional technologies.
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Attribution/Transparency Statement: Portions of this post were drafted with assistance from AI tools (ChatGPT). The Instructional Development team reviewed and revised all content for accuracy and appropriateness.