Assessing PBL in PBL spirit

It is important to design the assessment of problem-based learning (PBL) aligning to its learning process and outcomes defined. One is to assess the end of a learning process and report on a student’s learning, which is called summative assessment. The formative assessment is used through the collection of data along the course of a student’s learning journey, to appraise current performance and adjust the learning as well as instruction. Any assessment instrument applied for PBL should support the central concept of PBL, which is contextual learning, constructive learning, & collaborative learning. Hence the assessment in PBL should be both a process- & product-based approach.