Process assessment is a method of evaluating the process of a task or activity, as well as the product of the task. The process refers to how a learner went about completing a task or achieving an outcome, while the product is the end result of a process. For instance, in a programming class, if a student is asked to write a program to solve a word problem, and the emphasis of the evaluation is on the end result, i.e., whether or not the program works (an example of a summative assessment), the assessment is susceptible to plagiarism. On the other hand, if the student is asked to build the same program but the emphasis for evaluation is on the student’s explanation of how they broke down the problem and how they coded the solution, then the focus is placed on whether the student acquired the knowledge and skills necessary to create the program. This type of assessment is called formative assessment .
Here’s an example of learning competencies for a process-oriented performance-based assessment:
Task: Recite a Poem by Edgar Allan Poe, “The Raven”
Objectives: The activity aims to enable students to recite a poem entitled “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe .