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Project Design and Embedding Assessment in Project Based Learning

What is Project Design? Embedding Assessment in PBL and EL

Project Design covers the module outline, key student learning milestones and activities, including the Driving Question, Entry Event and End Product. Project Design is underpinned by curriculum standards, assessment points and student development of transferable skills. The project can be a part of or the whole of a module, and delivered through a single subject or cross curricular.

Embedding Assessment: Assessment is planned, embedded, and intentionally driven from the beginning when designing and planning the project. This is to ensure rigour, and importantly to align with wider school assessment and tracking systems. This unit covers off the main principles and things you should consider when planning assessment in project design.

In this toolkit section, principles of effective Project Design and Assessment are introduced. Self-guided resources are:

  • Video: Project Design:  PBL Works (2019) introduces project design, with tips to ensure assessment is embedded, and curriculum standards met.
  • Video: Assessment: PBL Works (2019) 5-minute video shows some of the ways teachers think about and embed assessment throughout the project.
  • Slides and Overview: Project Design and Assessment in PBL
  • Explore further: Additional resource links and videos to explore to support Project Design and Assessment, including rubrics and templates.

Quick Links for Project Design and Assessment in PBL

In this 4 minute video, PBL Works (2019) introduces project design, with  tips to ensure assessment is embedded, and curriculum standards met.

PBL Works (2019) 5-minute video shows some of the ways teachers think about and embed assessment throughout the project. It describes the use of protocols (agreed conversation guidelines) and rubrics (set of learning outcomes or guidelines that define student work expectations) to support formative assessment and develop peer feedback.

Step 2 Slide

Slides: Project Design and Assessment in PBL

A PowerPoint covering the main elements of project design and assessment. Its aim is to guide you through the initial process of addressing what students will do and how they will be assessed through the project.
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Overview: Project Design in PBL

An overview which covers the key elements of project design using PBL principles.
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Overview: Assessment in PBL

A detailed overview and introduction on how to build assessment into PBL and the projects being undertaken by students. Why and how to do it.

Project Design: Initial questions for teachers to consider when planning the project:

  • Key stage? Year group?
  • Area of the curriculum looking to cover through the project?
  • What do you want the students to learn? What knowledge, skills and understanding and key concepts do you want them to grasp through the project?
  • How many lessons can be allocated to the project?
  • What do you want the students to do?
  • What are initial thoughts on a possible end-product?
  • What are the smaller milestones within the larger project, what do students need to have achieved, show, or demonstrate to enable them to progress through the project?
  • How long will the project last?
  • How will students be assessed and when?
  • Make the assessment rubric available to students and refer to it.
  • Ensure there is ‘working time’ built into the project for students.
  • Students are clear on the deadlines and what they have to produce and by when.
  • Be clear on the protocols you will use for feedback and structuring the project.

Project Design: Planning assessment:

Formative and summative assessment must be planned when designing the project:

  • Planning ensures curriculum knowledge, understanding, and skills standards are met
  • Knowledge and skills build from prior learning.
  • Cross-curricular links have clear expectations of outcomes.
  • Learning steps are incremental and allow deep learning and mastery to occur through planned project steps.
  • Identifying key knowledge and skills milestones mean learning pace is maintained, and students do not fall behind.
  • Rubrics are given to the students from the projects inception so they are clear on how they will be assessed, and the curriculum which is being covered. Students are clear from the outset the outcomes which are expected through the project and from their end product.
  • Planned feedback strategies support ongoing formative assessment.
  • Student voice is embedded; oracy is developed through critique and reflection.

To ensure successful PBL - things to get ready and things to have to hand at the start of the project:

  • Project documents – these are really important - what are students being asked to do? What guidance are they being given?
  • Feedback and assessment are on-going – teach students as you go along, do not leave everything to the end. Make sure students are given opportunities to practice with formative assessment points prior to the end result and summative assessment and ‘end-product’.
  • Work time needs to be built in for students, so they have time to ‘do’ the work, research and background to complete the project to a high standard.
  • Scaffold the resources – don’t give them to the students all at once.
  • Have a project wall – What is the Driving Question? What do we need to know?
  • Calendar – make sure it is clear and shared with students – authentic deadlines.
  • Rubric available – students are clear from the outset on how they will be assessed and what they are being asked to do.
  • Check lists and deliverables available for students.
  • Be clear at the start what the ‘end’ product is.
And finally, complete the project yourself before it is given to students.

Explore Further:

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Rubric Planning Assessment - Phases of a Project

Rubric and key considerations when planning a project
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Proforma Project Planner

A pro forma template created by the Buck Institute to help in the planning of project.
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Overview: US examples incubator projects: Secondary age

Examples of PBL projects for inspiration from USA
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Overview: UK incubator projects: XP examples

Examples of incubator projects and Expeditions from XP Trust
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Quick Guide to Assessment in PBL

A quick guide to assessment in PBL covering the key questions you should ask when creating and delivering projects.
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Formative Assessment in PBL

How to build formative assessment into the PBL process.
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Co-produced rubrics for assessment

A quick guide to rubrics that detail the criteria and expected levels of performance for students and their product(s), what are given to students at the start of the project so they understand how and when they will be assessed.
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Feedback in Formative Assessment and PBL

An overview which gives guidance on formative assessment in PBL and best ways to feedback to students.
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Assessment Handbook XP School

How XP School assess students work - assessment handbook.
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Grade Card Example XP School

An example of a grade card assessment from XP

Check out this list of project design ideas and how to plan and design project sequences:

D School Stanford .(2023). Boot camp Bootleg –https://dschool.stanford.edu/resources/design-thinking-bootleg walks students through design process how to?

EduCurious. (2023). Project Based Learning. Available from: https://educurious.org/project-based-learning/

EL Education .(2023). Models of Excellence. Available from: https://modelsofexcellence.eleducation.org/

Envision Schools .(2006). Project Exchange www.envisionprojects.org/

High Tech High. (2023). Student Projects. Available from: www.hightechhigh.org/student-work/student-projects/

IEARN .(2023). International Education and Research Network) Global Collaboration Center Project Book. Available from: https://iearn.org/collaboration-center

PBL Works. (2023a). Gold standard Project Design. Available from: https://www.pblworks.org/what-is-pbl/gold-standard-project-design

PBL Works .*(2023b). Projects. Available from: https://my.pblworks.org/projects

PBL Works. (2023c).**. Project Based Teaching Rubric Available from: https://my.pblworks.org/resource/document/project_based_teaching_rubric

PBL Works. (2019). Project Based Teaching Practices Design and Plan. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdGTZ1tLhkQ

School 21. (2023). Beautiful Work Available from: https://www.school21.org.uk/sec-beautiful-work

XP Trust. (2023). Our expeditions. Available from: http://www.xpschool.org/our-expeditions/

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See below for more resources to support assessment in the UK teaching context:

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