[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-598838-105":59,"doc-detail-598838-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","bento-and-buffet-two-approaches-to-flexible-summative-assessment","Bento and Buffet - Two Approaches to Flexible Summative Assessment","","The practice-sharing paper compares two models of flexible summative assessment, “bento” and “buffet,” and links them to learning-centered, learner-directed approaches in higher education. It explains how bento schemes keep assessment common to all students while varying grade weighting during the term, whereas buffet schemes give students choice from a menu of individualized assessments and weightings. The discussion evaluates (dis)advantages and the balance between instructor workload and high-value learning experiences across disciplines.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/bento-and-buffet-two-approaches-to-flexible-summative-assessment/598838/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/bento-and-buffet-two-approaches-to-flexible-summative-assessment/598838.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"jay","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":29},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is the bento approach to flexible summative assessment?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"In the bento approach, students receive the same assessments, but they can use different grade weighting schemes that may be changed during the term.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What is the buffet approach to flexible summative assessment?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"In the buffet approach, students individualize assessments by choosing from a broader menu of options, and they may also help determine due dates and grade weighting for each task.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"How does the paper evaluate trade-offs between workload and student learning?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"It outlines advantages and disadvantages of each model and frames the central dilemma as balancing instructor workload with learning-centered, high-value student experiences and clear learning outcomes.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},598838,1792192630,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":29,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":39,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":46},3985747858866,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","Bento and Buffet: Two Approaches to Flexible Summative Assessment  \nNicky Didicher  \nSimon Fraser University  \nThis practice-sharing piece outlines two main approaches to flexible summative assessment schemes, includingfor each approach one example from my practice and another from a published study. The bento approach offers the same assessments to all students but a variety of grade weighting schemes, allowing students to change weighting during the term. The buffet approach offers students choice of individualized assessmentsfrom a menu of possibilities and individualized grade weighting. I outline some (dis)advantages of each approach, exploring the dilemma of balance between instructor workload and high-value student learning experiences.  \nIntroduction  \nIn Hiteachgher-edriEdurectecadtion todayparadigms,atereasclhinowlgy-cgenivitenrgedwaaydo  \nthe learning-centered and learner-directed. While Pascarella and Terenzini (2005) conclude that“educational settings and approaches defined by the teacher-centered and teacher-directed paradigm are, if not flawed, at least incomplete and demonstrably less effective than other approaches to education”(p. 646), they recommend incorporation rather than replacement:  \nThe discussion should not be about replacing the old with the new but rather about enhancing the old and augmenting the current array of instructional tools. The challenge is to find ways to encourage the incorporation of these enhancements and new pedagogical approaches into our institutions. (p. 647)  \nThe new approaches Pascarella and Terenzini (and numerous others) emphasize are “innovative, active, collaborative, cooperative, and constructivist”learning (p. 646), and focus more on assessment for learning than on assessment of learning.  \nKnight (2007) says that summative assessment “as currently practiced, is deeply flawed and not conducive to future learning” (p. 72), and  \nGordon (2008) believes that “the assessment industry of the future will be concerned with testing only as it serves and advances education” (p. 4) . Much learning-centered teaching in Higher Education in North America is nevertheless still embedded within educational institutions focused on the assessment of learning, requiring instructors to assign grades and often to demonstrate whether our students have reached quantifiable educational goals/learning outcomes. In this paper, I address approaches which postsecondary instructors can use to develop summative assessment practices that will both satisfy administrators and better help our students to become lifelong, active, engaged, critical, selfreflexive learners.  \nIndeed, summative assessment, even when mainly assessment of learning, should have a beneficial effect on student learning, engagement, and motivation to learn. It should also be valid for purposes linked to learning outcomes and have enough scope to allow students at different levels of mastery to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding, skills, and judgement. Is it possible for summative assessment to be innovative in ways that will promote high-value learner-directed and learning-centered student experiences?  \nLet us envision a spectrum from fully student-directed learning to fully teacher-directed  \nlearning. On the student-directed end we have assessment schemes in which each student negotiates major aspects of the grade with the teacher: i.e. tasks, timelines, weightings, methods of assessment (e.g. who does the assessing), and marking criteria. On the more traditional end of this spectrum, we have assessment schemes entirely teacher-determined and uniform for all students in a learning group. Studies such as that by Pacharn, Bay, and Felton (2013) suggest that increasing flexibility in grading systems leads to increased student engagement and learning. However, student-directed assessment, while workable in small cohorts, can be extremely challenging for the class sizes most postsecondary instructors teach. There are numero","cbCain98LuwIamEU","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCain98LuwIamEU","pdf",192161,"English","# Introduction\n## Spectrum of learner-directed vs teacher-directed learning\n# The Bento Approach\n## Identical assessments with varying grade weighting","[{\"question\":\"What is the bento approach to flexible summative assessment?\",\"answer\":\"In the bento approach, students receive the same assessments, but they can use different grade weighting schemes that may be changed during the term.\"},{\"question\":\"What is the buffet approach to flexible summative assessment?\",\"answer\":\"In the buffet approach, students individualize assessments by choosing from a broader menu of options, and they may also help determine due dates and grade weighting for each task.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the paper evaluate trade-offs between workload and student learning?\",\"answer\":\"It outlines advantages and disadvantages of each model and frames the central dilemma as balancing instructor workload with learning-centered, high-value student experiences and clear learning outcomes.\"}]","Bento and Buffet - Two Approaches to Flexible Summative Assessment | PDF",1792087692]