Learning Assessment Templates to Boost Student Self-Regulation and Accountability

Why 90% of your students would take an “A” without learning anything? What can you actually do about it?

Picture this: You walk into class and tell your students, "Everyone gets an A. But we never meet again. No readings, no assignments, nothing. You get the grade, but you learn nothing."

How many would take that deal?

A college writing instructor actually tried this experiment. In his first-year writing courses at a liberal arts college, usually 70% or more of students said they'd take the deal. When he taught sophomore literature at Clemson, the percentage was "routinely higher than ninety."

Translation: In some classes, nine out of ten students chose the grade over the learning.

If you're teaching university students right now, you probably just nodded - because you're living this reality every day.

Students aren’t unmotivated - they’ve been conditioned to follow rules, not curiosity. Years of grade-based learning have trained them to complete tasks, not to think independently.

Stop Assessing What They Know, Start Teaching Them How They Think

Here's the uncomfortable truth: You can't fix this by assigning more work. Your colleagues tried that. Students just... don't do it.

What students desperately need and what nobody's teaching them - is metacognition. The ability to see their own patterns, catch themselves sabotaging their learning, and actually regulate their behavior.

That's where self-assessment tools come in. Not as another assignment to grade. As mirrors.

1. The Self-Regulation Questionnaire

What it actually does: This tool asks students to examine how they approach difficult tasks. Questions like: "I usually keep track of my progress toward my goals" "My behavior is not that different from other people's". It’s 60+ item long questionnaire that can give insights on how you handle.

Why it works for YOUR students: That sophomore who turns in nothing and blames you for "not explaining it well enough"? They need to see their pattern: "I give up after 30 seconds of confusion." Just naming the pattern - "Oh, I don't actually have a strategy for when I'm stuck" - is step one.

You use this at the start of a course and again mid-semester. Students compare their own responses. The conversation isn't you telling them they're failing. It's them discovering: "Huh. I used to panic immediately. Now I have three things I try first."

The real power: It shifts the narrative from "I can't do this" to "I didn't have a strategy, but now I do."

2. Critical Thinking Self-Assessment

What it actually does: This critical thinking assessment makes students slow down and analyze how they made decisions. With questions like "I look for evidence before believing claims" "I consider issues from different perspectives" "I feel confident to present my own arguments even when it challenges the views of others"

Why it works for YOUR students: Remember that 90% who'd take an A for no learning? They've been conditioned to think school is about getting the right answer, not about the quality of their thinking.

This tool forces them to see: "Oh. I assumed I was bad at this before I even tried." Or: "I copied the format from the example without understanding why it worked." Or: "I never actually checked if my conclusion made sense."

Once they can see their thinking habits, they can improve them.

The real power: You can't regulate what you can't observe. This makes thinking visible.

3. Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI)

What it actually does: This is the big one. It guides students through planning, monitoring, and evaluating their own learning. Try our Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) here.

It makes you reflect on questions like "I ask myself periodically if I am meeting my goals.""I consider several alternatives to a problem before I answer".

Why it works for YOUR students: Your students "didn't necessarily hate writing. They were simply utterly bored by it. Churning out five-paragraph essay after five-paragraph essay had made them numb to the task".

They've been following prescriptions, yours, their high school teachers', the standardized test rubric, for so long that they've never built the habit of planning their own approach.

This tool, used repeatedly, builds that muscle. After a few weeks, they start asking themselves these questions automatically: "Wait, what's my strategy here? Am I making progress? Should I pivot?"

The real power: They internalize the monitoring loop. They stop waiting for you to tell them what to do.

The Bottom Line

Three self-assessment tools may not change habits overnight, but they can open the door to a mindset focused on growth rather than grades.

If you’re ready to help your students think, plan, and grow like independent learners, explore these Learning Assessment Templates on BlockSurvey. Sign Up now!