Designing assessments and evaluating student learning is an important step in the education process. Effective assessments, however, serve a much more significant purpose than simply providing a means of determining a student’s grade for the course. When assessments are intentionally developed and implemented, they provide another opportunity for student learning, a chance for instructors to gauge the level of learning taking place in the classroom, and an opportunity to recognize and correct for common misconceptions (Adams, 2011; Handelsman, et al., 2007). While assessments are often only considered in the final stages of a course, or course design, continual and ongoing assessment can promote and diagnose learning (Huba & Freed, 2000). In fact, an ongoing assessment that not only checks for but also promotes learning is one of the most impactful practices for learning gains (Black & Wiliam, 1998). Designing effective assessments requires attention to the diversity of learners and allows all students a chance to show progress towards learning goals. Such an approach also fosters an inclusive learning environment my accounting for diverse experiences and skills, which is an aim of this course (Handelsman, et al., 2007). While assessments can be graded, this is not always the case, and assessments can stand on their own as a means of gauging learning in the classroom and goal achievement. In designing effective assessments instructors should focus on two elements: 1. What behavior reflects understanding and 2. Criteria to differentiate between levels of understanding (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). With this in mind, I have incorporated a variety of assessment techniques into this unit such as brainstorming, case studies, minute papers, class discussions, presentations and problem-solving. Each assessment is coordinated with central learning goals and objectives as well as related learning activities. The goal with these assessments is to gauge learning and development of critical thinking skills in students.