In my unqualified opinion having gone through academia to get a master’s degree in engineering, graded homework or assignments are way too simple for quantifying understanding of a subject.

For what it’s worth I think, at least from my perspective having gone through a STEM education, it should be broken down into the following categories:

Exams

Open book, reference-sheet, or closed book depending on the subject and the desired objective.

Closed book

Closed book exams work well for simple questions where it is more about memorising a method or theory that will be required to be memorised when the subject is applied for quick thinking. For example V = I / R for calculating voltage, current, and resistance and Kirchoff’s law: the sum of all currents into and out of a node must equal zero.

Then lots of these little questions and problems can be presented and it can be marked via a weighted measure of both how many you got correct and how many you did with no expectation that you would finish all of the questions exam paper.

There should only be a one of these types of exams in a given academic year and it should make up the smallest percentage of the grade for the year.

Reference Sheet

Reference sheet exams work well as an in-between for when you want to test memorised knowledge of how to apply a method or theory but not memorising of what that theory is. For example, the quadratic formula for finding the roots of a quadratic equation.

I’d say that a max of two exams of this type is suitable making up the next largest percentage of the grade and with the expectation that students can finish all the questions on the exam.

Open Book

Open book exams are perfect for essay style exams or exams with a few big problem questions which require the application of two or more theories / methods to get a (correct) answer.

These exams should be the largest percentage of exam grades from the year as these are about the students demonstrating their ability to find the knowledge they need in their reference sources (text books, literary works, etc.) and apply it in a long form answer with lots of working out or justification shown. Finding and thinking critically about information is a more pertinent skill in the modern day than just memorisation.

Coursework / Labwork

This should be ongoing throughout the academic year with the workload co-ordinated between subject teachers to ensure the students aren’t overwhelmed perhaps split into half-year and quarter-year sections, with one solo piece and one group piece.

It will allow the students to demonstrate group work and independent learning, with assistance from the teachers if the students require guidance. Ideally it should be a mixture of theoretical and practical with a written report of the outcomes or essay to reflect how the knowledge is applied in the world outside of academia.

To combat an over-reliance on Wikipedia, ChatGPT, etc. a portfolio of marked up reference materials should also be submitted. This isn’t just citing a source in the correct format you found on Wikipedia, a copy of the page(s) with the relevant text highlighted or a website print out or photographs or videos, anything to show that you have gone and done the work.

Depending on the subject, this should ideally be the largest contribution to your overall grade as it is the method that best demonstrates an understanding of a subject.

Presentations

This category encompasses everything from presenting and defending a thesis, demonstrating physical skill by showing something the student made, to delivering training of learnt knowledge.

This is key because no matter the subject, a student should have some ability to pass on the knowledge they have learnt to other students.

This assesment format has the most freedom in how the assessment should be performed and marked and will differ the most between subjects.

Finding a balance between these is key but if this framework was applied throughout the whole of a student’s time in academia from primary school to university and give the students some agency in how they approach the learning then the education system would produce better students who are able to find how to engage with the subjects and therefore produce work to the best of their ability.