Curious how faculty use assessment to activate and check students’ prior knowledge? Discover the Background Knowledge Probe, a quick and effective teaching technique. Learn how to implement it in your next course session and check out our resources on how to get started.

The Penn State Eberly College of Science has acquired a college-wide license for Gradescope, available for instructor use beginning in January 2026. Gradescope is an online grading platform that supports paper-based, digital, and coding assignments; speeds up rubric-based grading; and provides question-level analytics that can inform course and assessment design.

Gradescope can help instructors provide more consistent feedback, manage grading more efficiently in large-enrollment courses, and identify common student difficulties across questions or learning outcomes.​

The Digital Toolkit for Instructors serves as a comprehensive, one-stop digital resource designed to help educators explore, select, and implement digital tools that align with their teaching objectives. This toolkit is a dynamic platform that provides valuable insights and practical guidance on the use of various digital tools, coupled with the pedagogical purposes for which they can be harnessed.