Abstract: Amid the national effort to advance the cultivation of applied talents, this paper examines the current teaching practices of the residential area planning principles course and proposes a reform plan centered on formative assessment. Traditional outcome-based assessments fail to fully capture students'practical competencies and are insufficient in motivating their engagement throughout the learning process. To address these shortcomings, the course integrates formative assessment reforms, optimizing both the curriculum and pedagogical approaches. By implementing diversified evaluation criteria and adopting multidimensional assessment methods, the reform aims to comprehensively improve students'self-directed learning capabilities, practical skills, and sense of social responsibility, thereby aligning with the broader goals of applied talent development.

Key words: Applied talents, Residential area planning, Formative assessment, Teaching reform, Problem-based learning, Project-based learning