Andrea Lunsford says:
[T]he more writing, the more—and better—learning. In addition, research strongly suggests that a number of short writing assignments—with clear response from peers and instructors—are more beneficial than the one-shot, end-of-term assignment that is still ubiquitous at the college level.
I hated those one-shot writing/testing assignments.
I hate those too. I want to know what I need to do to improve. And I like to see my progression.
On the other hand I do not like a lot of assignments with minimal feedback. I put in a lot of effort and do not get to gauge my progress.