Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Abstract

In most parts of the world higher education is in demand like never before. As systems and institutions expand and diversify, more energy must be invested in ensuring that sufficient learning has been achieved to warrant the award of a qualification. Yet traditional approaches to assessment do not scale well, and given that assessment has yet to be modernized there remains a pressing need to transform this core facet of education. Accordingly, this chapter starts by analysing imperatives for improving the assessment of student learning outcomes. It introduces a model for reviewing progress in the field, and applies this model to several case study initiatives. This exercise yields findings that are distilled into recommendations for advancing assessment and thereby enhancing transparency hence the quality and productivity of future higher education.