Assessment, learning and judgement in higher education

Abstract

There has been a remarkable growth of interest in the assessment of student learning and its relation to learning processes in higher education over the past ten years. Much of the work has sought to explicate the relationship between assessment and learning, and to provide academics with examples of assessment practices that have been considered as successful in promoting learning as well as judging student's achievements. Other work has provided descriptions and frameworks for assessing what have come to be termed 'learning outcomes'. It is now timely to take stock of some of the critical concepts that underpin our understanding of the relationships between assessment and learning. This book makes a significant contribution to conceptualizing key aspects of assessment that are critical to learning, building on research conducted in the UK and Australia. It focuses on the role of assessment in directing student's study, provides feedback that is acted on by students to improve their work, and helps students to develop the capacity to evaluate the quality of their own work and improve it during its production. The book consists of chapters written by leading assessment scholars. Each chapter provides an in-depth examination of an aspect of the conceptual framework. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2009.