Issues in learning and teaching: Assessment
- 2.1. Assessment is designed to guide and enhance student learning.
- 2.2. Student learning is assessed against learning outcomes and expected standards of performance.
- 2.3. Assessment provides credible information on student achievement.
- 2.4. Assessment is fair and provides all students an impartial opportunity to demonstrate their learning.
- 2.5. Assessment develops students’ abilities to evaluate their own and peer’s work.
Formative assessment
- Provides constructive feedback to students on their learning, for example by identifying strengths and weaknesses in their understanding and/or performance.
- Provides feedback to teachers about what students know and identifies misconceptions and difficulties students might be facing in their learning.
- Encourages and motivates learning.
Summative assessment
- Passes judgement on the standard of a student’s learning generally in terms of assigned marks and grades.
- Typically relates to a final submission, where students demonstrate the achievement of their intended learning outcomes.
- Has a role in credentialing students for degrees and professional practice.
Students value
In terms of assessment, students value- Clear expectations and transparency
- Clear links between lectures, tutorials, content and assessment tasks
- Timely and useful feedback
- Authentic tasks
- Autonomy – possibilities for negotiation (James, McInnis & Devlin, 2002)
Different types of assessments
Selecting the right type of assessment to include in your course depends on a number of factors such as the course learning outcomes, the student cohort, the program structure, your discipline and more.(Inspired by Takayana, 2012)ReferencesJames, R., McInnis, C., & Devlin, M. (2002). Assessing learning in Australian Universities. Ideas, strategies and resources for quality in student assessment. Melbourne: Centre for the Study for Higher Education, the University of Melbourne..Takayana, K. (2012). Cultivating connections throughout the academe: Learning to teach by learning to learn_. HERDSA 2012 Keynote, 3rd July, Hobart, Australia . (Brown University).UNSW Australia (2017). Assessment Policy.Wiliam, D. (2011). What Assessment can – and cannot – do. Pedagogiska Magasinet, Sept, 2011Talking point
- Name your discipline and list the most common types of assessment you use.
- Skim the list of assessment types that your co-learners have generated. Adopt one type of assessment from the list (that you do not normally use in your course) and propose how you could use it in your own discipline.
Want to know more?
If you would like to more about this topic of assessment there are additional resources listed in the Want to know more.pdf document for this step.Introduction to Learning and Teaching in Higher Education

Our purpose is to transform access to education.
We offer a diverse selection of courses from leading universities and cultural institutions from around the world. These are delivered one step at a time, and are accessible on mobile, tablet and desktop, so you can fit learning around your life.
We believe learning should be an enjoyable, social experience, so our courses offer the opportunity to discuss what you’re learning with others as you go, helping you make fresh discoveries and form new ideas.
You can unlock new opportunities with unlimited access to hundreds of online short courses for a year by subscribing to our Unlimited package. Build your knowledge with top universities and organisations.
Learn more about how FutureLearn is transforming access to education