Assessment matters in higher education : choosing and using diverse approaches

Assessment really does matter in higher education. Internationally academics are seeking better ways to assess students, recognizing that diverse methods are available which may solve many of the problems associated with the evaluation of learning. This volume provides both theoretical perspectives and pragmatic advice on how to conduct effective assessment. It draws clearly on both relevant research and on its contributors' practical first hand experience. Asking questions such as: how can assessment methods best become an integral part of learning?; what strategies can be used to make assessment fairer, more consistent and more efficient?; how effective are innovative approaches to assessment, and in what contexts fo they prosper?; to what extent can studentss become involved in their own assessment?; how can we best assess learning in professional practice contexts?

• Part 1 Systems approaches to assessment: institutional strategies for assessment
• innovations in student assessment - a system-wide perspective
• assessment and evaluation - a systems approach for their utilization
• using assessment strategically to change the way students learn. Part 2 Exploring the effectiveness of innovative assessment: why assess innovatively?
• the experience of innovative assessment - student perspectives
• biases in marking students' written work - quality? Part 3 Assessing practice: assessing practice
• assessment of key skills
• using portfolios for assessment in teacher preparation and health sciences
• group-based assessment - an evaluation of the use of assessed tasks as a method of fostering higher quality learning
• dimensions of oral assessment and student approaches to learning. Part 4 Towards autonomous assessment
• towards autonomous assessment - using self and peer assessment
• self and peer assessment
• peer assessment of undergraduate seminar presentations - motivations, reflection and future directions
• using peer and self assessment for the first time.