Approaches to Assessment that Enhance Learning in Higher Education

This book addresses the need to diversify mainstream forms of assessment currently used in Higher Education in order to re-establish the focus on the learning process. Making assessment central to student learning is about returning to what current research emphasises: the primary beneficiary of assessment should be the student. To achieve this in the assessment context, students and tutors must engage in a process of dialogue and feedback. It seems to be widely accepted that assessment succeeds when the learner monitors, identifies and then is able to ‘bridge’ the gap between current learning achievements and agreed goals. It is, however, more questionable whether adequate opportunities are given to students to be active participants in closing what has been termed ‘the loop’.

Contributors to this book have responded in different ways to the challenge of enhancing learning through assessment, offering reasons for the lack of focus on learning within assessment processes as well as suggesting possible solutions. The chapters demonstrate a balance between innovation and practicality, drawing on the underpinning theories. The result is both rich in discussion and an extremely useful resource for practitioners.

This book was originally published as a special issue of Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education.

Stylianos Hatzipanagos is the Head of eLearning at the King's Learning Institute, King's College London, UK. His research portfolio includes formative assessment and e-assessment, computer mediated communication and computer supported collaborative work, social software and social networking in an educational context. He has recently edited two books on social media and digital identities.

Rebecca Rochon is a Senior Lecturer at Buckinghamshire New University, UK, and part of the University’s Learning Development Unit. She is an active open and distance learning practitioner, and is heavily involved in the development and implementation of a variety of transitional programmes aimed at supporting entry into higher education.