Assessment for Learning

Assessment for learning is any assessment for which the first priority in its design is to promote student learning. Formative assessment plays a particularly important function in assessment for learning.

Why is it Important?

Assessment for learning focuses on the opportunities to develop students' ability to evaluate themselves, to make judgements about their own performance and improve upon it. In other words, it helps to develop student assessment literacy.Assessment for learning is inclusive and makes use of  authentic assessment methods and offers opportunity for students to develop their knowledge and skills to be successful at university and beyond.

Effective feedback to students is a vital component of assessment for learning, as students need to understand how modify their approach to reach a higher level of performance.

Assessment of Learning, widely referred to as summative assessment, meets the University's requirement that assessment regimes are fit for purpose and effective in measuring student attainment of the intended module and programme level learning outcomes.

What can I do?

When reviewing assessment practices, ask the following questions

What activities support students' assessment literacy, where they are guided on how to make judgements on their own performance and understand how to improve on it?

Is there a balance between formative and summative assessment and is this planned at a programme level?

Does feedback feed-forward?