The institutional context for assessment

The functions and purposes of assessment (three key drivers that all need to be acknowledged):

• Feedback on learning (students and teachers)
• Measuring student learning for selection and progression decisions (students, teachers, institutions)
• Quality assurance and accountability issues (institution-wide responsibilities)

“Policy Aspects” of assessment (which need to address all the three drivers above)

• Manageability and Utility – the ‘nuts and bolts’ of assessment, including timing, managing feedback to students, tracking student progress, and so on.
• Validity – ensuring that assessments are valid and reliable, actually doing what is expected
• Equity – ensuring students are treated fairly and equitably across mode of instruction, campuses and programmes with appropriate consideration for issues of culture, language, disability and so on.
• Integrity – preventing and managing cheating; moderation issues

Overarching principles that should run through all of the TEO assessment policy aspects and purposes:

• Ongoing institutional reflection,
• Teaching staff development, and
• Engaging students in the assessment process.

Note these ideas are expanded in “Development Assessment Policy: a Guide for Tertiary Institutions" which will be available on this site shortly.