Students’ Experiences of Assessment for Learning

Abstract

This chapter is based on 90 individual semi-structured interviews asking students about their experiences of assessment for learning in five disciplines: architecture, business, geology, history and law. Four features of assessment valued by students are discussed: assessment mirroring real-life uses of the discipline, flexibility and choice, developing understanding of expectations and productive feedback processes. A striking finding was student cynicism about rubrics or lists of criteria in contrast to their enthusiasm for exposure to exemplars of previous student work. Two challenging modes of assessment are also focal points for analysis: the assessment of participation and group assessment. Assessed participation through verbal and written means was perceived quite positively by student informants. Group assessment attracted mixed student views and might be enhanced by feedback processes involving interim reports of progress to discourage procrastination and free-riding. The chapter concludes with some discussion of how the analysis of exemplars and productive feedback designs could be scaled up and further investigated.