Abstract
This chapter discusses how assessment, often highlighted as the most stressful part of students’ educational experience, can be used to support students, their learning and development. Many scholars and practitioners today refer to assessment for learning, instead of assessment of learning and emphasise the role of clear, fair, transparent and holistic assessment practices to support students. Peer assessment and self-assessment are also commonly used to engage students in assessment and expand their assessment and feedback literacy, necessary also for future working lives. Another crucial part of any assessment is providing detailed feedback, or feedforward, in which the focus is to help students learn from the feedback, take action and develop their skills and competencies through the process.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Adzima, K. (2020). Examining online cheating in higher education using traditional classroom cheating as a guide. Electronic Journal of E-Learning, 18(6), 476–493. https://doi.org/10.34190/JEL.18.6.002
Banta, T. W., & Palomba, C. A. (2014). Assessment essentials: Planning, implementing, and improving assessment in higher education (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Bearman, M., Dawson, P., & Tai, J. (2020). Digitally mediated assessment in higher education: Ethical and social impacts. In M. Bearman, P. Dawson, R. Ajjawi, J. Tai, & D. Boud (Eds.), Re-imagining university assessment in a digital world (pp. 23–36). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41956-1
Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2011). Teaching for quality learning at university: What the student does (4th ed.). Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press.
Bloxham, S. (2013). Building ‘standards’ frameworks: The role of guidance and feedback in supporting the achievement of learners. In S. Merry, M. Price, D. Carless, & M. Taras (Eds.), Reconceptualising feedback in higher education: Develo** dialogue with students (pp. 64–74). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203522813
Bloxham, S., & Boyd, P. (2007). Develo** effective assessment in higher education: A practical guide. McGraw-Hill Education.
Boud, D. (2000). Sustainable assessment: Rethinking assessment for the learning society. Studies in Continuing Education, 22(2), 151–167. https://doi.org/10.1080/713695728
Boud, D. (2014). Shifting views of assessment: From secret teachers’ business to sustaining learning. In C. Kreber, C. Anderson, N. Entwistle, & J. McArthur (Eds.), Advances and innovations in university assessment and feedback (pp. 13–31). Edinburgh University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780748694556
Boud, D., & Molloy, E. (2013). What is the problem with feedback? In D. Boud & E. Molloy (Eds.), Feedback in higher and professional education (pp. 1–10). Routledge.
Boud, D., & Soler, R. (2016). Sustainable assessment revisited. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 41(3), 400–413. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2015.1018133
Bourke, R. (2018). Self-assessment to incite learning in higher education: Develo** ontological awareness. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(5), 827–839. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2017.1411881
Brookhart, S. M. (2013). How to create and use rubrics for formative assessment and grading. ASCD.
Brown, S. (2015). Learning, teaching and assessment in higher education: Global perspectives. Palgrave.
Cachia, M., Lynam, S., & Stock, R. (2018). Academic success: Is it just about the grades? Higher Education Pedagogies, 3(1), 434–439. https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2018.1462096
Carless, D. (2015). Excellence in university assessment: Learning from award-winning practice. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315740621
Carless, D., & Boud, D. (2018). The development of student feedback literacy: enabling uptake of feedback. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(8), 1315–1325. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1463354
Carless, D., Bridges, S. M., Chan, C. K. Y., & Glofcheski, R. (Eds.). (2017). Scaling up assessment for learning in higher education. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3045-1
Carroll, J. (2009). Plagiarism as a threat to learning: An educational response. In G. Joughin (Ed.), Assessment, learning and judgement in higher education (pp. 115–131). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8905-3
Carvalho, A. (2013). Students’ perceptions of fairness in peer assessment: Evidence from a problem-based learning course. Teaching in Higher Education, 18(5), 491–505. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2012.753051
Chang, B. (2019). Reflection in learning. Online Learning, 23(1), 95–110. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v23i1.1447
Chen, C. H. (2010). The implementation and evaluation of a mobile self-and peer-assessment system. Computers & Education, 55(1), 229–236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2010.01.008
Cho, K., & MacArthur, C. (2010). Student revision with peer and expert reviewing. Learning and Instruction, 20(4), 328–338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2009.08.006
Crisp, G. (2020). Assessment: New developments in design, marking and feedback. In S. Marshall (Ed.), A handbook for teaching and learning in higher education: Enhancing academic practice (5th ed., pp. 61–71). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429259500
De Grez, L., Valcke, M., & Roozen, I. (2012). How effective are self- and peer assessment of oral presentation skills compared with teachers’ assessments? Active Learning in Higher Education, 13(2), 129–142. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787412441284
Deepwell, F., & Benfield, G. (2012). Evaluating assessment practices: The academic staff perspective. In L. Clouder, C. Broughan, S. Jewell, & G. Steventon (Eds.), Improving student engagement and development through assessment (pp. 59–72). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203817520
del Campo, C., Urquía-Grande, E., Pascual-Ezama, D., Akpinar, M., & Rivero, C. (2020). Solving the mystery about the factors conditioning higher education students’ assessment: Finland versus Spain. Education+. Training, 62(6), 617–630. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-08-2019-0168
Elkington, S. (2020). Assessment: Understanding the basics. In S. Marshall (Ed.), A handbook for teaching and learning in higher education: Enhancing academic practice (5th ed., pp. 72–80). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429259500
Eva, K. W., Armson, H., Holmboe, E., Lockyer, J., Loney, E., Mann, K., & Sargeant, J. (2012). Factors influencing responsiveness to feedback: on the interplay between fear, confidence, and reasoning processes. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 17(1), 15–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-011-9290-7
Falchikov, N. (2005). Improving assessment through student involvement: Practical solutions for aiding learning in higher and further education. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203220993
Falchikov, N., & Boud, D. (2007). Assessment and emotion: The impact of being assessed. In D. Boud & N. Falchikov (Eds.), Rethinking assessment in higher education (pp. 154–166). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203964309
Flint, N. R., & Johnson, B. (2011). Towards fairer university assessment: Recognizing the concerns of students. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203836705
Gardner, J. (2012). Introduction. In J. Gardner (Ed.), Assessment and learning (2nd ed., pp. 1–7). Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446250808
Gibbs, G. (2010). Using assessment to support student learning. Leeds Met Press. https://eprints.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/id/eprint/2835/1/
Grainger, P. (2020). The efficacy of the continua model as an alternative grading tool: Student voices. In P. Grainger & K. Weir (Eds.), Facilitating student learning and engagement in higher education through assessment rubrics (pp. 41–55). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Hailikari, T., Postareff, L., Tuononen, T., Räisänen, M., & Lindblom-Ylänne, S. (2014). Students’ and teachers’ perceptions of fairness in assessment. In C. Kreber, C. Anderson, N. Entwistle, & J. McArthur (Eds.), Advances and innovations in university assessment and feedback (pp. 99–113). Edinburgh University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780748694556
Harrington, B., & Hall, D. T. (2007). Career management & work-life integration: Using self-assessment to navigate contemporary careers. Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483329345
Hepplestone, S., & Chikwa, G. (2014). Understanding how students process and use feedback to support their learning. Practitioner Research in Higher Education, 8(1), 41–53. https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/1490/
Hounsell, D. (2007). Towards more sustainable feedback to students. In D. Boud & N. Falchikov (Eds.), Rethinking assessment in higher education (pp. 111–123). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203964309
Jääskelä, P., Nykänen, S., & Tynjälä, P. (2018). Models for the development of generic skills in Finnish higher education. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 42(1), 130–142. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2016.1206858
Knight, P. T. (2002). Summative assessment in higher education: Practices in disarray. Studies in Higher Education, 27(3), 275–286. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070220000662
Kumpulainen, K., & Lankinen, T. (2016). Striving for educational equity and excellence: Evaluation and assessment in Finnish basic education. In H. Niemi, A. Toom, & A. Kallioniemi (Eds.), Miracle of education: The principles of teaching and learning in Finnish schools (pp. 69–82). Sense. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-776-4
Kvale, S. (2007). Contradictions of assessment for learning in institutions of higher learning. In D. Boud & N. Falchikov (Eds.), Rethinking assessment in higher education (pp. 57–71). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203964309
Li, H., **ong, Y., Hunter, C. V., Guo, X., & Tywoniw, R. (2020). Does peer assessment promote student learning? A meta-analysis. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 45(2), 193–211. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2019.1620679
Lindblom-Ylänne, S., Pihlajamäki, H., & Kotkas, T. (2006). Self-, peer-and teacher-assessment of student essays. Active Learning in Higher Education, 7(1), 51–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787406061148
López-Pastor, V., & Sicilia-Camacho, A. (2017). Formative and shared assessment in higher education: Lessons learned and challenges for the future. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(1), 77–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2015.1083535
Lynam, S., & Cachia, M. (2018). Students’ perceptions of the role of assessments at higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(2), 223–234. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2017.1329928
Mannion, J. (2021). Beyond the grade: The planning, formative and summative (PFS) model of self-assessment for higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.1922874
McConlogue, T. (2020). Assessment and feedback in higher education: A guide for teachers. UCL Press. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10096352/1/Assessment-and-feedback-in-higher-education.pdf
McDowell, L. (2012). Assessment for learning. In L. Clouder, C. Broughan, S. Jewell, & G. Steventon (Eds.), Improving student engagement and development through assessment (pp. 73–85). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203817520
McDowell, L., & Sambell, K. (2014). Assessment for learning environments: A student-centred perspective. In C. Kreber, C. Anderson, N. Entwistle, & J. McArthur (Eds.), Advances and innovations in university assessment and feedback (pp. 57–72). Edinburgh University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780748694556
Mellar, H., Peytcheva-Forsyth, R., Kocdar, S., Karadeniz, A., & Yovkova, B. (2018). Addressing cheating in e-assessment using student authentication and authorship checking systems: Teachers’ perspectives. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 14(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-018-0025-x
Molloy, E., & Boud, D. (2013). Changing conceptions of feedback. In D. Boud & E. Molloy (Eds.), Feedback in higher and professional education (pp. 11–33). Routledge.
Molloy, E., Borrell-Carrió, F., & Epstein, R. (2013). The impact of emotions in feedback. In D. Boud & E. Molloy (Eds.), Feedback in higher and professional education (pp. 50–71). Routledge.
National Union of Students. (2010). Assessment and feedback benchmarking tool. https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaas/focus-on/nus-assessment-and-feedback-benchmarking-tool.pdf
Nicol, D. (2013). Resituating feedback from the reactive to the proactive. In D. Boud & E. Molloy (Eds.), Feedback in higher and professional education (pp. 34–49). Routledge.
Numminen, A., & Talvio, M. (2009). Hyvä oppimisilmapiiri ja opiskelijan kohtaaminen [Good learning atmosphere and meeting the student]. In S. Lindblom-Ylänne & A. Nevgi (Eds.), Yliopisto-opettajan käsikirja (pp. 123–136). WSOY. https://doi.org/10.31885/9789515150325
Panadero, E., Brown, G. T., & Strijbos, J. W. (2016). The future of student self-assessment: A review of known unknowns and potential directions. Educational Psychology Review, 28(4), 803–830. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-015-9350-2
Patchan, M. M., & Schunn, C. D. (2015). Understanding the benefits of providing peer feedback: How students respond to peers’ texts of varying quality. Instructional Science, 43(5), 591–614. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-015-9353-x
Pokorny, H. (2021). Assessment for learning. In H. Pokorny & D. Warren (Eds.), Enhancing teaching practice in higher education (pp. 69–90). Sage.
Prosser, M., & Trigwell, K. (1999). Understanding learning and teaching: The experience in higher education. Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press.
Race, P. (2019). The lecturer’s toolkit: A practical guide to assessment, learning and teaching. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429060205
Rolim, C., & Isaias, P. (2019). Examining the use of e-assessment in higher education: Teachers and students’ viewpoints. British Journal of Educational Technology, 50(4), 1785–1800. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12669
Ruuskanen, L. (2020). Vilppitapaukset yliopistoissa lisääntyneet korona-aikana – etätenttikäytännöissä parannettavaa [Fraud cases have increased in universities during Covid – remote exam practices need to be improved]. YLE News, 8.12.2020. https://yle.fi/a/3-11685262
Sambell, K., McDowell, L., & Montgomery, C. (2012). Assessment for learning in higher education. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203818268
Scriven, M. (1967). The methodology of evaluation. In R. W. Tyler (Ed.), Perspectives of curriculum evaluation (pp. 39–83). Rand McNally.
Smith, L. F., Hill, M. F., Cowie, B., & Gilmore, A. (2014). Preparing teachers to use the enabling power of assessment. In C. Wyatt-Smith, V. Klenovski, & P. Colbert (Eds.), Designing assessment for quality learning (pp. 303–323). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5902-2_19
Struyven, K., Dochy, F., & Janssens, S. (2005). Students’ perceptions about evaluation and assessment in higher education: A review. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 30(4), 325–341. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602930500099102
Suskie, L. (2018). Assessing student learning: A common sense guide. Jossey-Bass.
Tan, K. (2007). Conceptions of assessment: What is needed for long-term learning? In D. Boud & N. Falchikov (Eds.), Rethinking assessment in higher education (pp. 114–127). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203964309
Taras, M. (2013). Feedback on feedback: Uncrossing wires across sectors. In S. Merry, M. Price, D. Carless, & M. Taras (Eds.), Reconceptualising feedback in higher education: Develo** dialogue with students (pp. 30–53). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203522813
Taras, M. (2016). Situating power potentials and dynamics of learners and tutors within self-assessment models. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 40(6), 846–863. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2014.1000283
Tuomainen, S. (2016). A blended learning approach to academic writing and presentation skills. International Journal on Language, Literature and Culture in Education, 3(2), 33–55. https://doi.org/10.1515/llce-2016-0009
Tuomainen, S. (2017). Role of reflection in blended learning language courses in higher education. In 16th European conference on e-Learning conference proceedings (pp. 520–526). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320701944_Role_of_Reflection_in_Blended_Learning_Language_Courses_in_Higher_Education
Tuomainen, S. (2021). Academic English reading skills to support Finnish nursing science students. Nursing Education, Research, & Practice, 11(2), 32–37. https://nerp.lsmuni.lt/academic-english-reading-skills-to-support-finnish-nursing-science-students
Tuomainen, S. (2022). Using reflection and self-analysis to develop university students’ presentation skills. Journal of Academic Language and Learning, 16(1), 76–90. https://journal.aall.org.au/index.php/jall/article/view/831
van Ginkel, S., Gulikers, J., Biemans, H., & Mulder, M. (2017). The impact of the feedback source on develo** oral presentation competence. Studies in Higher Education, 42(9), 1671–1685. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1117064
Ventayen, R. J. M. (2023). ChatGPT by OpenAI: Students’ viewpoint on cheating using artificial intelligence-based application. SSRN, 4361548. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4361548
Villarroel, V., Boud, D., Bloxham, S., Bruna, D., & Bruna, C. (2020). Using principles of authentic assessment to redesign written examinations and tests. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 57(1), 38–49. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2018.1564882
Walker, M. (2013). Feedback and feedforward. In S. Merry, M. Price, D. Carless, & M. Taras (Eds.), Reconceptualising feedback in higher education: Develo** dialogue with students (pp. 103–112). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203522813
Weir, K. (2020). Understanding rubrics. In P. Grainger & K. Weir (Eds.), Facilitating student learning and engagement in higher education through assessment rubrics (pp. 9–23). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Wilson, M. J., Diao, M. M., & Huang, L. (2015). ‘I’m not here to learn how to mark someone else’s stuff’: An investigation of an online peer-to-peer review workshop tool. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 40(1), 15–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2014.881980
Yan, Z., Li, Z., Panadero, E., Yang, M., Yang, L., & Lao, H. (2021). A systematic review on factors influencing teachers’ intentions and implementations regarding formative assessment. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 28(3), 228–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594X.2021.1884042
Yonker, J. E. (2011). The relationship of deep and surface study approaches on factual and applied test-bank multiple-choice question performance. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 36(6), 673–686. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2010.481041
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Tuomainen, S. (2023). Supportive Assessment and Feedback Practices. In: Supporting Students through High-Quality Teaching. Springer Texts in Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39844-5_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39844-5_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-39843-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-39844-5
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)