Assessment in higher education

Abstract

Assessment in higher education has two basic function, facilitating learning, and creating formal records of achievement for student transcripts. Grading is invariably inferential, and carried out within a framework that shapes how scores and grades are produced and interpreted. Two common frameworks are norm referencing and criterion referencing. Regardless of framework, how assessment programs are designed, tasks constructed, and student responses marked are crucial in achieving high-quality assessment. These involve not only technical but also social and ethical considerations. E-learning technologies are revolutionizing assessment, but properly deploying them requires insight into their assumptions, strengths, and limitations.