How can we shift from assessment of learning to assessment for learning? Implementing self-assessment could be an answer to this challenge. This project explores how self-assessment is currently used at Utrecht University by means of a survey study among teachers and students and follow-up interviews with teachers. Therefore, this project creates a starting point for including self-assessment in an educational assessment strategy at Utrecht University.

Background information

Assessment of learning often involves student-created products (e.g. essays or reports) that are used to assess their learning. To shift the focus from assessment of learning to assessment for learning, self-assessment can help students determine what they have learned and how it is valued. Self-assessment enables students to monitor their progress, guide their next steps and enhance learning through the generation of internal feedback. Even though including self-assessment in an educational assessment strategy is a challenge, it could positively influence desired learning outcomes. Self-assessment strategies have been applied in small interventions, but larger-scale interventions with self-assessment are called for.

Project description

How self-assessment can be fitted into an educational assessment strategy depends on its current integration at Utrecht University. Therefore, this project helps to clarify how and where self-assessment is currently used at Utrecht University. To investigate this, surveys are distributed among teachers and students of all programs and faculties at Utrecht University. Additionally, follow-up interviews will be held with teachers who implemented self-assessment in their courses/program to get more insight in how they have implemented it and how it turned out.

Aims

This project aims to answer the following research questions:

• How and where is self-assessment of student products currently implemented in education at Utrecht University?
• How do teachers perceive the role of self-assessment in higher education, especially for their own courses/program?
• How do students see the role of self-assessment in higher education, especially for their own courses/program?

References

• Brown, G., & Harris, L. (2014). The future of self-assessment in classroom practice: Reframing self- assessment as a core competency. Frontline Learning Research, 3(1), 22-30.
• Köppe, C., Verhoeff, R. P., & van Joolingen, W. (2024). Elements for understanding and fostering self-assessment of learning artifacts in higher education. Frontiers in Education, 9.
• Panadero, E., Brown, G. T. L., & 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.