Rubrics play a crucial role in shaping educational assessment, providing clear criteria for both teaching and learning. The advent of online rubric platforms has the potential to significantly enhance the effectiveness of rubrics in educational contexts, offering innovative features for assessment and feedback through the creation of erubrics.…

A combination of institutional requirements and research activity means health profession students receive many requests to complete evaluations or participate in research. This study aimed to understand pre-clinical medical students' perceptions and attitudes towards these requests. A prospective audit of evaluation and research requests to…

Assessors' perspectives on their evaluative practices remain relatively under-researched. Given evidence that higher education assessment and feedback continue to be problematic, this paper proposes a specific methodological innovation with potential to contribute both to research and practice in this area. It explores the potential of a…

In the UK, all doctoral programmes are expected to include some form of periodic progression assessment, with individual institutions having autonomy to design and implement their own structures. Yet, despite the potential significance of this assessment to individual doctoral journeys, the design of progression assessment processes has previously…

Despite their widespread adoption and recognised benefits, rubrics have been critiqued for their potential misalignment with student needs. The voices of international students, who constitute a substantial portion of the higher education population, remain underrepresented. This study examines the perspectives of international undergraduate…

For over 30 years, the notion of authentic assessment in higher education has been adopted in academic practice, but it has managed to escape substantial critique. Although there have been multiple definitions and operationalisations of authentic assessment, current practice tends to foreground mimicking of work tasks. Authenticity cannot be…

This study examines the views of assessment of programme directors at a Portuguese public university (n = 60). Data were collected through a questionnaire which included closed and open-ended questions. The participants hold different professional categories and come from medical and health sciences, exact sciences, engineering and technology,…

In two-stage exams, students complete some academic work individually then immediately complete the same work again in small groups. Prior research shows that students perceive the dialogue they engage in at the group stage aids their individual learning. Outcome studies also suggest that engaging in dialogue benefits individual student learning.…

The aim of this study is to examine whether a preference for specific assessment methods in higher education is associated with personality and character strengths. Two-hundred and seventy Portuguese students completed a survey of character strengths, a Big Five personality test and their preference for each of six higher education assessment…

Rubrics are an assessment framework commonly employed in higher education settings; however, students can engage with and perceive them to be used in a variety of ways and with varying degrees of success. The aim of this research project was to explore these perceptions, to better understand how rubrics might be used to support students more…

This study explored the impact of gradeless assessment on student holistic development in higher education. By examining its influence on learning, motivation and engagement, the research addressed a gap in the literature and aligned with holistic education principles encompassing intellectual, emotional, social and physical well-being. Data from…

Research on assessment in the field of doctoral education remains an underexplored domain, particularly concerning the preconfirmation or probationary stage of candidature, when attrition is at its highest. We propose that the use of rubrics in this preconfirmation stage has the potential to improve feedback literacy and overall progression to…

In response to dissatisfaction with testing cultures in higher education, programmatic assessment has been introduced as an alternative approach. Programmatic assessment involves the longitudinal collection of data points about student learning, aimed at continuous monitoring and feedback. High-stakes decisions are based on a multitude of data…

Assessment is a key learning tool to drive deep and sustained learning and develop lifelong learning skills. Individually, continuous assessments and adaptive assessments have demonstrated potential to positively impact learning. An opportunity to combine continuous and adaptive assessment to enhance learning potential within a physiotherapy…

It is assumed that a programmatic approach to assessment supports students' self-regulated learning (SRL). This study investigated students' perceptions of this assumed support. Using a multiple-case study design, this study examined students' perceptions in two distinct study programmes. In each case, first-year students were enrolled in an…