In contemporary higher education systems, the processes of assessment and feedback are often seen as coexisting activities. As a result, they have become entangled in both policy and practice, resulting in a conceptual and practical blurring of their unique purposes. In this paper, we present a critical examination of the issues created by the…

Many have suggested that performance grading may be a factor in the increasing number of students reporting having mental health issues, including feelings of stress. Gradeless learning has been shown to ease the pressure on students because it encourages a focus on learning rather than performance. Indeed, gradeless learning has been documented…

Bachelor thesis supervision involves a supporting goal and an assessment goal, requiring more guidance versus more autonomy and freedom for students, respectively. This paper tests the hypotheses that the final grade of undergraduate bachelor thesis is positively related to a supervisor's (a) guidance given to and (b) affiliation with the bachelor…

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, courses in higher education have increasingly been delivered via asynchronous online modalities. Although such modalities may allow instructors and students greater flexibility in how they engage with their courses, they increase the self-regulatory challenges learners experience. Students may feel less…

Motivated by falling levels of attendance at classes, this paper explores student reasons for non-attendance within Undergraduate Programmes at a post 1992 UK university. Questionnaires collected demographic profiling information and factors students thought influenced attendance. Closed questions established how important attendance was in…

The current field study investigated the weekly use of a reflective electronic (e-)portfolio by 1469 higher education students throughout a term and its effect on exam performance. Students' use of the e-portfolio elements as well as their self-reported use of several learning strategies were documented during a 9-week period. Regression analyses…

We examined the influence of accountability on the consistency of peer ratings and quality of peer feedback by comparing three conditions: only rating accountability, only feedback accountability, or both rating and feedback accountability. From a large undergraduate course, 287 students' peer ratings and peer feedback were coded for rating…

Feedback is critically important to student learning, but the reduced frequency of assignments combined with isolated or stand-alone tasks reduces the opportunity for students to engage with feedback and use it effectively to enhance their learning. Here, I evaluate student attainment during a module consisting of eight iterated tasks where the…

During the transition to university, early summative assessments may serve as powerful indicators of academic performance and perceived competence by students. How students learn in preparation for these assessments may be determinants of task-related experience and outcomes. The current study investigated the influences of learning strategies on…

The widespread use of technology has facilitated many changes in the education sector including higher education. Academic institutes are concentrating their efforts on measuring the level of student engagement and participation in online learning environments for student success. This paper analyses student log data to quantify the effectiveness…

First-degree course grades for a cohort of social science students are matched to their instructors, and are statistically decomposed into departmental, course, instructor, and student components. Student ability is measured alternatively by university acceptance scores, or by fixed effects estimated using panel data methods. After controlling for…

This paper studies which grading systems students choose for their degree projects when they are given the choice. Furthermore, the motivational factors behind making this choice are investigated. Student record data and a survey of students conducting their degree projects are used to study whether students prefer the Pass/Fail or A-F grading…

University faculty are frequently tasked with promoting academic honesty among students. However, there is little reliable evidence about whether faculty actions can prevent academic dishonesty. The purpose of this study is to examine whether more severe punishments from faculty can reduce academic dishonesty among students. We analyze nationally…

The concept of the "public university" has been widely promoted as the principal alternative vision for higher education to the neoliberal, managerialist model that currently prevails. However, if the public university is to serve as the holder for collective ideals of a just, sustainable and democratic future in higher education, then…

Research confirms the positive effect of collaborative learning environments when students are considered as one homogeneous group. Little has been done to provide a detailed view of the performance of subgroups of students within collaborative settings. This quantitative and longitudinal study uses survey responses to explore differences in the…