The case study reports on two projects that explored tutors’ and students' perceptions of assessment. Data from three Open and Distance Learning environments - King’s College London the external programmes of the University of London and the Open University (OU) – were collected.
A key focus of the exploration was to establish whether assessment activities in such environments are used to enhance dialogue interaction and collaborative work and consequently improve learning and how these activities are perceived by tutors and students. This case study puts forward a conceptual model of formative assessment and discusses how this can be made to work purposefully to support students in higher education.The objectives of the investigation were to:
- put forward a conceptual model of formative assessment based on the literature and explore whether this model has any implications for learning and teaching in ‘real’ environments
- promote an understanding of the significance of formative assessment by establishing and comparing attitudes to assessment amongst tutors and students
- identify current feedback practices and examine whether these practices support formative assessment.
The idea was that the projects would benefit assessment stakeholders in higher education in particular tutors students and policy makers. Participating tutors should be encouraged to reflect on assessment practices and support mechanisms and tools that are required for effective formative assessment. Those concerned here were distance learning tutors from a range of disciplines in the three participating institutions. A significant part of their role was to mark and comment on student work. Undergraduate and postgraduate students could benefit by engaging in dialogue in relation to feedback and participating in innovative assessment activities such as peer and self-assessment. In addition the outcomes could have an impact on policy by informing practice about different types of assessment and the use of more interactive feedback.
