Assessment in higher education is a complex path to navigate, with unexpected twists and turns. Although many studies project the positive outcomes of assessment for learning, the outcomes do not always match the intention. Even when formative assessment is well-planned, the implementation may take such a toll, leaving a lecturer physically…

The George Mason University (Mason) offices responsible for institutional reporting and assessment were merged to strengthen and solidify their functions and expertise. The organizational structure creating the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning (OIEP) was intended to engineer a new paradigm where assessment would inform the…

Studies of global university rankings often assume that rankings as Anglo-American policy scripts have an increasing influence resulting in a convergence of policies and practices, or that the ideas of rankings continue to diverge into national types. In this article, we take a middle ground by arguing that when an idea of ranking is grounded in a…

This paper discusses a 12-week, 15-credit module taught to second year undergraduates during semester 2 of 2017-18 academic year. The module, entitled 'Deschooling', aimed to explore notions of emancipatory and critical pedagogy, control and coercion in the education system. Rather than 'teach' these concepts as abstract academic theory, I aimed…

In response to the shifting educational landscape and the growing emphasis on responsibility and quality, quality assurance systems in higher education have experienced significant modification throughout time. These systems are essential for assuring the delivery of high-quality educational programmes and preserving the standing and reputation of…

Evaluation is a crucial part of the teaching and learning process in any higher education institution and one that has gone through a deep change. This has been particularly true since the Bologna Declaration (http://www.ehea.info/page-ministerial-conference-bologna-1999, 1999) ushered in the European higher education area, with the subsequent…

Change is a constant in academia, instructional design, delivery, and assessment strategies. Academics must adapt to ensure a continuum of courses that meet learning objectives. This qualitative case study was an exploration of the perceptions, experiences, and strategies used by faculty in higher education institutions who experienced…

This paper explores the practice of ungrading, a movement embraced by a growing number of teachers and professors who see the process of grading as disconnected and sometimes counter to the learning goals they have for their students. We discuss the limitations of traditional grading systems in the United States, mainly in the way that grading is…

One of the main challenges higher educational institutions encounter amid the recent COVID-19 crisis is transferring assessment approaches from the traditional face-to-face form to the online Emergency Remote Teaching approach. A set of language assessment principles, practicality, reliability, validity, authenticity, and washback, which can be…

In this second volume of the successful "Exemplars of Assessment in Higher Education," editors Souza and Rose share examples of assessment practice from over fifteen distinct and diverse higher education institutions, including international contributions. Building upon the work of the first volume, the case studies in this book reflect…

In order to use assessment findings for learning improvement, it is essential to improve the validity of these data. When an assessment is distributed across numerous course sections with multiple faculty members acting as assessors, issues arise concerning validity and calibration. To address these concerns, we created a training program to…

Across higher education, educational developers and their supporting campus communities are being called upon to scale up evidence-informed practices, to enhance student experiences, and to document the changes. This article builds on the work of scholars who have taken up this evaluative challenge, by examining varied aspects of the evidencing…

In the shift to Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning (ERT&L) during the COVID-19 pandemic, remote assessment and feedback became a major source of discontent and challenge for students and staff. This paper is a reflection and analysis of assessment practices during ERT&L, and our theorisation of the possibilities for shifts towards…

The aim of this article is to illuminate and discuss evaluation and evaluation systems in relation to the pace of change. It is argued that evaluation promotes and accelerates change. The article will thus contribute to a critical scrutiny of evaluation as a societal phenomenon and as a widespread practice in education. To accomplish this aim, the…

This chapter provides a systematic, synthesizing, and critical review of the literature related to assessments of creativity in education from historical, theoretical, empirical, and practical standpoints. We examined the assessments used in the articles focusing on education that are published from January 2010 to May 2021 in eight creativity,…