Models of self-assessment

Maddalena Taras (2010): Student self-assessment: processes and consequences,

Teaching in Higher Education, 15:2, 199-209

This paper examines models of self-assessment in higher education (HE).

This paper examines the basic process of each model and what tutors provide to

learners in the way of training, support and materials for learners to carry out the

self-assessment.

‘self-evaluation’ and ‘self-appraisal’

The defining characteristics of self-assessment is the involvement of students in

identifying standards and/or criteria to apply to their work and making judgements

about the extent to which they have met these criteria and standards. (Boud 1991, 5,

in Boud 1995, 12)

Self-assessment has been shown to support student learning.

Within this framework, involvement of learners at all stages and at all levels of decision

making (or at least explain the decisions) is a critical aspect which supports learning.

essential premise of including learners in assessment.

Self-marking at its most basic can be seen as a behaviourist model of learning because it takes a model answer as a frame and compares it systematically to the learners’ work.

Sadler (1989) notes the use of a range of exemplars has been shown to help learners to understand the requirements of assessment.

self-assessment is a continual cycle which should focus learners on producing work to their maximum potential and that the final piece of work would in fact not have a note of weaknesses as these would have been addressed.

On the other hand, reducing the pressure of the graded context may be more conducive

The Learning Contract Design (LCD) was developed in the context of self-directed learning (Boyd, Adeyemi-Bero, and Blackhall 1985; Cowan 1984, 1988)

This model was developed in the mid-1980s and is one of the few and earliest examples where graded assessment is placed in the hands of the learners and where the student’s mark contributes to the final student grades.

What is particularly interesting and unique about this experiment is that it is within a holistic context of both learning and assessing,

supporting learner autonomy and independence in assessment would be a logical and expected procedure, particularly since it reflects the rhetoric and aims of HE

Self-marking at its most basic can be seen as a behaviouristic model of learning because it takes a model answer as a frame and compares it systematically to the learners’ work.

The standard model would be on the mid-line of the continuum with potential for moving in either direction depending on learning involvement.

the standard model which is essentially separate from the tutor assessment and permits learners to consider their work against criteria and standards, and has the advantage of encouraging learner independence.