Scaling up

1. Towards deeper and more
sustained implementation of
Assessment for learning
Symposium, EARLI SIG 1
Munich, August 24, 2016
The University of Hong Kong

2. Aims
To review selected recent developments in
AfL in higher education …
… Through critical synthesis of relevant
research
And to chart prospects for enhanced
implementation and further research
The University of Hong Kong

3. Papers
1. Scaling up AfL (David Carless)
2. The use of rubrics to support AfL
(Anders Jonsson & Ernesto Panadero)
3. Technology-enabled AfL
(Phillip Dawson & Michael Henderson)
4. Discussant: David Boud
The University of Hong Kong

4. Themes
Need for:
•Critical perspectives going beyond
individual enthusiasm
•Larger scale studies of implementation
•More longitudinal research
The University of Hong Kong

5. The University of Hong Kong

6. Scaling up Assessment for
learning: issues and
prospects
David Carless
University of Hong Kong
The University of Hong Kong

7. Key themes
Defining AfL and its key strategies
Charting its spread
Examining facilitating / inhibiting factors for
scaling up AfL
The University of Hong Kong

8. AfL definition
Assessment for learning is any assessment
for which the first priority in its design and
practice is to serve the purpose of promoting
students’ learning (Black et al., 2004, p. 10)
The University of Hong Kong

9. 4 key strategies
Productive assessment task design
Feedback designs
Students understanding quality (criteria,
exemplars)
Students making judgments (peer review,
self-monitoring)
The University of Hong Kong

10. Scaling up (Coburn, 2003)
Spread
Depth
Sustainability
Shifts in ownership
The University of Hong Kong

11. Why scale-up AfL?
Research evidence
(Black & Wiliam, Hattie)
Dissatisfaction with current assessment &
feedback practices
The University of Hong Kong

12. Scale of AfL implementation
Breadth and depth of
impact on pedagogy
Geographical spread
University Assessment
policies
The University of Hong Kong

13. Increase in feedback research
AEHE
11 articles (3%) 1996-2005
65 articles (11%) 2006-2015
38 articles (2013-2015)
The University of Hong Kong

14. FACILITATING AND
INHIBITING FACTORS
The University of Hong Kong

15. Quality assurance
May identify weak or unpopular practices
May deter risk and innovation
The University of Hong Kong

16. Leadership
Commitment and
support
Resourcing and
rewards
The University of Hong Kong

17. Trust or distrust?
Distrust as barrier for assessment change
(Carless, 2009)
The University of Hong Kong

18. Assessment literacy
Need to enhance stakeholders’ assessment
(for learning) literacy (cf. Price et al., 2012)
The University of Hong Kong

19. Program-based approaches
Assessment mapping
Program-wide approaches to feedback
The University of Hong Kong

20. Communities of practice
The University of Hong Kong

21. Technology as enabler
Wide array of tools
Need for critical research-base & scaling up
of technology-enabled AfL (Dawson &
Henderson, 2017)
The University of Hong Kong

22. THANK YOU
See also: Carless, D. (2017). Scaling up assessment for
learning: Progress and prospects. In D. Carless, S.
Bridges, C.K.W. Chan & R. Glofcheski (Eds.),
Scaling up Assessment for learning in Higher Education.
Dordrecht: Springer.
The University of Hong Kong

23. The University of Hong Kong