2.4 Involving students in the assessment process

It is not only the teacher who can carry out assessment; students can also assess their own learning. Involving students in assessment this has the potential to empower them and lead to a greater commitment to learning and progress. Students are more likely to understand the learning goals and assessment criteria if they are discussed and devised with them rather than imposed on them. Students will also become more engaged in their learning, and will build their confidence in discussing work with peers in a reflective, collaborative process, which in turn will develop their metacognition skills.

This means encouraging students to review their work critically and constructively, and involving them in identifying the learning goals that they will work towards (see Black and William, 1998).

Involving students in the assessment process will be considered further in Section 3.