Centre for Academic Practice, Trinity Teaching & Learning

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When we think of assessment, we might typically think of exams, assignments or essays, where the purpose of assessment is to measure student learning for progression or certification. However, in recent years our understanding of assessment has evolved and it is now generally recognised that assessment serves a range of purposes and importantly, plays a key role in driving and influencing students’ learning (Brown & Race 2012). With this in mind, one of the most important roles of assessment is to enhance student learning and prepare students for life and work as a Trinity graduate.

To make full and effective use of our assessment strategies, we also need to engage students in the assessment process and develop their assessment literacy. This involves developing a shared understanding of the purposes of assessment, standards expected and how academic judgements are made during the assessment process.

This section aims to help you:

  • define what is meant by assessment literacy.
  • distinguish between summative and formative assessment types.
  • identify the purpose of your assessments and the role they play in supporting and enhancing student learning.

Click on the links below for more information.

At its broadest level, ‘assessment literacy’ is a term that refers to a one's understanding of the language of assessment (Stefani 1998; Smith et al. 2013, 44; Price et al. 2012). Assessment literacy is an evolving and all-encompassing concept and is commonly used to refer to one’s

  • understanding of the relationship between assessment and learning.
  • understanding of the nature and meaning of assessment criteria and standards.
  • familiarity with established and newer assessment strategies and techniques.
  • understanding of academic integrity and plagiarism.
  • capacity to undertake self- and peer-assessment.
  • ability to design and implement assessment tasks appropriate to learning outcomes.

Developing assessment literacy in partnership with students plays an important role in supporting and enhancing student learning. For example, students can gain valuable skills such as self-evaluation and meta-learning (learning about how you learn), skills which not only help them progress at university but are very useful in their future careers. The Trinity Graduate Attributes highlight the importance of skills such as these.

The Trinity Graduate Attributes

Trinity GAs.jpg

Assessment can serve a range of purposes and it plays a key role in driving student learning. The scope and purpose of assessments is commonly conceptualised in three ways:

  • Assessment OF Learning
  • Assessment FOR Learning
  • Assessment AS Learning

The concept that underpins all three terms is that they are all used to facilitate student learning. And while the goals and purpose of each type of assessment might vary, they are not mutually exclusive - some assessments may incorporate elements of more than one type.

The image below represents the three overlapping purposes of assessment, followed by an explanation of each.

1. Assessment OF Learning - To demonstrate achievement.

Assessment OF Learning is when the main goal of the assessment process is to get a “snapshot” insight into a student's performance or achievement at any point in time. These assessments are usually graded, high-stakes assessments that count towards a student's final mark.

2. Assessment FOR Learning - To give feedback.

Assessment FOR Learning is assessment that is concerned with giving feedback on teaching and student learning. These assessments may be graded or ungraded – either way, their main purpose is to give students feedback in order to help them learn and to improve their performance in future assessments.

3. Assessment AS Learning – To self-regulate & critically evaluate.

Assessment AS Learning is assessment and activities that empower and engage students to become better learners. The focus here is on developing students' skills in assessing their own work so that they may set their own learning goals and monitor their progress towards them.

This form of assessment occurs throughout the learning process as students reflect on, and evaluate their own work, sometimes with the guided support of a lecturer. It may also involve peer assessment where a student evaluates their peer's work against a set of pre-defined criteria (or a rubric).

Assessment AS learning is an important link to a student's life after College. Being able to critically examine your own work and recognise how you might improve it is a key skill for any life long learner in their chosen career.

In addition, assessment is often broken down into two main types: Summative and Formative. To make the most of your assessments, it is helpful to understand the ways in which you might use summative or formative assessments within your modules.

Formative Assessment:

  • The main goal is to INFORM: to give students an idea of how they are progressing so far, and to help students target areas to work on in the future.
  • Provides an opportunity for students to receive feedback on their work.
  • Typically not graded or may have a small value towards a grade.

Summative Assessment:

  • Provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate the sum of their learning, in particular their achievement of the learning outcomes associated with a module or programme.
  • The main goal is to evaluate, and get a “snapshot” insight into, a student's performance or achievement.
  • Usually graded, high-stakes assessments that count towards a student's final mark e.g. end-of-semester examinations.

Key Takeaways

To maximise the effectiveness of assessment strategies, it is essential to actively involve students and build their assessment literacy, a shared understanding of assessment purposes, standards, and academic judgement.
Assessment literacy refers to the ability to:
     • Understand how assessment supports learning.
     • Interpret assessment criteria and academic standards.
     • Recognise a range of traditional and digital assessment methods.
     • Uphold academic integrity.
     • Engage in self and peer assessment.
     • Align tasks with intended learning outcomes.

Assessment serves three main functions: OF, FOR, and AS learning. In digital environments, while methods may evolve, core purposes and standards remain consistent.

  • Brown, S.& Race, P. (2012) Using effective assessment to promote learning: a learner-centred approach. In Hunt, L and Chalmers, D. University Teaching in Focus. 1st Ed. London: Routledge (pp.74-91) 
  • JISC (2016) Transforming assessment and feedback with technology. London: JISC 
  • National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning in Higher Education (2017) Expanding our Understanding of Assessment and Feedback in Irish Higher Education.  
  • O’Farrell, C. & McEvoy, E. (2018) Encouraging self-assessment in a digital context PDF(PDF 868KB). 
  • O’Farrell, C. (2017) Assessment for Lifelong Learning (PDF 13,451KB). 
  • Price, M., C. Rust, B. O’Donovan, K. Handley, R. Bryant. 2012. Assessment Literacy. Oxford: Oxford Brookes University. 
  • Smith, C.D., Worsfold, K.,  Davies, L., Fisher, R., & McPhail, R (2013) Assessment literacy and student learning: the case for explicitly developing students’ ‘assessment literacy’. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 38, no. 1: 44-60. 
  • Stefani, L.A.J. (1998) Assessment in Partnership with Learners. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 23, no. 4: 339-350. 
  • Wride, M. (2017) Guide to Peer Assessment PDF (PDF 3,544KB). Peer assessment can dramatically reduce the marking load on academic staff and allow them to devote their time to other aspects of teaching and learning. This pamphlet aims to introduce formative and summative peer assessment to academics who are considering implementing peer review in their teaching. It provides a ‘theory into practice’ approach and outlines techniques and examples for using formalised peer assessment more directly in the design of curricula and for making its use more explicit in the classroom.
  • Wride, M. (2017) Guide to Student Self Assessment(PDF 3,657 KB). Self-assessment is defined as ‘the involvement of learners in making judgements about their achievements and the outcomes of their learning’ and is a valuable approach to supporting student learning, particularly when used formatively. Self-assessment supports student learning and is one of the most important skills that students require for future professional development and life-long learning, as it develops their capacity to be assessors of learning. This pamphlet introduces self-assessment to academics who are considering implementing it in their teaching. It provides a ‘theory into practice’ approach and outlines techniques and provides examples for integrating self-assessment more directly in the design of curricula. It argues for making its use in the classroom more explicit in order to help students learn more effectively.