Self-directed learning

Assessment for Learning emphasises empowering learners to be judges of their own work and their own learning progress. This requires a level of metacognition, reflection and whole-person learning. Whether this is conceptualised as a more instrumental autonomy (taking responsibility for one’s own learning) or a more sociological agency, self-efficacy and reflexivity is fostered through opportunities to assess others and oneself (Falchikov, 2013).

Executive functions such as time management and understanding academic discourse are all examples of skills students need (and need help to develop) in addition to disciplinary knowledge in order to perform well in assessment and get the most of out their degree. Too much summative assessment and too little formative can make students take instrumental approaches, or worse, become passive and powerless to do other than what they are told.

This section provides a variety of assessment practices which emphasise self-evaluation, self-efficacy and metacognition around learning. All of these are oriented towards students taking more responsibility for and control over their education.