Towards More Formative Assessment in Higher Education

Abstract

This course paper re
ects on some of the assessment methods most frequently encoun-
tered in higher education. It brie
y summarizes advantages and challenges of the methods
and relates them to the SOLO taxonomy framework and examines in how far dierent meth-
ods promote deep learning or surface learning. In the nal section, some steps are presented
for reallocating weight from summative assessment methods to formative methods that to a
greater extent promote deeper learning. It is concluded that it is important to follow a thread
in the course design and help the students to see its whole picture. Care has to be taken that
the chosen assessment methods do not fragment a course but follow the thread laid out by
the course design.