The effects of programme assessment environments on student learning

The project undertook studies of contrasting assessment environments in order to explore students' learning responses to features and perceptions of assessment environments at the programme level.

This project developed a methodology and a version of the Assessment Experience Questionnaire (AEQ) that could be used to characterise assessment environments at the programme level that are capable of distinguishing between programmes, between disciplines and between institutions. It them used them to study undergraduate degree programmes in science, humanities and applied social science in each of three types of university: Oxbridge, Pre-1992 and Post-1992. By characterising disciplinary and institutional assessment environments, describing students’ learning responses in these environments, and examining the relationship between the two, conclusions are drawn about features of assessment environments that appear to be associated with positive learning responses.