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Rust's 7(9) principles of good practice in assessment

Principles from:
Chris Rust (2007) "Towards a scholarship of assessment"
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education vol.32 no.2 pp.229-237

All courses should:

  1. [Alignment] be required to be designed according to the principles of constructive alignment, namely that there should be clear and explicit linkage (alignment) "between teaching method and assessment to the learning activities stated in the objectives so that all aspects of this system are in accord in supporting appropriate student learning" (Biggs, 1999, p. 11). Or as the Quality Assurance Agency succinctly recommend, there should be "effective and appropriate measurement of the achievement by students of the intended learning outcomes" (QAA, n.d., general principle 6)
  2. [Anxiety] ensure that
    1. the workload is realistic and
    2. the assessment is non-threatening and non-anxiety provoking (Gibbs, 1992, and others)
  3. [Authenticity] engender intrinsic motivation through relevant "real world" assessment tasks, tasks which require active engagement by the student, and by providing a choice of tasks (e.g., Brown et al., 1994)
    1. pace student learning and
    2. ensure there are sufficient formative tasks (Brown et al., 1994)
  5. structure skills development (e.g., Gibbs, 1981)
  6. allow for "slow" learning and early failure (Yorke, 2001)
  7. include explicit guidelines on giving effective and prompt feedback (QAA, code of practice).

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