Measuring changes in higher-order cognition through the assessment of complex knowledge over time

Abstract

This article examines how much ‘complex knowledge’ is assessed during a university degree and the extent to which a student has the opportunity to develop this. We conceptualise complex knowledge as any type of assessment that requires students to create and evaluate knowledge, and for which they may receive formative feedback. Such activities are associated with developing higher-order cognition, a set of skills that is poorly understood in the context of modular degree structures. The study analysed the foundational documents of 1135 modules between 1999 and 2018, and looked for the proportion of complex knowledge being assessed, as well as the weight assigned to the final examination and the number of internal assessments per module. Findings show a clear increase in the frequency of assessments involving complex knowledge over time in both Science and HSSC (humanities, social sciences, commerce) subject groups. Complex knowledge was also more prevalent in second- and third-year modules. We argue that more attention needs to be devoted to the quality of assessment in terms of its potential for enabling students to develop higher-order cognition. The study opens up important conversations about the appropriate amount of higher-order learning that a university graduate should experience.

Keywords:

• Complex knowledge
• assessment
• final examination
• formative feedback
• curriculum design

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.