Towards signature assessment and feedback practices: a taxonomy of discipline-specific elements of assessment for learning

ABSTRACT

Through an extended commentary on the empirical articles in this special issue ‘Signature Assessment and Feedback Practices in the Disciplines’ we elaborate the concepts of signature assessment and signature feedback practices by developing a new taxonomy of their elements. We propose that signature assessments focus on conceptual, epistemological, social, material and/or moral dimensions of the discipline. We also propose four discipline-specific sources of feedback information, particularly highlighting what we are calling consequential feedback, which can be generated by users of disciplinary knowledge or objects. Finally, we identify three levels of feedback timings that can support students’ use of feedback information: rhythms, cycles, and spirals. Based on gaps in the literature in relation to this taxonomy, we identify areas for further empirical research that will advance understanding and application of signature assessment and signature feedback practices.

KEYWORDS:

• Signature assessment
• Signature feedback
• Assessment
• Feedback
• Discipline-specificity

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to two Executive Editors for their thoughtful review of and feedback on this commentary.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kathleen M Quinlan

Kathleen M Quinlan, PhD is a Professor in Higher Education and the Director of the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Kent, UK.  She is also a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her research interests are in discipline-specific aspects of teaching in higher education, values and ethics in teaching, and how educators can support students' interest and holistic development.  https://www.kent.ac.uk/cshe/people/staff/quinlan2.html

Edd Pitt

Edd Pitt,Phd is a Senior Lecturer in Higher Education and Academic Practice and Programme Director of the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education programme in the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Kent. He is also an Honorary Fellow at the Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning, Deakin University, Australia. His research interests are in assessment and feedback in higher education, with a particular focus on the relational and affect domains in feedback.  https://www.kent.ac.uk/cshe/people/staff/epitt2.html