The assessment arms race and the evolution of a university’s assessment practices

Abstract

In this paper we examine the history and development of internal assessment practices at a university in New Zealand. The work re-visits the ‘assessment arms race’ study and builds upon the key arguments presented so far. It was discovered that student demand in the early 1970s triggered the introduction of internal assessment and workloads quickly increased to problematic levels. When the institution moved from year-long courses to a semester and module structure in the 1990s, there was a further increase, and assessment levels have remained high and unchanging since. There were differences between sciences and arts-type subjects which suggest signature assessment practices. The results are explained through the arms race metaphor and some practical suggestions for alternative practices are given that should stimulate further debate on the potential for transforming assessment across higher education.

Keywords:

• Internal assessment
• grades
• arms race
• staff–student ratios
• signature assessment pedagogies

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tony Harland

Tony Harland is Professor of Higher Education. He studies the purposes of a university education. Recent projects have looked at the concept of Powerful Knowledge, student peer review, assessment, teacher development and how students learn through doing research.

Navé Wald

Navé Wald is a Research Fellow with a particular interest in development studies. He brings his critical social science skills and perspectives to the field of higher education, researching themes such as academic freedom, authenticity, student peer review and assessment.