The document summarizes research on students' perceptions of learning-oriented assessment at the University of Hong Kong. Interviews with 54 students across various disciplines found that students preferred assessment tasks that offered flexibility and choice, mirrored real-world applications, and used a variety of assessment modes like projects over exams. Students also wanted clearer criteria and rubrics, as well as more exemplars to understand quality. While students found feedback helpful, they noted issues with timeliness and applicability across courses. The document concludes that student engagement with tasks, criteria, and feedback is central to implementing effective learning-oriented assessment.

1. David Carless,
AHE, Birmingham
June 25, 2015
The University of Hong Kong
Students’ responses to
learning-oriented assessment

2. OVERVIEW
1. Learning-oriented assessment
2. Research base
3. Students’ perceptions
4. Ongoing research agenda
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3. LEARNING-ORIENTED ASSESSMENT
 To tackle competing
priorities
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 circumnavigate
formative/summative divides
and

4. A FOCUS ON STUDENT LEARNING
 By prioritizing student learning as a key aim of
all assessment
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5. The University of Hong Kong
Learning-oriented assessment framework
Productive
assessment
task design
Student
engagement
with feedback
Understanding
quality in the
discipline

6. RESEARCH BASE
 90 individual interviews with 54 students in
various disciplines
 Architecture, Business, Geology, History, Law
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8. ASSESSMENT TASK FEATURES
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9. FLEXIBILITY & CHOICE
 Flexibility, choice and personal investment so
that students develop ownership
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10. MIRRORING REAL-LIFE
 Tasks which mirror real-life uses
of the discipline
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 Museum visit in History
 Designing a village
house in Architecture

11. MODES OF ASSESSMENT
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12. EXAMINATIONS
 A fair test but a modest learning experience
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13. GROUP PROJECTS
 Process versus product
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 Influence of ‘intensity of
grade-related desire’ (Carless,
2015)

14. OTHER TASK-RELATED ISSUES
 Variety in assessment
 One big task or several smaller tasks
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15. UNDERSTANDING
THE NATURE OF QUALITY
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16. CRITERIA & RUBRICS
 “Lists of criteria are all the same”
 “Vague … hard to understand”
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17. EXEMPLARS
 Exemplars are more concrete
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 More teachers should share
exemplars

18. ENGAGEMENT WITH FEEDBACK
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19. FEEDBACK ISSUES
 Timeliness & potential to be acted upon
 Not easy to transfer to other modules
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20. UNUSUAL COMMENT ON FEEDBACK
“My first semester grade is available but I
have decided not to look at it.
The process is the most important feedback, a
grade is less helpful …
I am looking for what I believe is right”
(Architecture student)
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21. CONCLUSION
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22. SUMMARY POINT
 Student response to:
 TASKS; CRITERIA; FEEDBACK
 central to implementing learning-oriented
assessment
The University of Hong Kong

23. ONGOING RESEARCH AGENDA
1. Dialogic use of exemplars
2. Longitudinal study of how students process &
use feedback
3. Assessment & feedback literacy for teachers
and students
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24. The University of Hong Kong