Transparency in Assessment – Exploring the Influence of Explicit Assessment Criteria

Book excerpt: In many schools and higher education institutions it has become common practice to share assessment criteria with students. Sometimes it is required for accountability purposes, at other times criteria are used as a means to communicate expectations to students. However, the idea that explicit assessment criteria should be shared with students has been contested. On the one hand, research has shown that explicit criteria may positively affect student performance, reduce their anxiety, as well as support students’ use of self-regulated learning strategies. On the other hand, there are fears that explicit criteria may have a restraining influence on students’ learning, as well as limiting their autonomy and creativity. There are also indications of students becoming more performance oriented, as opposed to learning oriented, when being provided with explicit assessment criteria. Taken together, it is not fully understood under which circumstances it is productive for student learning to share explicit assessment criteria, and under which circumstances it is not. In particular, empirical research on the proposed negative effects of sharing criteria with learners is limited and most fears voiced in the literature are based on individual experiences and anecdotal evidence. In this book, we therefore bring different perspectives on transparency in assessment together, in order to further our understanding of how students are influenced by the use of explicit assessment criteria. A deeper understanding of the influence of explicit assessment criteria on students’ understanding of criteria, motivation, and learning is equally imperative for future research and educational practice, both of which need to go beyond individual opinions and convictions.