Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Education Sciences focuses on research and practice concerning assessment and evaluation in higher education. This Special Issue intends to contribute to this line of research, assuming that assessment and evaluation are crucial processes for the advancement of higher education.

Recent research on assessment in higher education shows that the most favored assessment methods continue to be examinations within a one- and only-time frame. Therefore, despite policy recommendations, student assessment continues to be mostly focused on a unique episode and much less aimed at promoting the development of students’ competences, which remain, in most cases, outside of the assessment process. The impact of assessment methods and tasks on students’ learning processes, including their motivation, engagement, and approaches to learning, is an important issue to be discussed. Assessment should be seen as an educational development process, rather than a final outcome or winning post. For these reasons, this Special Issue welcomes submissions regarding the different dimensions and forms of assessment within higher education. This includes topics related to assessment methods (formative and summative), assessment purposes (assessment of/for/as learning), rubrics assessment and the assessment of learning outcomes (knowledge and skills). In this line of research, we also acknowledge the need to develop research on the assessment of active learning approaches and new pedagogical methodologies, based on student-centered assessment practices, which include, but are not restricted to, self- and peer assessment and other assessment methods that engage students directly on their own assessment.

Currently, the challenges, strengths, and opportunities of online and virtual assessment, which were topics already on the research agenda, are now of greater concern due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with implications for all stakeholders. It is, therefore, relevant and urgent to bring new and alternative forms of assessment, also regarding distance learning, for higher education practitioners and stakeholders.

This Special Issue also understands the need for the continuous improvement, development and evaluation of higher education institutions (HEI). For this reason, in this Special Issue, we welcome research on the evaluation of HEI’s organizational management processes, evaluation of teacher performance, performance appraisal processes, evaluation of HEI performance, pedagogical innovation in HEIs, curriculum changes, evaluation of training programs and evaluation of institutional and inter-institutional practices of innovation.

Original and unpublished works reporting on empirical studies, research articles, reviews, case studies, and concept papers discussing this topic will be considered for acceptance in this issue. We look forward to your contributions!

Dr. Sandra Raquel Gonçalves Fernandes
Dr. Marta Abelha
Dr. Ana Teresa Ferreira-Oliveira
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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