Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book deals with a chapter by Helen King, who provides a critical overview of the higher education policy context, focuses on the UK and including a wider international perspective. It offers an overview of the progress that has been made in the first decade of the twenty-first century using assessment and feedback to improve student learning. The book considers how feedback plays a vital role in developing the skills valued by employers and explores the value of developing student confidence, resilience and flexibility. It provides provocation to the way in which assessment in higher education supports the development of skills that are respected by employers. The book examines students’ ability to process especially negative emotions when receiving grades that may mismatch their expectations, seeks to develop students’ feedback literacy and their ‘proactive recipience’.