Conceptions of self-assessment: What is needed for long-term learning?

Many writers have emphasised the general importance of student self-assessment in higher education. It has been argued that self-assessment should be a continuing focus throughout undergraduate education (Burgess et al., 1999) and a main goal of higher education (Dochy et al., 1999). The development of self-assessment ability is also recognised as a distinct outcome of higher education (Dearing, 1997; Stefani, 1998) and a critical educational tool for learning beyond university education (Tamir, 1999; Taras, 2001).