ABSTRACT
In Chapter 2 we reviewed some of the main purposes of assessment. One purpose discussed was premised on the view that assessment was the means through which the various stakeholders – students, potential employers, funding agencies, etc – were informed of the progress and achievements of students, collectively as well as individually, as measured against the various course outcomes, implicit as well as explicit. Explicit outcomes of a course are often stated in terms of student learning: what the successful student should be expected to know, understand or be able to do at the end of a component or course. These outcomes may be expressed rather generally – aims and objectives – or by statements which encompass greater specificity, for example, criterion statements or descriptions in terms of a particular competence.
