ABSTRACT
Assessment has run like a thread through this book. It has come up in many of the previous sections, and forms one element of the COSTAS checklist. Assessment may not be the be-all and end-all of education, which is arguably the learning and development of the student, but it is often the most pivotal aspect of teaching, usually the most formal, and always the most sensitive. It constitutes the formal currency or validation of learning, which is important both in terms of selection (for progression to further study or employment) and protection (as a licence to practise safely or competently). It refers back to the original aims or purpose of the course, and draws together all the aspects of its delivery such as methods, materials and environment. It can shape students’ approach to learning, affect their motivation and provide feedback (though sometimes too late). It also offers a measure of the output or efficiency of a course, although as we shall see in Section 26 only a partial or incomplete one. As noted before, assessment is thus in one sense the bottom line. If there are problems with it, they can have complex ramifications, so we have to consider it carefully. This section is concerned with what is assessed, and the next one (24) with how.
