Introduction

Measuring achievement has become the obsession of higher education. We use terms such as ‘deep’ and ‘surface’ to describe approaches to learning but more precisely they are approaches to assessment. Research of the last twenty years provides evidence that students adopt strategic, cue-seeking tactics in relation to assessed work and we know that in the UK at least, academic staff pursue research funding and publications with promotion and the research assessment exercise (RAE) in mind. Whatever we may think, assessment has become the currency with which we trade; the better the grade, the bigger and better the reward.