ABSTRACT
Assessment is indubitably one of the core educational concerns that intuitively, symbolically and realistically gets associated with the idea of burden and learning. Drawing from the relevant literature, contexts and experiences, this chapter attempts to trace the historical, sociocultural forces-in-play to foreground the link between assessment and learning. The larger purpose of assessment seems to be a moving target, from that of institutional gatekeeping to being an invariant in learning. In either case, accountability as the conceptual perspective circumscribes the notion of assessment. In contrast, the educational discourses not aligned with curricular and pedagogical aspects bring out the folly related to purposes and meaning in learning. While these contextual scenarios problematise concerns arising from a disjuncture between assessment and learning, one notices the emergence of alternatives favouring a counter-narrative to the notional understanding of burden due to assessment. Albeit promising, these alternatives require a break from the stereotypical and deeply entrenched viewpoints. Using the case example of teaching DNA to social science undergraduates, the chapter systematically engages with the idea of assessment as, for and of learning.
