ABSTRACT
This special issue addresses the need to diversify mainstream forms of assessment currently used in higher education (HE) in order to re-establish the focus on the learning process. Making assessment central to student learning is about returning to what current research emphasises: the primary beneficiary of assessment should be the student. To achieve this in the assessment context, students and tutors must engage in a process of dialogue and feedback. It seems to be widely accepted, at least in educational research, that assessment succeeds when the learner monitors, identifies and then is able to ‘bridge’ the gap between current learning achievements and agreed goals. It is, however, more questionable whether adequate opportunities are given to the students to be active participants in closing what has been termed ‘the loop’.
