ABSTRACT
Before assessing any phenomenon it is necessary to know what it is and what it is for. Hence, in this chapter we describe the nature of student learning and some approaches to the study of learning that are relevant to its assessment. We then explore the nature of skills and propose a simple robust model that may be used to clarify different aspects of learning. The chapter ends with a discussion of various taxonomies that are available for designing courses and assessment tasks. Readers who are interested in an extended discussion of learning are referred to Denicolo et al. (1992) and Entwistle (1992). Ramsden (1992) provides a discussion of assessment for the purposes of learning and Otter (1992) provides a stimulating discussion of approaches by different subject areas.
