Article Gold Open Access 2024

Exploring student-centred assessment practices in higher education for developing adaptive graduates

Perspectives in Education
Journal · Vol. 42 · Issue 4 · pp. 153-170
Abstract

The last three decades have seen significant educational reform, which have influenced the transformation of assessment practices in higher education institutions (HEIs). In addition, various societal and global changes have required that higher education create adaptive graduates who acquire and develop higher-order skills which include problem-solving skills, critical thinking, creativity and autonomy. Thus, HEIs are expected to produce adaptive graduates to meet the demands of the current national and international society and workforce. Literature suggests that student-centred assessments (SCA) can promote such higher-order skills, which have also become known as 21st century skills. Since, assessment is an integral part to learning and instruction, the design of assessments have become an important aspect in HEIs. This entails HEIs adapting to the paradigm shift from traditional assessment methods to student-centred assessment methods. This study adopted a case study approach to explore staff and student’s experiences of student-centred assessments. The respondents for this study were the staff and students from a Faculty of Accounting and Informatics at a HEI in South Africa. The findings reveal that while staff and students support various SCA and activities, the implementation of these assessments are hindered by challenges faced by staff . The contribution of this paper is to emphasize how student-centred assessment (SCA) practices foster the development of adaptive graduates while addressing the challenges to their effective implementation. Furthermore, this paper is significant to policymakers, educators, and institutional leaders seeking to enhance assessment practices and prepare adaptive, future-ready graduates. © Creative Commons.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Higher education 21st Century Skills Student-centred assessment

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
References 10 References
1 Al-Khresheh, Mohammad Hamad, Teachers' Perceptions of Promoting Student-Centred Learning Environment: An Exploratory Study of Teachers' Behaviours in the Saudi EFL Context, Journal of Language and Education, 8, 3, pp. 23-39, (2022)
2 Teachers Perceptions and Concerns While Implementing Student Centred Teaching Strategies in the Classroom in Saudi Arabia, (2020)
3 Ashipala, Daniel Opotamutale, A qualitative descriptive enquiry of nursing students' experiences of utilising a portfolio as an assessment tool in nursing and midwifery education., Nurse Education Today, 109, (2022)
4 Biesta, Gert J.J., What is education for? On Good education, teacher judgement, and educational professionalism, European Journal of Education, 50, 1, pp. 75-87, (2015)
5 Bijsterbosch, Erik, Meaningful learning and summative assessment in geography education: an analysis in secondary education in the Netherlands, International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 26, 1, pp. 17-35, (2017)
6 Bremner, Nicholas, The multiple meanings of ‘student-centred’ or ‘learner-centred’ education, and the case for a more flexible approach to defining it, Comparative Education, 57, 2, pp. 159-186, (2021)
7 South African Journal of Higher Education, (2021)
8 Leveraging Project Based Learning to Promote Student Engagement in A Multimodal Learning Environment, (2022)
9 Foreign Language Learning in the Digital Age Theory and Pedagogy for Developing Literacies, (2022)
10 Pharmacy, (2019)
Quick Actions
Full Text via DOI
Citation Metrics
2
Times Cited (Scopus)

References 10
Document Identifiers