THE podcast: the tricky relationship between assessment and learning
Hear three US academic experts discuss what role assessment should play in higher education and how it can be improved
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Assessment is a cornerstone of most modern education systems and yet is it strictly necessary? If it is, what purpose should it serve and, thus, how should it be designed and delivered?
In this podcast episode, in seeking to answer these questions, we put assessment under examination. The nature of institutionalised education, how assessment can better serve learning, and the impact of grading and compliance all come under scrutiny.
We speak to:
Susan D. Blum is a professor of anthropology at the University of Notre Dame. An award-winning author and educator, she has written and edited 10 books, including a trilogy critiquing the way university teaching is delivered. The latest is Schoolishness: Alienated Education and the Quest for Authentic, Joyful Learning (Cornell University Press, 2024).
Catherine Wehlburg is president of Athens State University and president of the Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education.
Josh Eyler is director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and clinical assistant professor of teacher education at the University of Mississippi. He has written highly regarded books on the science of learning; his latest is Failing our Future: How Grades Harm Students and What We Can Do about It (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024).
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Additional Links
More insight on assessment in higher education can be found in our spotlight guides:
