Rethinking assessment in higher education: Learning for the longer

In this review of Rethinking assessment in higher education: Learning for the longer term, the authors examine how assessment shapes student learning and argue for integrating teaching, learning and assessment to support lifelong learning. The book is recommended for academics, assessment designers and policy makers who want a critical, evidence-informed view of assessment practice. Its single biggest contribution is reframing assessment as an act of informing judgement, which shifts emphasis from short-term measurement to preparing students for ongoing learning beyond graduation.

Key Features

• Assessment as influence: Explains the substantial evidence that assessment, rather than teaching alone, strongly directs student attention and learning priorities.
• Value-laden perspective: Discusses how assessment is embedded in debates about academic standards, employment preparation and institutional incentives so readers can locate practices in wider contexts.
• Informing judgement: Proposes viewing assessment as an act of informing judgement to make feedback and decisions more constructive for learners.
• Integration approach: Argues for ways to integrate teaching, learning and assessment so students develop capabilities useful across their careers.
• Policy and practice relevance: Written for practitioners and policy makers, the book draws implications for institutional assessment strategies across different countries.

Who It's For

This book is aimed at higher education teachers, assessment designers and institutional leaders who need a thoughtful, research-informed framework for redesigning assessment to support long-term learning. Those responsible for assessment policy will find the arguments useful when advocating for changes to sustain graduate capabilities.

Readers looking for step-by-step technical rubrics or quick classroom templates may need to supplement this with practical guides, since the focus is conceptual and evidence-based rather than a manual of ready-to-use assessment instruments.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Clear evidence-based emphasis that assessment influences learning, which helps refocus course design.
• Strong conceptual framing of assessment as informing judgement, useful for staff development and policy discussion.
• Relevant to institutional policy makers with an interest in aligning assessment, teaching and employability goals.

Cons

• Not a practical toolkit; readers seeking immediate templates or checklists may find the material theoretical.

Specifications

Title	Rethinking assessment in higher education: Learning for the longer term
Authors	David Boud and Nancy Falchikov
Scope	Assessment theory and policy in higher education
Primary focus	Assessment as informing judgement and guiding learning
Audience	Practitioners and policy makers in higher education
Geographic relevance	International examples and implications for different countries

Our Verdict

Rethinking assessment in higher education is a thoughtful, well-argued book for educators and policy makers wanting to shift assessment toward lifelong learning. It is good value for those seeking a research-grounded framework to redesign assessment practices, though practitioners requiring immediate templates should pair it with more practical resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the book offer practical templates for assessment?
The focus is conceptual and evidence-based, so it provides frameworks and arguments rather than step-by-step templates.

Who will benefit most from reading this book?
Higher education teachers, assessment designers and policy makers will gain the most from its arguments about integrating assessment, teaching and learning.

Is this relevant outside one country or system?
Yes; the book addresses assessment in different countries and offers implications for international higher education contexts.