Notes:

Hello, I’m David Nicol from the University of Strathclyde. This online conference grew out of the Reengineering Assessment Practices (REAP) project that I have been directing over the past two years. I have given this talk the title ‘Principles of Assessment: theory and practice’ because this draws out some of the thinking behind the REAP project. As background, through the REAP project we have been piloting new models of assessment practices supported by technology across three Scottish Universities. So far, we have redesigned some 22 modules involving over 6000 students across a range of different disciplines.

I have always been interested in how assessment is conceptualised and in how this translates into practice. My remit over many years has been to work collaboratively with academic staff from different disciplines on educational improvement projects. REAP might be seen as one example of this work. I believe that in redesigning assessment, you need to formulate good arguments for yourself and for others about why the changes proposed might be worthwhile but you also have to pay attention to what happens in practice and use that to inform your thinking about theory. Some years ago I formulated some principles of assessment as a way of framing my own thinking and to make sense of practice. It is the development of this thinking that I wish to explore in this presentation.