Enhancing self-regulation through assessment: Facilitators and Barriers related to student and staff perceptions

The capacity for effective independent ‘self-regulated’ learning (SRL) is fundamental to Higher Education, but is a skill that undergraduate students often struggle to develop (Bjork et al., 2013). In particular, a key graduate attribute for a successful independent learner is the ability to self-critique or self-evaluate their own work. Assessment practices have the potential to either promote this self-regulation (by encouraging students to be active agents in the activity) or limit it (by placing the students as passive participants in the activity) (Panadero et al, 2017). There are a range of institutional facilitators and barriers to developing assessment practices that support student selfregulation (Evans et al. 2019). Similarly there are differences in the educational cultures or different national contexts, so these facilitators and barriers will vary between national sectors (Schneider & Preckel, 2017). Some factors are institutional (Schneider & Preckel, 2017) and others are based on personal experiences and perceptions (Pekrun et al., 2002). The aims of this research are to identify the key perceptions, and the impact of those perceptions, that either enable or inhibit engagement with assessment that empowers students to develop selfregulatory skills, and the ability to evaluate their own work independently.

This work, part of ‘EAT-Erasmus’, an Erasmus+ funded international initiative involving 6 institutions within Europe, identifies the opportunities and barriers to assessment supporting self-regulation, that are impacted by the perceptions of assessment by the students and staff themselves. A qualitative approach was undertaken, evaluating student comments in interviews relating to their perceptions of the purpose and limitations of assessment. Responses are being evaluated from staff regarding their engagement with key drivers of self-regulation in assessment design. 

Key perception factors from students focus on seeing assessment primarily as an audit process of learning, rather than a key element of learning. The assessment literacy of students develops over time, but in most cases, students maintain a passive role in relation to assessment and feedback. Staff perceptions of facilitators and barriers are being collected, and will be analysed relative to the national and institutional strictures of their local HE contexts. This talk will identify common factors, and suggest ways to address them and encourage assessment design that encourages students to become independent, self-evaluative learners. Proactive engagement between both students and staff to co-create, and revise, these assessment and feedback activities is key to success in this process.