{"id":291,"date":"2022-04-04T13:17:02","date_gmt":"2022-04-04T12:17:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/daretotransform\/?p=291"},"modified":"2026-03-26T10:37:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T10:37:00","slug":"the-need-to-rethink-our-approach-to-formative-assessment-in-higher-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/learning-matters\/2022\/04\/04\/the-need-to-rethink-our-approach-to-formative-assessment-in-higher-education\/","title":{"rendered":"The need to rethink our approach to formative assessment in Higher Education"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Photograph
Verona N\u00ed Drisceoil<\/em> – Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Sussex<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dr Verona N\u00ed Drisceoil is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Sussex. She is also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).\u00a0Her current research focuses on transition pedagogy, inequality in education and assessment for learning.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction <\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Formative assessment is a familiar element in the Higher Education (HE) landscape but there has, as noted by Crossouard and Pryor (2012<\/a>, 253), been \u2018little questioning of the practices conducted in its name much less the theory that produces it\u2019. In this blog post, I call for a questioning of the practice. Specifically, I argue that we need to rethink our approach to formative assessment in relation to the preparation for written based summative assessments, such as essays. In doing so, I argue for the incorporation of a more responsive and deliberate practice approach (Ericsson and Pool, 2016<\/a>) \u2013 to build in, and embed, more formative written opportunities within the classroom environment as a better way to track progress, respond in real time, and ensure that all students benefit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To begin, I will revisit some of the current challenges to, and for, formative assessment in HE before then moving on to outline what a rethinking looks like. I will conclude with some take away messages and suggestions on how to build in written based formative opportunities into your seminars and lectures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the current challenges for formative assessment in HE?<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The challenges to, and for, formative assessment in HE are well known and include workload capacity (providing feedback during term time), time frames and students not taking up the opportunities. Challenges also arise where the formative assessment has been marked and graded (formatives should not be graded!) by a faculty member or teaching assistant not marking the summative assessment. However, beyond these challenges, all of which are valid and important, I suggest that the primary reason that formative assessments do not work well in HE \u2013 for student or faculty – is due to the predominant approach we take. Standard formative assessments in HE in advance of traditional written based summative assessments (at least in law, my discipline) include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n