Factors influencing assessment quality in higher vocational education

Abstract

The development of assessments that are fit to assess professional competence in higher vocational education requires a reconsideration of assessment methods, quality criteria and (self)evaluation. This article examines the self-evaluations of nine courses of a large higher vocational education institute. Per course, 4–11 teachers and 3–10 students participated. The purpose of this article is to critically examine the quality of assessment in higher vocational education, to identify critical factors influencing assessment quality and to study whether self-evaluation leads to concrete points for improvement. Results show that strong points are fitness for purpose, comparability and fairness. Weak points are reproducibility of decisions and development of self-regulated learning. Critical factors are the translation of competences into assessment criteria to be used in daily lessons and the involvement of the work field. The self-evaluations generated many points for improvement, but not all were translated into actions. Altogether, this article provides a rich picture of assessment quality in higher education and identifies quality aspects that need improvement, (partly) confirming other research on current assessment methods.