Assessment of learning in higher education. Perceptions by teachers and students in portuguese universities

Abstract

This study focuses on the assessment of learning, that is one of the fundamental aspects of higher education, in order to understand the way in which professors and students perceive the evaluation practices and to what extent predominantly summational practices persist based on the application of exams, without leveraging the educational potential or, whether alternative practices and methods of evaluation arise. Based on a review of the specialized literature, work presents the new developments of learning evaluation in higher education, particularly the changes introduced after the implementation of the Bologne Process, which presumes a more educational assessment and a greater diversity of evaluation tools. At a later stage, we proceed to the analysis of data from a research piece performed by means of a questionnaire applied to students (n = 4972) and teachers (n = 1013) from the Universities of Coímbra, Évora, Lisbon and Minho, in the framework of the AVENA project,1 in trying to know more about the position of professors and students concerning the evaluation of learning in Higher Education. 

[1] The Project called "Avaliação, Ensino e Aprendizagens no Ensino Superior em Portugal e no Brasil: Realidades e Perspectivas" (Evaluation, teaching and learning in Portuguese and Brazilian higher education: realities and perspectives") (PTDC / CPE-CED / 114318/2009) was sponsored by the Fundação para Ciência ea Tecnologia (FCT - Science and Technology Fundation). Thus, four Portuguese universities (University of Lisbon, University of Coimbra, University of Minho and University of Evora) and three Brazilian (University of Sao Paolo, Para State University and University of Amazonia) collaborated in this project.