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Principles of Good Assessment

Assessment is inherently complex and context-dependent. It serves multiple purposes that can sometimes pull in different directions, and no single model, theory, or framework can account for the diversity of disciplines, cohorts, and contexts found across a university like TU Dublin. That’s why our approach at Learning, Teaching and Assessment (LTA) is guided by principles, and not prescriptions.

A principle, in general terms, articulates fundamental ideas or values that guide judgement and decision-making, rather than specifying particular actions or methods.  Assessment principles work in the same way: rather than prescribing a one-size-fits-all approach, they offer a flexible, evidence-informed framework for making sound educational judgements, keeping sight of the underlying purposes and values of assessment.

LTA Assessment Purposes and Values

Reflect:

Before we introduce our university's assessment principles, take a moment to think about your own.

If you had to describe your personal approach to assessment in a sentence or two, what would you say matters most? What do you always try to get right? 

Expand the section below to learn about our Institutional Assessment Principles and use them to reflect on the design and effectiveness of a current assessment.

Drawing on contemporary scholarship and the insights, perspectives, and practices of those who teach, assess, and support learning across TU Dublin, the University has developed six principles to guide assessment and feedback.

These aren't a checklist to apply mechanically, or a prescription for how assessment must be designed. Instead, think of them as a shared language and reference point: something to support your professional judgement as you make thoughtful, context-sensitive decisions about what works best for your learners and your discipline. In practice, good assessment design means balancing these principles in ways that suit the purpose of your assessment and the needs of your students.

TU Dublin Assessment Principles Small2

 

Assessment FOR Learning is ‘any assessment for which the first priority in its design and practice is to serve the purpose of promoting students’ learning’ (Black et al, 2004). By contrast, assessment OF learning focuses on measuring what students have already learned and confirming that they have reached the expected level of achievement. You can learn more about this in why we assess. 
Authentic Assessment is a broad, contested term for assessment approaches that require students to engage in realistic, meaningful tasks with relevance beyond the classroom. Such approaches often incorporate self-evaluation, collaboration, feedback, and iterative improvement, mirroring the ways knowledge and skills are developed and applied in professional practice and wider life. See Authentic Assessment to learn more

Principles-in-Practice: Review your Assessment

Use this self-check tool to reflect on an existing assessment against TU Dublin's six Assessment and Feedback Principles. It's not an audit; no assessment needs to embody every principle, and some may need balancing against others depending on your discipline, students, and learning outcomes. Work through the guiding questions and 'look-fors' for each principle, rating your assessment as strong, developing, or needing attention, then use your reflections to identify one or two priorities to focus on when you next review or redesign it.

Download this activity as a PDF file here: TU Dublin Assessment Principles Reflection Activity .pdf

In the next section on this page, you'll be introduced to the LTA Assessment Principles. These simplify the University's Institutional Assessment Principle Statements into a set of foundational concepts and practical considerations for designing assessment, drawing on key ideas from assessment scholarship.

 

Keeping it Simple: LTA Principles for Assessment Design

TU Dublin’s Assessment Principles provide a valuable shared framework for assessment practice across the University. As necessarily broad and comprehensive statements, they bring together multiple interconnected ideas about assessment quality, learning, and design into overarching statements.  The principles below provide a practical set of ‘first principles’ that unpack these ideas into foundational concepts and considerations for assessment design. They complement the TU Dublin Assessment Principles and are informed by established assessment scholarship, including the work of Sue Bloxham and Pete Boyd.

LTA Assessment Principles

In the table above, each principle is broken down into two key ideas (or 'indicators'), highlighted in bold, which help unpack what the principle means in practice. 

LTA Assessment Principle Indicators

LTA Assessment Principles: Reflective Activity

Having explored the Principles of Good Assessment and the indicators outlined above, use this activity to reflect on an existing assessment in your module or programme. Consider how the six principles are evident in its design, identify strengths and areas for enhancement, and prioritise practical improvements.

The principles are intended as reflective lenses rather than a checklist. As you work through the activity, use the indicators and prompts to gather evidence for your judgements and identify opportunities for development.

Remember that no assessment will embody every principle equally. The aim is not perfection, but thoughtful, context-sensitive enhancement of assessment practice.

Download this activity as a PDF File here: LTA Assessment Principles Reflection Activity .pdf

If you teach at TU Dublin, and would like to speak to an academic develop about your assessment design, please email lta@tudublin.ie with a subject line including the words ‘Assessment Design’.

 

 

 

 

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