Welcome to the Assessment Research Centre

The Centre focuses on improving assessment and reporting through a four-step process of research, publication, development and training. These provide the framework for strategic planning by the Centre and guide the Centre's core business as well as its link to the University's mission.

Research that leads to change, strategically affects change, or sets up the basis for change and improvement in assessment, forms the focus of the Centre's work. International transfer of the research output is regarded as the test of its theoretical strength.

Audit

Professor Neville Postlethwaite from the University of Hamburg undertook a Five Year Review of the Centre in March 2006.

Research

The Centre focuses on research either in or using assessment. All activities and projects have a research focus and emphasise assessment or evaluation models based on assessment. The Centre's research program is its basic tool for educational change. Assessment research is regarded as a way of testing ideas, of checking the theoretical and practical nature of theories, new approaches and ideas.

Publications

Through publishing the research outcomes in a variety of media to cater for a wide variety of audiences, the Centre is able to disseminate its ideas and procedures to assesst the change process.

For all current Assessment Research Publications please follow the Recent Publications link

Development

The development strategies employed by the Centre translate research outcomes into materials that practitioners can evaluate and use. The end user is one who can judge the practicality of research outcomes and their application potential. This is the basis of the change and improvement practices. Therefore, the development of materials is also given priority in each project.

Training

Each project at the development stage plans a series of seminars, workshops, publications and other means of dissemination. Training also assists research and development to be disseminated. It makes research available for widespread use. This is the technology transfer of the Centre’s work.

The Centre conducts a series of short course training programs in assessment research and related fields. Graduate supervision and teaching of award and non-award courses complements the Centre’s research program by having graduates actively participating in, or even managing, components of the Centre’s research agenda.