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Methods of assessing students' learning in higher education: An analysis of

Article in Education Business and Society Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues · July 2012
DOI: 10.1108/17537981211251160

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Mahmoud Alquraan
Yarmouk University
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5,2
Methods of assessing students’
learning in higher education
An analysis of Jordanian college and
124 grading system
Mahmoud F. Alquraan
Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, Ma’an, Jordan
Downloaded by UNIVERSITY OF DAMMAM At 07:58 13 November 2014 (PT)

Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the assessment methods used in higher education
to assess students’ learning, and to investigate the effects of college and grading system on the used
assessment methods.
Design/methodology/approach – This descriptive study investigates the assessment methods
used by teachers in higher education to assess their students’ learning outcomes. An instrument
consisting of 15 items (each item is an assessment method) was distributed to 736 undergraduate
students from four public universities in Jordan.
Findings – Findings show that traditional paper-pencil test is the most common method that is used
to assess learning in higher education. Results also show that teachers in colleges of science and
engineering and colleges of nursing use different assessment methods to assess learning, besides
traditional testing such as: real life tasks (authentic assessment), papers, and projects. Also, the results
show that teachers use the same assessment methods to assess learning, despite the grading systems
(letter or numbers) used at their institutes.
Research limitations/implications – The sample of the study was limited to undergraduate
students and teachers’ points of views about the frequent use of assessment methods were not studied.
Practical implications – Higher education institutes should encourage teachers to use new and
modern assessment methods as well as traditional paper-pencil testing, and study the reasons for not
using these new methods.
Originality/value – The paper should alert the higher education institutes about the important of
developing the assessment process, through knowing their students’ points of view about the
assessment methods. This will help to get students involved in the learning process.
Keywords Jordan, Universities, Higher education, Assessment
Paper type Research paper

Introduction
Jordan is experiencing major reform in its higher education system. In 2010, a National
Conference on Higher Education was held in order to form a national strategy to
enhance and improve the higher education system. One of the main parts of this
strategy was a recommendation for using different and new assessment methods to
assess student learning. This study explores the assessment methods that are being
used by teachers in higher education to assess student learning.
Education, Business and Society: Assessment influences students’ learning (Drew, 2001; Struyven et al., 2005), and it
Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues
Vol. 5 No. 2, 2012
is considered the servant of learning because it facilitates teaching and learning by
pp. 124-133 fostering the examination of student skills and knowledge (Ramsden, 2003). The
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1753-7983
assessment of learning is not only essential to the learning process itself, but to the
DOI 10.1108/17537981211251160 experiences of the student (Taras, 2002). Assessment is not only to assess learning
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