Assessment for learning - negotiating practice in a contested terrain

Assessment for Learning (AfL) is widely promoted as a way of engaging students in productive learning. Whilst many of the educational principles are well-established, the practice of AfL in the contemporary HE context is fraught with tensions and difficulties as well as opportunities because ‘assessment’ is a highly contested terrain. The aim of this paper is to present some of the ways in which HE lecturers working with the Northumbria CETL in AfL in a range of disciplines have been able to negotiate ways of implementing AfL, taking into account the highly complex nature of the ‘classroom’ and university context. This consideration of AfL examines teacher reflection-in-action, student responses and a wide range of factors, many of which are unpredictable. There is no single template for AfL, but we offer a range of ideas and approaches, aimed to inspire colleagues to consider the potential for AfL in their own practice.