Authentic individual self-assessment, praxis and community

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Research and Development in Higher Education Vol. 28: Higher education in a changing world

July, 2005, 639 pages
Published by
Angela Brew and Christine Asmar
ISBN
0 908557 62 0
Abstract 

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of authentic individual self-assessment as a process which can foster the development of meaningful learning communities involving both university teachers and students alike. One of the important requirements for building a community is to establish commonality and lessen the differentiation between teaching and research, between teachers and students, between academics and academic developers. In this paper, I am proposing that authentic individual self-assessment by both university teacher and the student or learner involves a process whereby not only active learning is facilitated by the teacher but also one in which the teacher’s goal is to promote collaboration and partnership in the teaching and learning process. The common thread I wish to advance in this paper is the importance of positioning ourselves to learn. In our role as educators, we are constantly involved in assessing and inquiring into student learning. Thus, authentic individual self-assessment can be one way to explore the relationship between teaching and learning. The concepts of ‘praxis’ and ‘community’ are central to anchoring the exploration of this relationship.

Keywords: authentic individual self-assessment, praxis, learning community, teaching and learning, teaching and research, academic development