It is commonly held that students’ experience of assessment exercises a very strong influence on how they go about learning. Three sociologically-based studies conducted between the mid 60s and early 70s are frequently cited to support this belief. However, these studies have serious limitations arising from their particular contexts, small sample sizes, and research methods used. At the same time, studies within the student approaches to learning tradition have failed to support the possibility of improving approaches to learning simply by changing assessment. It seems that we may know less about assessment and its effect on student learning than is commonly thought. In light of this, an agenda for research into assessment and learning address, inter alia, a series of questions based on a clear understanding of past work and focused on contemporary students’ experience of assessment and its influence on their study.

Keywords: assessment, learning, research