Assessing students' changing perceptions higher education

Abstract

A major contribution of higher education institutions towards benefitting societies, is their potential to assist students in their academic progress as well as their progress in other spheres. To be able to assess how students change progressively, particularly in respect of change in perceptions during their undergraduate studies, relevant pre-entry data is needed. If a transformational approach to quality assurance and development is desirable in higher education, strategies and instrumentation for assessing student change and progress need to be continuously investigated.



This article reports research directed at the adaptation and implementation of relevant assessment models, including Astin's comprehensive approach to student talent development, Kuh's model of student engagement and Tinto's longitudinal model of factors influencing student departure. It explores new possibilities of generating data on student change that might be potentially valuable to students, learning facilitators and researchers in higher education institutions. The article also proposes instrumentation that might assist higher education institutions in rethinking ways and means of determining students' perceptual change.



(South African Journal of Higher Education: 2003 17 (3): 164-177)