Student assessment and examination rules

Assessment influences cognitive and operant aspects of learning. Cognitive aspects of learning are influenced by the content of assessment: what and how do students learn. Usually students only study the educational objectives which will be assessed. If teachers want students to meet all the objectives of a curriculum all these objectives have to be assessed. The operant aspects of learning concern when and how much students learn. Now teachers and faculty can influence operant aspects of learning is discussed in this article. Dutch research has shown that the planning of exams and the examination rules are strong factors influencing operant learning. Exams should be programmed regularly, and the examination rules have to be fair but strict. The rule of thumb is that the stricter the rules, the better the examination results. The conclusion is that integration of these factors in assessment procedures will drive student learning in a positive way.