Assessing Liminality: The Use of Ipsative Formative Assessment During a Postgraduate Taught Induction Programme to Support the Development of Criticality

Rattray, J.

Abstract

Threshold concepts represent the most troublesome and transformative knowledge within a discipline and they have been afforded increasing amounts of attention over the past decade. The chapter argues that critical thinking represents a threshold concept and that the principles of ipsative assessment, that emphasise the need to focus on the process not the product of learning, may provide a useful vehicle to support passage through the liminal tunnel en route to threshold transformations. The chapter draws on a case study from a postgraduate taught induction programme for Education students at a research intensive university to support the suggestion that ipsative self-assessment can serve as a useful pedagogical tool to facilitate student progress through the liminal tunnel and subsequent mastery of threshold concepts.

Citation

Rattray, J. (2017). Assessing Liminality: The Use of Ipsative Formative Assessment During a Postgraduate Taught Induction Programme to Support the Development of Criticality. In G. Hughes (Ed.), Ipsative Assessment and Learning Gain: International Case Studies (149-171). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56502-0_8

• Acceptance Date: Oct 4, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Feb 4, 2017
• Publication Date: 2017-02
• Deposit Date: Oct 4, 2016
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Pages: 149-171
• Book Title: Ipsative Assessment and Learning Gain: International Case Studies
• ISBN: 9781137565013
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56502-0_8