Assessment was one of the first Enhancement Themes, and ran during 2003-04, alongside the Theme on Responding to Student Needs. It focused on two aspects of assessment: ‘efficient assessment’ that does not take up too much time for students or staff, and ‘effective assessment’ that produces results that are informative, valid, fair and robust.

Efficient and effective assessment is something that remains an important area of interest to institutions and to students. While the learning environment has evolved over the years since the Theme, and we might anticipate will continue to evolve, the five key issues identified in the report remain relevant to institutions today. 

This Theme was followed up in 2005-06 with the Integrative Assessment Theme.