Teachers’ and students’ conceptions of assessment within the Italian higher education system

Nowadays, higher education systems are being called to reconsider the aims of assessment if we want that students develop skills and competencies for their future personal and professional life. Although assessment holds an essential position in the higher education field, educational research still seems inchoative. Current studies, especially on an international level, are moving towards the revision of traditional modalities of testing, the individuation of alternative forms of assessment, and above all, the analysis of representations and conceptions that teachers and students have about assessment. The present research is oriented towards this last point: the case study, conducted at the School of Education at University of Bari, Italy, analyses teachers’ and students’ conceptions of assessment. Main results indicate a great level of confusion about assessment both for teachers and students. Several suggestions are discussed for further improvements in the higher education context