Performance assessment in Europe

The manner by which students are assessed is a central factor in determining the nature of their learning experience. Over the last two decades there has been a gradual shift in the engagement of the Political Science (PS) and International Relations (IR) academic community with regard to teaching and learning practices that has been reflected in greater attention being attached to the methods by which students are taught and assessed. As far as assessment is concerned, this has been reflected in a growing body of literature that has championed the use of innovative methods such as simulation exercises (Raymond and Usherwood, 2013), problem-based learning (Archetti, 2012) and placement learning (Curtis et al, 2009; Harris, 2012). Articles such as these stress the value of introducing teaching and assessment methods that go beyond traditional classroom teacher-centred approaches that are often supported by assessment practices that involve the likes of essays and exams. As has been rehearsed before in numerous books and articles, teacher-centred methods have a tendency towards reinforcing a surface-learning approach where student performance is influenced by their capacity to craft well-written essays and their ability to recall information in an examination format.