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Governing student assessment: Administrative rules, silenced academics and performing students
Evans, Alicia Maree
Evans, Alicia Maree
Author
Abstract
In this paper, the author reports on an analysis of an Australian university’s assessment procedure. The procedure – a major governance document of the university – is deconstructed by way of a Foucauldian discourse analysis in order to consider how students and academics are governed. There were three major findings. The dominant discourse operating in relation to student assessment was that of administration; a finding consistent with previous work in this area and at other universities. The main subject position in this discourse of administration is one of silence for the academic and of a performer for the student, one who is rewarded with the award of a degree if the performance is satisfactory. The passion to learn and to teach is nowhere to be found in this administrative discourse, one not unique to the said university, indeed one that flourishes in Western universities today.
Keywords
assessment, governmentality, discourse analysis, higher education
Date
2011
Type
Journal article
Journal
Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education
Book
Volume
36
Issue
2
Page Range
213-223
Article Number
ACU Department
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
File Access
Controlled