INTRODUCTIONAssessment has been a constant theme in life. It is part of my student learning experience, workplace performance assessment and now an important part of my teaching. I hope to give you a good overview of my understanding, perspectives, biases and attitudes towards the subject of assessment, and add to it my experience as a teacher this year. be influenced by the way in which this learning is assessed (Gibbs 1999, Entwistle and Ramsden, 1983). As a student, assessments have always provided me with a benchmark: the level at which I am, what is going well/not so well and areas for improvement. They provided me with the tools to make decisions about changing my approach to get better grades or to make life decisions to achieve goals such as college or job placement. I passed the second level assessment and received my first choice for the third level. . I narrowly missed the grade I wanted for my primary university qualification, which had knock-on effects by reducing my job prospects. The result was undertaking a postgraduate course to improve my existing qualifications. Again, this course was difficult to get into due to previous grades, but once into the course my determination allowed me to achieve higher overall grades than my primary degree, which opened up more job opportunities. My experience here struck a chord with me regarding evaluating study selection and workplace. I have accepted that there are quotas and a limited number of places due to the economics of supply and demand in the education and employment markets, but like Nitko and Brookhart ( 2006) ...... middle of article ...... ng”, London: Helm Hall. Gibbs, G. (1999). “Using Assessment Strategically to Change the Way Students Learn,” in Brown, S. and Glasner, A. (eds.) “Assessment Matters in Higher Education: Choosing and Using Diverse Approaches” , Maidenhead: SRHE/Open University Press. Irons, A. (2007). “Improving learning through formative assessment and feedback: key guides for effective teaching in higher education”. Routledge: OxonKnight, P. (ed.) (1995). “Evaluation of learning in higher education”. London: Kogan Page. Nitko, AJ and Brookhart SM (2006). “Pedagogical assessment of students”, (5th ed.). NJ: Pearson Merill/Prentice Hall Popham, W. J. (2005). “Classroom Assessment: What Teachers Need to Know,” (4th ed.) Boston: Allyn and BaconStiggins, S. (2002). “Assessment crisis: the absence of assessment for learning”. Phi DeltaKappan, 83:10, pp.. 758-765