Supporting quality of learning by letting students give their own grades: An innovative self-assessment model in university mathematics

We describe a digital self-assessment model (DISA) designed to offer a meaningful alternative to the traditional end exam in university mathematics courses. Students assess their own competencies throughout the course with the help of a detailed rubric, and at the end of the course, they give themselves their own final grades. Feedback for self-assessments is offered by an automatic digital system. DISA brings self-assessment skills to the forefront as a learning goal. In line with the definition of Assessment as Learning, the assessment method generates learning opportunities through students’ engagement in seeking evidence for their self-assessment. We present the DISA model in the context of the Finnish educational system, in which teachers have a lot of autonomy and most assessment is not high-stakes. We describe its implementation and report on research findings published in earlier studies. Based on these results, it can be said that the model has a positive effect on students’ approaches to learning, their perceptions of their own capabilities, and the way they view learning and assessment.