How is Comparability of Assessment Established?

What guarantee does a student have that the assessment received is not variable dependent on who does the assessing? A document distributed to departments (Academic Council, 1997) recommends, amongst other things, that a mechanism exist to monitor and coordinate assessment to ensure 'comparability' between assessors in a particular unit/course.

How might that be done? Examining reports of practice at UWA on the Web indicates a number of practices:

• The unit/course coordinator may have the responsibility to ensure standardised assessment across the course.
• Results are analysed and adjustments made to ensure comparability between assessors in large enrolment units.
• Tutorial marks are standardised to ensure comparability across tutors.
• Care is taken [by all assessors] to ensure comparability of standards.
• Assessors meet to discuss results.
• Each marker is assigned the same question(s) to mark for ALL papers, so that there is consistency in the marking across all papers. No one marker can 'influence' the overall grade of a student.

What benefit accrues to the learner from such 'comparability'?

• Academic Council (1997) MINIMUM ESSENTIALS FOR GOOD PRACTICE IN ASSESSMENT, available at <http://www.csd.uwa.edu.au//tl/Goodpractice.htm>.