The Building Blocks of the Constructive Assessment of Learning in Higher Education: A Faculty Conception

This study delves into the viewpoints of university professors regarding the assessment of learning and the factors they associate with this educational practice. We employed the grounded theory method, ensuring a systematic approach. The work was conducted in a Higher Education Institution in Mexico. The initial data was collected through a brief survey with three open-ended questions. It was sent to 60 professors at a private university, and 30 responded. The second approach involved conducting semi-structured interviews with twenty faculty members, selected for convenience to ensure a heterogeneous group across disciplinary areas. We applied a criticalinterpretative framework that facilitated the recognition of assessment as a space for dialogue and mutual understanding. The findings reveal that, according to teachers, the key elements in the assessment are relevance and alignment with learning objectives and the provision of feedback, which are characteristics of contemporary perspectives emphasizing assessment as a catalyst for learning. The results of this work indicate that the educational framework significantly shapes the perspective of teachers, the curriculum structure, and the institution's assessment policies. It is important to consider these factors as determinants influencing the assessment model expected by educational institutions.