Abstract:

The main player in the education process is undoubtedly the student, together of course with their learning process. In the current scope of action, assessment may be a differentiating factor, becoming an excellent tool for improving and encouraging learning. Assessment is a factor which clearly determines the student learning process and results, also having a significant influence on the quality of the same.

Of all of the forms of assessment that can be used, quite probably the taxonomy that provokes the most thought is that which focuses on the particular moment when it is carried out and on its main objective. Here we can include initial or diagnostic assessment, formative or continual assessment and summative or final assessment.

The main aim of diagnostic assessment is to adapt the start of the educational process to the group. It measures prior knowledge by gathering information at the start of the course. In this way the methodology and curriculum can be adapted to the students. At the same time, it is a source of information for both the students and the teacher, gives a sneak preview of the contents of the subject and may be a stimulus for active learning.

Formative or continual assessment represents the core and most extensive part of the group's teaching and learning process. It is carried out throughout the course and provides valuable information, both for the students and the teacher. It is not easy to carry out as it implies a change in methodology. It can be seen as a process of verification, evaluation and decision making, which aims to optimise the teaching and learning process from a humanising perspective and which does not merely aim to give a grade.

Summative or final assessment determines whether or not the students have reached the educational objectives proposed to the group. This has always been the traditional method of evaluation, used at the end of a course to help the teacher make decisions regarding the student's grades.

In this article, we shall briefly describe the different types of assessment, followed by the subject of marketing and the students taking it. After that, we will go on to explain how formative assessment can be applied, indicating in which order tasks are to be carried out. The results obtained from this experience show that formative assessment is highly effective, not only in the acquisition of knowledge and in the development of skills, but also in that it raises the level of satisfaction of the students involved in terms what they have learnt and adapts perfectly to the Bologna Process, by assessing the day-to-day work of the students.

Keywords:

Formative assessment, Teaching innovation, Marketing, University teaching.