Can Students Accurately Assess Their Work?

Not if grades are involved, would be the likely answer of most faculty. The need for good grades does cloud student objectivity. But what that doesn't change is the fact that the ability to accurately assess your work contributes much to learning experiences in college and it's a virtual necessity in professional life. David Boud (and two coauthors) report that it's not a skill that's taught explicitly in most curricular programs. Rather, it's something we assume students pick up on their own and without instruction.