Innovation in the assessment of technology within primary initial teacher education

One of the common features of assessment is that those things which are most worthwhile assessing, are in many ways those things which are most difficult to assess. This is undoubtedly the case in the field of Technology where assessing a student's ability to engage in design and technology activity is not satisfactorily achieved solely by written assignments and examinations. Throughout all stages of education there is also an increasing emphasis on the vital role of formative assessment, and for this to be achieved students must understand both the relevance of assignments within the whole course structure, and the skills and competencies they are expected to exhibit in order to complete assignments satisfactorily. The Faculty of Education at the University of Central England in Birmingham, is one of the few institutions in the country to offer Technology as a subject specialism option for intending primary school teachers, and this paper outlines the developments of both the course structure and assessment strategy which have taken place over the last four years to ensure that students engage in meaningful assessment activities.