Can learning be measured?
When we learn something, a mental process occurs and that is not observable. The closest we can get to a measure of learning is to ask for some demonstration by the learner to indicate that learning has occurred – a test, demonstration, writing, speaking, running, jumping, analysing… The most powerful way is to ask the learner to teach somebody else. If that is done succesfully we know a great deal about the learner and what is learned. As Proubert said, “To teach is to learn- twice.” Most assessment methods in use in higher education are a proxy for learning.
