Assessment in higher education as a policy implementation issue: A case study of how actors and multi-level contextual factors influence assessment implementation at an institution in the UAE

dc.contributor.advisorChua, Dr. Catherine
dc.contributor.authorVanvelzer, Dean
dc.contributor.committeememberKoh, Dr. Kim
dc.contributor.committeememberEaton, Dr. Sarah
dc.date2021-11
dc.date.accessioned2021-07-08T20:41:53Z
dc.date.available2021-07-08T20:41:53Z
dc.date.issued2021-06
dc.description.abstractAlthough it has been established that assessment of learning is an important part of quality in higher education, there is a dearth of research on assessment policy implementation in developing countries and how this cascades down and plays out at the micro level. Using semistructured interviews and documentation, this single exploratory case study examined the issue of assessment policy implementation in one department at an institution in the United Arab Emirates. Adapting Contextual Interaction Theory (CIT) and using multi-level analysis, it explored how actors and contextual factors influenced the implementation of assessment policy. The study found that at the macro level, globalization and the UAE’s own vision initiated large scale education reform, which in higher education, was directed at improving quality and accountability to produce highly skilled graduates for a knowledge-based economy had specific influence over the meso level. At the institutional level, a multitude of factors influenced the micro level such as a highly centralized, top-down approach to implementation, the institutional strategic plan underpinned by quality and accountability, a multi-campus structure, and a continuous culture of institutional change. Additionally, the policy was an important determinant which influenced actors in unintended ways. Finally, at the micro level, the study revealed how the context impacted actors’ motivation, cognition, and power, which in turn, affected their interaction during the implementation process. The results of this study offer policymakers, institutional leaders, and faculty insights into assessment policy and its implementation, potentially helping with the refinement of policy and understanding of implementation in order to improve the process in the UAE or other contexts.en_US
dc.identifier.citationVanvelzer, D. (2021). Assessment in higher education as a policy implementation issue: A case study of how actors and multi-level contextual factors influence assessment implementation at an institution in the UAE (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/38990
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/113601
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisher.facultyWerklund School of Educationen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.en_US
dc.subjectpolicy analysisen_US
dc.subjectassessmenten_US
dc.subjectleadershipen_US
dc.subjecthigher educationen_US
dc.subjectPolicy implementationen_US
dc.subject.classificationEducationen_US
dc.subject.classificationEducation--Higheren_US
dc.titleAssessment in higher education as a policy implementation issue: A case study of how actors and multi-level contextual factors influence assessment implementation at an institution in the UAEen_US
dc.typedoctoral thesisen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineEducation Graduate Program – Educational Researchen_US
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgaryen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Education (EdD)en_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrueen_US
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
FinalDissertationDeanVanvelzer30039066.pdf
Size:
3.23 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
ucalgary_2021_vanvelzer_dean
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
2.62 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description: