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

Vanvelzer, Dean

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.advisor	Chua, Dr. Catherine
dc.contributor.author	Vanvelzer, Dean
dc.contributor.committeemember	Koh, Dr. Kim
dc.contributor.committeemember	Eaton, Dr. Sarah
dc.date	2021-11
dc.date.accessioned	2021-07-08T20:41:53Z
dc.date.available	2021-07-08T20:41:53Z
dc.date.issued	2021-06
dc.description.abstract	Although 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.citation	Vanvelzer, 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.doi	http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/38990
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/1880/113601
dc.language.iso	eng	en_US
dc.publisher.faculty	Werklund School of Education	en_US
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary	en
dc.rights	University 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.subject	policy analysis	en_US
dc.subject	assessment	en_US
dc.subject	leadership	en_US
dc.subject	higher education	en_US
dc.subject	Policy implementation	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Education	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Education--Higher	en_US
dc.title	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	en_US
dc.type	doctoral thesis	en_US
thesis.degree.discipline	Education Graduate Program – Educational Research	en_US
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Calgary	en_US
thesis.degree.name	Doctor of Education (EdD)	en_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopy	true	en_US