Foreword Why bother with assessment? Surely, examinations have been a successful strategy for endless years, we are familiar with them and they have helped us get where we are today. Students may find them challenging, but they have served us well. This is often the starting point when trying to open discussion about assessment in higher education. Assessment is defined by past practice, not by what it is needed for now. There are many reasons why we need to revisit some of our taken-for-granted assumptions about assessment. Not only are we seeking to extend the range of outcomes for higher education courses beyond what can be assessed in examinations, but the student population is getting more numerous, more diverse and more demanding. This is as true in Hong Kong as it is in most countries with an expanding system of higher education. Thinking afresh about assessment is not a simple