Realigning the dots: the disconnect between student assessment practice and learning in entrepreneurship education

In the evolving field of entrepreneurship education (EE), the pivotal role of student assessment received limited attention on the research and practice front. While significant strides have been made in pedagogical practices, assessment methods have not adequately evolved to fully support entrepreneurial learning outcomes. The ‘assessment-learning’ alignment is important because students confine their learning to match the assessment criteria, which can undermine the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education. Drawing upon the theory of constructive alignment, we seek to answer the question of how student assessment is aligned with the intended learning outcomes in experiential EE. Utilising multiple methodological approaches – including focus group discussions, surveys, and analyses of course descriptors – we gathered data from students, educators, and other stakeholders across 14 higher education institutions in Ireland. The findings reveal that current assessment practices in EE are grade-oriented and provide less feedback, which disconnects the students from entrepreneurial learning. By emphasising the need for a feedback-oriented assessment framework, this research shows that alignment between ‘assessment-learning’ and feedback-focused assessment is essential to complement entrepreneurial learning.