Book excerpt: A guide to current practice in assessment, particularly for those professionals coming to terms with new pressures on their traditional teaching practices. Increased use of IT, flexible assessment methods and quality assurance all affect assessment, and the need to diversify and adapt traditional assessment practices to suit new modes of learning is clearer than ever. The Student Assessment Handbook looks at the effectiveness of traditional methods in the present day and provides guidelines on how these methods may be developed to suit today's teaching environments. It is a practical resource with case studies, reflection boxes and diagnostic tools to help the reader apply the principles to everyday teaching. The book provides advice on a wide range of topics including: * assessing to promote particular kinds of learning outcomes * using meaningful assessment techniques to assess large groups * the implications of flexible learning on timing and pacing of assessment * the pros and cons of online assessment * tackling Web plagiarism and the authentication of student work * mentoring assessment standards * assessing generic skills and quality assurance.