Exemplars research: Where are we now and where might we go?

Abstract

Exemplars are samples of work, typically student work, used to show different standards of quality in skills and content. Their use in teaching and learning is advocated as a way to develop student understanding of criteria and standards of assessment, for developing students’ evaluative capacities, for helping students understand feedback and for helping students to improve their writing skills. Exemplars therefore have the potential to aid assessment for learning as they involve students and teachers in discussions about standards, and gaps between current and desired performance before assessment of learning is carried out. Yet, despite exemplars’ potential, their use does not appear to be widely documented and their potential may remain unfulfilled. Concerns raised by teachers include the amount of time exemplars take away from the content aspects of courses, a fear of students plagiarizing, students producing mechanistic writing for their assignments, and over-inflated grades in summative assessment. Students, while overwhelmingly positive about the use of exemplars in class, also share concerns about exemplars stifling creativity. By demonstrating how exemplars have been exploited, for what purposes, and in which contexts, this paper examines what we currently know about exemplars and where future research might take us. Future research, for example, might inform us about how exemplars can be effectively shared with students: as part of a regular class, as an optional workshop, as online resources? It might also shed light on how widespread exemplars are across different disciplines in higher education and what disciplinary differences exist. Little research has been carried out on teachers’ perceptions of exemplar use, especially on large courses where multiple teachers are involved in the teaching. The paper concludes by setting out a future research agenda focused on the different modes of implementation of exemplars and a more in-depth exploration of teacher’s related perceptions.