Learning is at the heart of any educational enterprise. Consequently the ways in which learning is assessed is an issue of priority for all stakeholders in that enterprise, including students, schools, tertiary providers and the community. Together, learning and assessment form a natural area for educational inquiry as they are embedded in our schools and their communities; they draw on a broad disciplinary base; they possess an established body of research and they raise important problems and issues that need to be resolved. Of particular research interest in Hong Kong are the cultural contexts in which learning and assessment take place. Confucian educational traditions, which are characterized by a strong examination system and formal classroom practices, are being challenged. These current issues form a key area of research which has multi-disciplinary themes such as:

A key role of the Key Research Area (KRA) in Learning and Assessment will be to support research across these themes, and to contribute to the creation of a diverse and prolific research culture at the Institute of Education.