Abstract:
The overall goal of doctoral education is to prepare the doctoral student for the summative assessment of a thesis. However the focus of doctoral education is changing to include the attainment of professional attributes or competencies of the student. This article shares information collected from thirty-eight participants from a research-intensive university in the United States on the role of postgraduate formative assessment and, in particular, feedback as an essential element underpinning doctoral education. The findings emphasise the importance of constructive engagement and feedback embedded in formative assessment in doctoral education to develop scholarly and professional attributes in addition to research knowledge and skills.
