Self effective assessment methods enhance our ability to know more about our strengths and weaknesses. We can assess how well we understand our specialisation of work, get an insight into our true comprehension and can help to identify gaps in our knowledge.

Encouraging professionals to examine their own learning and levels of understanding can also be an important ‘wake-up call’, identifying areas that require improvement. This approach promotes a shift towards self-learning in which professionals can define their own goals and take the steps required to meet them. Reflecting on the things adapt new knowledge in the light of previous experience can lead to a great change in our thinking. This can open up new levels of understanding and eliminate misconceptions we may be having.

The process of defining the criteria of self-assessment can help promote better learning, as the professionals must have an understanding of both the subject matter and the assessment task in order to gauge how well they have met the criteria. The transfer of ownership that takes place through self-assessments can lead to a greater degree of engagement and adaptiveness and can encourage them to apply these criteria objectively and consistently.

In order to assess their own work, professionals must develop their judgement skills so they can define what is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ about a piece of work. This ability to judge the quality of a piece of work can then be more widely applied to the work we do on a regular basis. The increased use of technology in self-assessments has made this a valuable tool in the professional’s armoury.