In the context of change in Higher Education (HE), there is growing recognition of the importance of assessment as a key factor for the quality of teaching, learning and academic results. International literature points to the need to analyse the impact of different methods of assessment, especially the so-called alternative methods (Sambell & McDowell, 1998), on learning and on academic outcomes and teaching methods in the classroom, since evidence of their effectiveness is still scarce. The emergence of a "new" educational paradigm (after the Bologna process) based on pedagogical reorganisation has been discussed, with a focus on greater curricular flexibility, changes in the organisation of teaching and learning work, and new forms of assessment (Lima, 2006). Boud (2010, cited by Maxwell, 2012, p. 687) advocates the need for an effective change in the assessment process in HE as universities "face substantial changes in a rapidly evolving global context. The challenges of meeting new expectations about academic standards (...) means that the assessment will have to be rethought and renewed”. In student-centred learning environments, formative assessment plays an important role in assessment for learning (Fernandes, et al. 2014). This kind of assessment fosters the development of autonomy, the sense of responsibility and reflection, influencing the ways in which students engage in their own learning (Pereira, et al., 2015). Thus, teachers need to be innovative and creative designers of the assessment process through a wide range of assessment methods beyond the so-called traditional ones (Pereira, et al, 2015) such as portfolios, projects, collaborative assessment and simulations (Struyven, et al.2005; Tang et al. 1999; Almond, 2009; Sambell & McDowell, 1998). The so-called alternative or student-centred methods (Webber, 2012) intend to “improve student performance which has to focus not only on the development of technical competencies but also on the development of transversal competencies” (Fernandes, Flores, & Lima, 2014, p. 163), which implies, amongst other features, autonomy, shared work, project learning (Flores & Veiga Simão, 2007), in the context of highly competitive environments in universities and changes in the conceptions of education (Reimann & Wilson, 2012).

Recent studies point to the need for more research in this area,
more specifically in regard to assessment methods and their results in student learning (Watering et al., 2008), the comparison between assessment practices in different areas, institutions (Gilles et al., 2010), the effectiveness of the alternative methods of student-centered assessment (Segers et al., 2008) and the necessity to analyse assessment practices articulated with feedback mechanisms (Flores et al., 2014).Despite the existence of studies in this field, there is need for more and deeper research to understand the conceptions and practices of assessment from the perceptions and experiences of university students. This study aims to get to know the assessment practices in Portuguese Higher Education to analyse what is known and what is not yet known in assessment in HE in order to explore the unanswered questions. The study is part of a larger project titled "Assessment in higher education: the potential of alternative methods" financed by the Foundation for Science and Technology (PTDC/MHCCED/2703/2014) whose goals are: i) To get to know students’ conceptions about assessment of the learning process in Higher Education; ii) To identify the most used assessment methods in HE, in the perspective of the students from two areas of knowledge (Social Sciences and Humanities and Medical and Health Sciences); and iii) To contribute to the improvement of the quality of assessment practices in Higher Education

The study combines a quantitative and qualitative approach. Data were collected in 2 Portuguese Public Universities. Participants in this study are university students from Social Sciences and Humanities and Medical and Health Sciences. In order to examine the conceptions and practices of assessment of the students a survey was carried out. An adaptation of the "Students' Conceptions of Assessment (SCoA III) by Gavin TL Brown (2006) from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, was conducted by Rui Gonçalves, (2012) in Portugal. Permission for its use was obtained from the authors. Data were analysed through SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). At the moment, we are preparing the focus groups to be held in two Portuguese public universities in order to explore in more depth the key themes arising from the first phase of research (survey). Throughout the process best practices as far as ethical issues were assumed in the light of international standards, and also in the light of the code of ethics of the University of Minho.

In this study were participated 231 students of the area of knowledge of Medical and Health Sciences and 295 students of the area of knowledge of Social Sciences and Humanities. The aim of this study is to contribute to improving the quality of learning assessment practices and to understand their implications for teaching and learning in Higher Education, including the conceptions of assessment of the students. It aims to get know students’ perceptions about the assessment process taking into account two different areas of knowledge. Thus, we will present the main results regarding the conceptions of assessment taking into account the students' perceptions.

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