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A Marked Improvement Transforming assessment in higher education

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Contents

Section Synopsis Authors Acknowledgements

1 Section 1: The rationale and groundwork for transforming assessment 1.1Introduction 1.2Acaseforchange 1.2.1Improvedpotentialforstudentlearning 1.2.2Increasedstudentsatisfaction 1.2.3Improvedvalueformoney:maximisingresourcesforlearning 1.2.4Assessmentthatisbetterabletoassesstheoutcomesofa21st-centuryeducation 1.2.5Adependableandfairerrepresentationofstudentachievement 1.3Preparingtochangeassessment 1.3.1Leadership 1.3.2Students 1.3.3Resourcesworkloadmanagement 1.3.4Staffdevelopment 1.3.5Regulationsandguidance 1.3.6Usingtechnology-enhancedapproachestoimproveassessment 1.4Conclusion 1.4.1Assessmentdesign 1.4.2Students 1.4.3Staff 1.4.4Infrastructure

2 Section 2: Assessment standards: a Manifesto for Change Tenet1:Assessmentforlearning Tenet2:Ensuringassessmentisfitforpurpose Tenet3:Recognisethatassessmentlacksprecision Tenet4:Constructingstandardsincommunities Tenet5:Integratingassessmentliteracyintocoursedesign Tenet6:Ensuringprofessionaljudgementsarereliable

3 Section 3: Assessment review tool 3.1Employingthetool 3.2Thescopeofthetool PartA:Addressesstrategicinstitutionalissuesinassessmentandfeedback PartB:Addressesissuesinassessmentandfeedbackatthefaculty,school,college ordepartmentlevel4 Section 4: An annotated selection of resources 4.1Coretextsinsupportofthetenets 4.2Resourcesforleadersandseniormanagers 4.3Resourcesforeducationaldevelopersandpractitioners

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SynopsisAcrosshighereducation,itistimeforasignificantreappraisalofassessmentstrategy,policyandpracticethroughevidence-informedchange.Thispublicationhasbeendevelopedbyagroupofexpertsinthefieldofhighereducation,workingwiththeHigherEducationAcademy(HEA)toprovideastrongrationalefortransformingassessmentinhighereducation,underpinnedbyanestablishedevidencebase.Importantly,thispublicationalsoprovidesanassessmentreviewtool,whichoffersapracticalmethodtotakestockofcurrentpracticeandlooktoatargetedapproachtostrategicchange.

Thepublicationbuildsontwodecadesofextensivesupportforteaching,learningandassessmentinUKhighereducation,whichhasbeenprovidedbyarangeoforganisationsandinitiatives.Inrelationtoassessment,theHEA,itsformersubjectcentresandtheCentresforExcellenceinTeachingandLearninghavetakenakeyroleindevelopingandpromotingthisexpertiseinassessment.Accordingly,thedevelopedrationaleandreviewtoolarebasedon:

• Assessment standards: a Manifesto for Change1createdbyaninternationalforumofexpertsonassessmentinhighereducationbroughttogetherbytheAssessmentStandardsKnowledgeexchange(ASKe)CentreforExcellenceinTeachingandLearningatOxfordBrookesUniversity1;

• workfromtheCentresforExcellenceinTeachingandLearningatOxfordBrookesUniversity(ASKe)andtheUniversityofNorthumbria(AssessmentforLearning);

• previousworkoftheHEA,itssubjectcentres,theLearningandTeachingSupportNetwork(LTSN)andtheInstituteforLearningandTeachinginHigherEducation(ILTHE).

TheManifestohasbeentheprimaryorganisingframeworkforthedevelopmentofthereviewtool,withsixtenetsorevidence-basedprinciplesforassessmentpolicyandpractice.

Theargumentsandconclusionspresentedinthispublicationarebasedonthebestresearchevidenceavailableinthefieldofeducationalassessment.ReferencesinSection4providekeysourcesfortheevidence,alongwithresourcesforstaffinhighereducation.

1 ASKe(AssessmentStandardsKnowledgeexchange)Assessment standards: a Manifesto for Change; Feedback: an Agenda for

Change.Availablefrom:http://www.brookes.ac.uk/aske/Manifesto/[25September2012].

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AuthorsThispublicationwasdevelopedthroughcollaborativeworkingandwritinginvolvingagroupofexpertsinthefieldofhighereducation:DrSimonBall( JISCTechDis),CarolynBew(HigherEducationAcademy),ProfessorSueBloxham(UniversityofCumbria),ProfessorSallyBrown(IndependentConsultant),DrPaulKleiman(HigherEducationAcademy),DrHelenMay(HigherEducationAcademy),ProfessorLizMcDowell(NorthumbriaUniversity),DrEricaMorris(HigherEducationAcademy),ProfessorSusanOrr(SheffieldHallamUniversity),ElainePayne(HigherEducationAcademy),ProfessorMargaretPrice(OxfordBrookesUniversity),ProfessorChrisRust(OxfordBrookesUniversity),ProfessorBrendaSmith(IndependentConsultant)andJudithWaterfield(IndependentConsultant).

AcknowledgementsTheHigherEducationAcademyisgratefulforcommentsandsuggestionsonthedevelopmentofthispublicationfromProfessorGlennBurgess(UniversityofHull),DrTimBurton(QAA),DrFionaHandley(SouthamptonSolentUniversity),ProfessorCarolineMacDonald(TeessideUniversity),AngelaMcGrane(HEA),AaronPorter(independentconsultant),RobWard(CentreforRecordingAchievement)andDrSteveWynWilliams(StaffordshireUniversity).

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The structure of the publication

Section 1: The rationale and groundwork for transforming assessment

1.1Introduction:Thissetsthecurrentcontextinhighereducation.

1.2Acaseforchange:Thisoutlinesthewide-rangingeconomic,educationalandreputationalbenefitsoftransformingassessment.

1.3Preparingtochangeassessment:Thisprovidestheconsiderationsthatinstitutionswillneedtoaddresstosupportandmanageasuccessfultransformationtoadifferentmodelofassessment.

1.4Conclusion:Thisemphasisesthattransformingassessmentwillentailchangesrelatedtoassessmentdesign,students,staffandinfrastructure.

Section 2: Assessment standards: a Manifesto for Change

Thissection‘unpacks’thetenetsoftheManifesto,providinganexplanationofeachandanevidence-informedrationalethatunderpinstheproposedchanges.

Section 3: Assessment review tool Thistoolisforhighereducationinstitutionstobenchmarkthequalityofexistingassessmentpracticesandconsiderhowtheymightmakerelevantchanges.Itisorganisedintwoparts,withstimulusquestionsfor:

• seniormanagers,suchasdeputyandpro-vice-chancellorsandvice-principals;

• aworking‘reviewteam’involvingadean,orheadofdepartment,curriculumleaders,courseorprogrammeleaders,educationaldevelopers,lecturersandstudents.

Section 4: An annotated selection of resources

Thisprovidestheevidencebasefortherationaleforchangeandtheassociatedreviewtool,alongwithfurtherresourcesforstaff,whichcanbeusedtosupportchangestopolicyandpractice.

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Section 1: The rationale and groundwork for transforming assessment

1.1 Introduction

Assessmentofstudentlearningisafundamentalfunctionofhighereducation.Itisthemeansbywhichweassureandexpressacademicstandardsandhasavitalimpactonstudentbehaviour,stafftime,universityreputations,leaguetablesand,mostofall,students’futurelives.TheNationalStudentSurvey,despiteitslimitations,hasmademorevisiblewhatresearchersinthefieldhaveknownformanyyears:assessmentinouruniversitiesisfarfromperfect.FromstudentsatisfactionsurveystoSelectCommitteereports,thereisfirmevidencethatassessmentisnotsuccessfullymeetingtheneedsofstudents,employers,politiciansorthepublicingeneral.Therisingdemandsoffee-payingstudents,theincreasingfinancialpressuresoninstitutionsandtheneedtomaintaintheUK’sinternationalreputationforhighacademicstandardsaregoingtoplaceextrastrainonalreadyvulnerableassessmentpractices.Itistimeforaseriousreappraisal,andthepurposeofthispublicationistosupportthatreappraisalofassessmentpolicyandpracticeinhighereducationthroughevidence-informedchange.

Assessmentpracticesinmostuniversitieshavenotkeptpacewiththevastchangesinthecontext,aimsandstructureofhighereducation.Theycannolongerdojusticetotheoutcomesweexpectfromauniversityeducationinrelationtowide-rangingknowledge,skillsandemployability.Modularisationhascreatedasignificantgrowthinsummativeassessment,withitsnegativebackwasheffectonstudentlearninganditsexcessiveappetiteforresourcestodelivertheconcomitantincreaseinmarking,internalandexternalmoderation,administrationandqualityassurance.

Assessmentisalsoattheheartofmanychallengesfacinghighereducation.Asignificantlymorediversestudentbodyinrelationtoachievement,disability,prioreducationandexpectationsofhighereducationhasputpressureonretentionandstandards.Inamassifiedhighereducationsectorwheretutor-studentratioshavegraduallybeeneroded,studentscanremainconfusedaboutwhatisexpectedoftheminassessment.Effortstomakethistransparentthroughlearningoutcomes,assessmentcriteriaandwrittenfeedbackhaveprovednosubstitutefortutor-studentinteractionandnewergroupsofstudentsareparticularlylikelytoneedthiscontact.Itisnotsurprisingthatstudentsaredissatisfiedwithassessmentand,undoubtedly,thestudentvoicewillbecomelouderasfeeincreasesbite.

Studentshavealsonoticedhowassessmentfailstomeettheirneeds,particularlyinrelationtorelevancetotheworldofwork.Asincreasingnumbersofstudentsenterhighereducationwiththeprimaryhopeoffindingemployment,thereisapressuretoensurethatassessmentcan,atleastinpart,mirrorthedemandsoftheworkplaceorleadtoskillsthatarerelevantforarangeof‘realworld’activitiesbeyondeducation,butthishasbeenlargelyunreflectedinthereformofassessmentwithinmanydisciplines.

Perhapsmostimportantly,theintegrityofacademicstandardsisatriskaswebtechnologiesmayfacilitateplagiarism,retentionimperativeshavethepotentialtoimpingeonacademicdecision-making,costlyfeesraisestudentexpectations,anexpandingofferingofmeasuresseekingtoapplyreasonableadjustments,andagrowinganddiversifiedsetofinstitutionsmakescomparabilityofstandardsincreasinglydifficult.UKhighereducationhasenjoyedanexcellentinternationalreputationbasedonitsacademicstandards,butathometheissueofstandardsisbothfudgedandchallenged.Officialinquirieshavecriticisedthereliabilityofstandardsandthewaywecommunicate

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studentachievementtotheworldthroughdegreeclassification.Ourhighlyrespectedexternalexaminersystemis“understrain”2andmethodsfordeterminingstudents’resultsvarywidelyacrosssubjectsanduniversities.

Someprogresshasbeenmadeinassessmentthroughtheworkofkeenandcapableacademicsandenterprisinginstitutions.TheHEAitsformersubjectcentres,theNationalTeachingFellowshipScheme,CentresforExcellenceinTeachingandLearning,JISCandFDTL3haveallplayedasignificantroleinthisinnovation.However,forthemostpartsmall-scaleinitiativeshavenotbecomeembeddedininstitutionsandareoftentheworkofenthusiasticteachers,failingtobecomestandardpractice.Universityassessmenttraditionshavenotprovedeasytotransformthroughincrementaladjustments.Piecemealinnovations,inaddressingspecificproblemsratherthanthewholeassessmentframework,potentiallycreatetroubleforotherpartsofthesystem.Therefore,thispublicationrecommendsaradicalrethinkofassessmentpracticesandregulations,capitalisingonwhatexistingexperiencewehaveofeffectiveandefficientassessmenttomakeitthepredominantapproachratherthantheminorityone.However,therearenoquickfixesthatwillgiverapidresultsinassessment,andthereforeweproposeaholisticandproactiveapproachratherthananatomisedresponsetoindividualassessmentissues.

Whiletheviewsabovehavepositedgloomyprospectsforhighereducationassessment,thereareplentyofreasonstobeoptimisticaboutthefutureinrelationtowhataradicalshake-upofassessmentcouldachieve.ThisisparticularlyimportantatatimeofhugechangefortheUKsector.Itisanopportunitytore-establishlearningandstandardsratherthanmeasurementandgradesascentraltoeffectiveassessmentand,crucially,toreturntoafocusonstudentsaslearners.Itisachancetothinkabouthowweputthesignificantresourcesdevotedtoassessmenttobetterusetosupportlearning,safeguardstandards,improveretentionandincreasestudentapproval;toimproveassessment’sfitnessforpurposegenerally.Thispublicationaimstopromotewidespreaddevelopmentinhighereducationassessmentpracticebyhelpingstaffatalllevelsrecognisetheneedforandthemeanstobringingaboutevidence-informedchange.

2 HigherEducationFundingCouncilforEngland(2009)Report of the sub-committee for Teaching, Quality, and the

Student Experience: HEFCE’s statutory responsibility for quality(p31).Availablefrom:http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/

hefce/2009/09_40/09_40.pdf[25September2012].

3 TheFundfortheDevelopmentofLearningandTeaching,fundedbyHEFCEandDEL.

The local context and individual perspectives

Indrawingupthispublication,theauthorsareawarethateducationalresearchandtheorydoesnoteasilytranslateintosimpleprescriptionsforeducationalpractice.Allassessmentissituatedinthelocalcontext,andintheparticulartraditions,expectationsandneedsofdifferentuniversities,specialistinstitutionsandacademicdisciplines.Theoryandevidencehastobeinterpretedandappliedwithinthoseparametersandcannotbeappliedsimplyoruniformly.Consequently,thisresourcedoesnotprescribestandardisedchanges,butposesquestionsbasedonourknowledgeofeffectiveassessmentpractice,whichcanbeusedtoevaluateandbenchmarkexistingapproachesandinformfuturedevelopments.Thegrowingevidencebaseofresearchonassessmentprovidesausefulbasisonwhichtobuildandreviewpolicyandpractice,butitleavestheonusoninstitutionstodevelopandcriticallyevaluateassessmentprocessesandprocedures,astheyareusedanddevelopedwithintheirlocalcontext,comprisingstudents,tutors,resources,regulations,anddisciplinaryandprofessionalrequirements.

Thepublicationisdesignedtobeaccessibletostaffworkingatalllevelsinhighereducationbothwithininstitutionsandinpartnerorganisations;forexample,thoseinvolvedinemployer-basedteachingandmentoring.Ithasaparticularemphasisonthosewhoarelikelytoleadandimplementchangeatinstitutionalandprogrammelevel.

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1.2 A case for change

Thefollowingsetsouttheacademicandbusinesscaseforchange.Atatimewhenhighereducationisfacingunprecedentedpressuresandtransformationsineconomic,social,politicalandculturaldimensions,furtherchangesneedtobeclearlyjustified.Thissub-sectionaimstoexplainwhythebenefitsoffundamentalchangeinassessmentareworththeeffortgiventheinevitableconsequentdisruption.Thesebenefits,whichweexpandonbelow,mayinclude:

• improvedpotentialforstudentlearning;• increasedstudentsatisfaction;• improvedvalueformoney;• assessmentmethodsandapproachesthatarebetterabletoassesstheoutcomesof

a21st-centuryeducation;- adependableandfairerrepresentationofstudentachievement;- greaterconfidenceinacademicstandardsandimprovedsafeguardingofthe

reputationofUKhighereducation.

1.2.1 Improved potential for student learning

Themostsignificantbenefittocomefromaradicalreshapingofassessmentistheadvantagetostudentlearning.Assessmentshapeswhatstudentsstudy,whentheystudy,howmuchworktheydoandtheapproachtheytaketotheirlearning.Consequently,assessmentdesignisinfluentialindeterminingthequalityandamountoflearningachievedbystudents,andifwewishtoimprovestudentlearning,improvingassessmentshouldbeourstartingpoint.

Afeatureofmodernmodularcoursestructuresisthatthemajorityofassignmentshaveasummativefunction(assessmentoflearning),whichmayleadtostudentstakingastrategicapproachtotheirstudies,potentiallylimitingtheirbroaderlearningandindependentthinking.Researchevidencesuggeststhatifthenatureofthelearningcontextischanged,andassessmentisthemostinfluentialelementofthatcontext,thereisalikelihoodthatstudents’approachwillchangewithassociatedbenefitsforhighqualitylearning.

Thechangethathasthegreatestpotentialtoimprovestudentlearningisashiftinthebalanceofsummativeandformativeassessment.Summativeassessmenthasimportantpurposesinselection,certificationandinstitutionalaccountability,butitsdominancehasdistortedthepotentialofassessmenttopromotelearning(assessmentforlearning).Theimperativesofsummativeassessmentnecessarilylimittheuseofassessmentmethodsthathavedemonstrablevalueforlearning,suchasfeedbackondrafts,groupassessment,peerlearningandwork-basedassessment.Theneedtoprovideareliable,verifiablemarkforeachindividualforeachassignmentcaneitherlimitthemethodsweuseorcreatejustifiableconcernsaboutconsistencyandfairnessinmarking.Peerassessmentisacaseinpoint.Whiletheuseofpeerassessmentmaycausealarminsomeexternalexaminersandthosefocusingonacademicstandards,theabilitytoassessselfandothersisanessentialgraduateattribute.Studiesconsistentlyreportpositiveoutcomesforwell-designedpeermarking,includingclaimsfromstudentsthatitmakesthemthinkmore,becomemorecritical,learnmoreandgaininconfidence.

Ashiftinthebalanceofsummativeandformativeassessmenttowardsthelatterprovidesthescopetouseamorevalidandeffectiverangeofassessmenttools.Assessmentforlearningisdesignedtobeformativeanddiagnostic,providinginformationaboutstudentachievementtobothteachersandlearners,whichallowsteachingandlearningactivitiestorespondtotheneedsofthelearnerandrecognisesthehugebenefitthatongoinganddialogicfeedbackprocessescanhaveonlearning.Thisbenefitisenhancedwherefeedbackisembeddedinday-to-daylearningactivities.

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Thelearningbenefitsofwell-designedassessmentarealsofoundwhenstudentsareinvolvedinassessment;usingfeedback,peerassessmentandself-monitoringofprogressasmomentsoflearninginthemselves.Studentscometohaveabetterunderstandingofthesubjectmatterandtheirownlearningthroughtheircloseinvolvementwithassessment.Assessmentandfeedbackactivityofthisnaturedoesnotjustcontributetolearningatuniversity,butdevelopslearningandevaluativeskillsessentialforemploymentandlifelonglearning.

1.2.2 Increased student satisfaction

RadicalreformtoassessmentshouldalsobeconsideredinlightofthehighereducationWhitePaper–Students at the Heart of the System4.Whiletherecontinuestobevigorousdebateabouttheappropriatenessoftheproposedreforms,thereisaclearemphasisonensuringthattheviewsofstudentsarecentraltothefutureofthesector.Assessmentinparticularisconsistentlyreferredtoasanareaofreform,andwiththemovetomoretransparentinformation,theinstitutionsthatarebestabletorespondtothedemandsofstudentsmaywellthriveinrelationtostudentrecruitmentandsatisfaction.

Inparticular,whilemanyuniversitieshavetakenactiontoimprovetheirstudents’experience,scoresforassessmentandfeedbackremainlowintheNationalStudentSurveyasstudentsexpressconcernsaboutthereliabilityofassessmentcriteria,challengethefairnessoftheirexperienceandsaytheyaredissatisfiedwiththenatureandtimingoffeedback.Thisisnotsurprisinggiventhecomplexnatureofmostassessmentandthelimitedtimestaffhavetodevotetomarkingandfeedback.Researchisincreasinglydemonstratingtheimportanceoftutor-studentdialogueinbothunderstandingassessmentexpectationsandbeingabletomakeuseoffeedback.Sadly,evidencesuggeststhatreplacingthisdialoguewithgreaterguidanceormoredetailedwrittenfeedbackcreatesextraworkforstaff,yetmayhavelimitedinfluenceonlearningandachievement.Inaddition,itiswell-recognisedthatstudentsmayhaveparticularexpectationsoffeedbackaswrittencommentsontheirassignments,ratherthanstudentsrealisingthatfeedbackontheirlearningcantakeanumberofforms(e.g.written,audio,video)andbedeliveredinarangeofways(e.g.toanindividual,smallgrouporlectureclass).Soimprovingstudentsatisfactionwithassessmentneedstobeaddressedinadifferentway.Suchimprovementisdependentonbetterandmoreinclusiveassessmentmethodsandpracticesthatpromotetutor-studentandstudent-studentdialogue,andthatconsidercarefullyhowstudentscancometounderstandthetacitexpectationsoftheirtutors,providingfeedbackatatimeandinawaythatstudentscanlearnfromitanduseitintheirfuturework.

Poorvalidityinassessmentmethodscanalsodamagestudentconfidence.Forexample,ifexaminationsdonotassesswhattheyaresupposedtobeassessing,perhapsmeasuringmemoryasmuchasknowledgeandunderstanding,thenstudentsmaybecomedissatisfied.Studentsshouldexperienceassessmentasavalidmeasureoftheirprogrammeoutcomesusingauthenticassessmentmethods,whicharebothintrinsicallyworthwhileandusefulindevelopingtheirfutureemployability.

Agreateremphasisonstudentengagementwithassessment,itsguidanceandfeedback,isalsolikelytoreducestudentfrustrationwhenfacedwithlowgrades.Involvingstudentsinassessmenthasthepotentialtohelpthemunderstandthenatureofcomplexprofessionaljudgement,grasptherequiredstandardsoftheirdisciplineandbetterrecognisetheirownlevelsofachievement.Thismayhelptoreduceexpensiveandtime-consumingstudentcomplaintsandappeals,andislikelytoraisescoresoninternalandexternalmeasuresofsatisfaction.Furthermore,therearereputationaladvantagestohavingup-to-dateandfit-for-purposeassessmentpracticesasfee-payingstudentsexploremorecloselywhathighereducationinstitutionsareofferinginrelationtoteachingandlearning.

4 BIS:DepartmentforBusinessInnovationandSkills(2011)Higher Education: Students at the Heart of the System.Available

from:http://bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/higher-education/docs/h/11-944-higher-education-students-at-heart-of-system.pdf

[25September2012].

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1.2.3 Improved value for money: maximising resources for learning

Assessmentisresourceheavyinthemodernhighereducationinstitution.Transformingassessmentpolicyandpracticecanbringcostsavingsinadministrationandqualityassurance.Thesesavingsaregeneratedbyreducingsummativeassessment,improvingfailureratesandretention,andreducinginstancesofmalpractice,non-submissions,complaintsandappeals.Itisimportanttonotethatmostofthequalityassuranceandotherproceduresdiscussedinthissectionmakedemandsonstafftimewithoutanyattendantbenefitforstudentlearning.

Theincreasingsizeofstudentcohortsandashrinkingunitofresourcemeanthattutortimehasbecomedisproportionatelyspentonsummativeassessment.Studentscanbetaughtinlargergroups,buteachassignmentorexamscriptstillrequiresindividualattention.Thisimbalanceisexacerbatedbymodularstructures,whichtheUKhasadaptedfromothernationalsystems,veryfewofwhichhaveourtraditionsofsecondmarking,moderation,externalexaminersandassessmentboards.Employingthesesafeguardsforeachelementofsummativeassessmentiscreatinganacademicandadministrativeworkloadthatisunsustainable.Ashiftfromsummativetoformativeassessmentcanreducethecostsinvolvedinprocessingstudents’workandassessmentrecords,prioritisequalitychecksforessentialelementsofassessmentandredirectacademicresourcestowardslearning.

However,thehighstakesnatureofsummativeassessmentcanleadtoexpensiveandtime-consumingapplicationsforextenuatingcircumstances,studentcomplaints,appealsandlitigation.Thelatteralsorunstheriskofgeneratingadversepublicity.Thepressureofhighstakesassessmentcouldalsoencourageplagiarismandpooracademicpracticeamongsomelearnerswithitshighstaffcostsandadverseoutcomesforstudents.

Poorexperiencesofassessmentandlackoffeedbackearlyinprogrammesisassociatedwithfailureandhighstudentattritionrates.Inaddition,whereprogrammesplanformoreformativeassessmentandfeedback,thereisabetterchancethatagreaterproportionofstudentspassmodulesattheirfirstattempt,therebysavingstafftimeinrelationtodemandforextrasupport,resits,appealsandcomplaints.Improvedpassratesandreducedattritionbringobviousfinancialbenefitsforinstitutionsandpositiveoutcomesforstudents.Overall,aradicalreviewofassessmentcanbringcostsavingsandbetteruseofteachingresources.

1.2.4 Assessment that is better able to assess the outcomes of a 21st-century education

Thereisaperception,particularlyamongemployers,thathighereducationisnotalwaysprovidinggraduateswiththeskillsandattributestheyrequiretodealsuccessfullywithacomplexandrapidlychangingworld:aworldthatneedsgraduatestobecreative,capableoflearningindependentlyandtakingrisks,knowledgeableabouttheworkenvironment,flexibleandresponsive.Whilewemightarguewiththisviewabouttheshortcomingsofhighereducation,wecancertainlyimprovethemeansbywhichassessmentfostersandencouragesthosequalitiesinourgraduates.

Traditionalapproachestoemployabilityinuniversitieshavetendedtosidelineittospecificmodules,work-basedlearningelements,personaldevelopmentplanningandcareersguidance.Theoveralllearningenvironmenthasnotnecessarilyfosteredemployability,whichisservedbyamorecomprehensiverangeoflearningopportunitiesinadditiontothosemethods.Theseincludeenquiry-basedlearning,theopportunitytouseknowledgeinarangeofchallengingcontexts,learningactivitiesthatarerelevantandmotivating,closeinvolvementwithemployersandtheopportunitytoreflectonlearningandaction.

Subjectbenchmarkstatements,andotheraspectsoftheQAA’sUKQualityCodeforHigherEducation5activelysupportthebroadeningofthecurriculumtoembraceawiderviewofgraduatecapabilitiesandsomeUKuniversitiesarefullyembracingthis

5 FurtherinformationavailablefromQAA:http://www.qaa.ac.uk/AssuringStandardsAndQuality[25September2012]

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challenge.Examplesincludeembeddingthedevelopmentofprofessionalcapabilitiesatallprogrammelevels.However,unlessassessmentalsochangestomatchthesemoreexpansiveoutcomes,theprojectwillstruggle.Teachingandassessmentmustbedesignedtosupporteachotherandassessmentthatisnotclearlylinkedtoplannedlearningoutcomesisunlikelytodothat.

Therefore,assessmenthasanimportantparttoplayinsupportingthiswidercurriculumfor21st-centurygraduates.Muchtraditionalassessmenttendstofocusonrememberingandrepeatingconceptualknowledgeandunderstanding,whereasemployabilityismorelikelytobepredicatedonstudents’abilitytoapplythatknowledgeindifferentcontexts:solvingproblems,thinkingcritically,performinginprofessionalsettingsoranalysingcasestudies.Ifassessmentcontinuestofocuslargelyonknowledgeacquisitionandunderstanding,andlessonthecapacitytofindthingsoutandusetheknowledgeincontext,thenitwillsteertutorsandstudentsawayfromlearningforemployability.Furthermore,inanenvironmentwhereknowledgeisadvancingsorapidly,itisimportanttobroadenthefocusofassessmenttoembracetheskillsoflifelonglearning.

Assessmentreformwiththeseaimswouldbenefitfromincreasedinvolvementofprofessional,regulatoryandstatutorybodies;engagingwiththemtoidentifyhowprofessionalandpersonalcapabilitiescanbeevidenced.Itwouldbuildonexistingeffortstodesignintegrativeandcreativeassessmentthatismoreabletodetermineauthenticachievement.Itwouldresistgradingperformancesthatcannoteasilybemeasured.Itwouldhelpstudentsunderstandtheassessmentprocessanddeveloptheskillsofself-evaluationandprofessionaljudgement.Itwouldenablestudentstorecognisewhattheyhavelearnedandbeabletoarticulateandevidenceittopotentialemployers.Improvingassessmentinthiswayiscrucialtoprovidingaricherandfairerpictureofstudents’achievement.

1.2.5 A dependable and fairer representation of student achievement

Adependableandsecureassessmentsystemwithdemonstrablyfirst-rateacademicstandardswouldcontributetothereputationofUKuniversitiesasprovidersofhighqualityhighereducation.Thisisparticularlyimportantinanincreasinglycompetitiveglobalmarketforhighereducation.However,asoutlinedearlier,academicstandardsareatriskforarangeofreasons.Attentiontoassessmentdesign,ensuringvalidassessmentofprogrammeoutcomes,recognisingthatnotallusefullearningcanbeobjectivelymeasured,developingtutors’assessmentliteracyandestablishingappropriatemethodstopromotesharedacademicstandardsacrossdisciplinesanduniversitiescanallcontributetoreversingthedecliningconfidenceinacademicstandards.

Thewaywecurrentlycommunicatestudentachievementisinurgentneedofmodernisation.Disciplinarydifferences,forexampleintheproportionoffirstclassdegrees,areunwarrantable.TheBurgessGroup’sfinalreportBeyond the honours degree classification6clearlyarticulatedthelimitationsofdegreeclassification,althoughthesimplicityoftheupperorlowersecondmakesitremainattractivetoemployers.TheHigherEducationAchievementReport(HEAR)providesamoresophisticatedandvaluablealternativeforrecordingstudentachievement.Astudent’sHEARwillincludeinformationdescribingtheirqualification:itssubject,levelofstudyandabriefdescriptionofthemodulesorunitstheyhavestudied,withtheindividualgradestheyachieved.Itwillalsocoverextra-curricularachievements,whichcanbeclearlyevidencedthroughprizesandawards,representativerolesandofficialposts,forexampleinastudents’union.ThereportwillsupplementthetraditionaldegreeclassificationandwillincludetheEuropeanDiplomaSupplement.Followingatriallingphase,UniversitiesUKlaunchedthefinalreportoftheBurgessImplementationSteeringGroup,recommending:“thattherepresentativebodiescommendtheHEARtobeadoptedsector-wideforstudentsenteringhighereducationinacademicyear2012-13”.7The

6 UniversitiesUK(2007)Beyond the honours degree classification. The Burgess Group final report.Availablefrom:

http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/Publications/Documents/Burgess_final.pdf[25September2012].

7 UniversitiesUK(2012)Introducing the Higher Education Achievement Report: the final report of the Burgess Implementation

Steering Group.Availablefrom:http://www.hear.ac.uk[checktitle,pnumberanddatewhenreportandsiteavailablefrom

2October2012]

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implementationoftheHEARwillmakeanimportantcontributiontothebettercommunicationofstudentachievement.

WhiletheHEARshouldincreasethechanceforstudentstohavetheirwiderachievementsrepresented,ithasnotsetouttochangethefundamentalnatureofhighereducationassessment.Itwillremainforinstitutionstoaddressdisciplinarydifferencesinmarkingpracticesorproblemsinensuringcomparablestandardsacrossuniversities.Marks,ascurrentlyused,areoftenmoreaconcreterepresentationofatutor’sbroadjudgementaboutapieceofworkthantheyareaconventionalnumericalmeasurement.However,weusethesemarksformulaicallyingeneratinggrades,artificiallycombiningmarksfromdifferentsources,whichdonothaveequalweightings,meaningorvalidity.Thereby,thisover-relianceonnumberscanobscurelearningandachievementinthesearchforcreditequivalenceandtheendresultisdivorcedfromtheaimsoftheoriginalcurriculumdesign.Areviewofassessmentwouldreducetheproportionofworkthatissubjecttothisfalsemaths;gradingonlythatwhichcanbesafelygradedandgivingmorecredibilitytostudents’results.

Equalitylegislationplacesadutyonhighereducationinstitutionstopromoteequalityinordertotacklepersistentandlong-standingissuesofdisadvantage,suchasattainmentgapsbetweenwhite,andblackandminorityethnicstudents,andthelowparticipationratesofthosewithdisabilities.Assessmentcantakeanimportantroleinsupportingthisundertaking,particularlyinenablingallstudentstosuccessfullydemonstratetheirachievements.Inclusiveassessment,forexampleusingavarietyofassessmentmethods,isdesignedtoprovideforallstudentswhilemeetingtheneedsofspecificgroups.Preparationforassessment,assessmentinformation,choiceoftasks,useofformativestrategiesandreassessmentpoliciesareallaspectsofassessmentthatshouldconsiderandcontributetoinclusivepractice.Inaddition,employingwell-designedassessmentstrategiestopromoteretentionisimportantinensuringthatwideningaccesstohighereducationleadstowideningachievement.

1.3 Preparing to change assessment

Thissub-sectionoutlinessomekeyconsiderationsthatinstitutionswillneedtoaddressinordertosupportandmanageasuccessfultransformationtoadifferentmodelofassessment.Theproposalsinthisresourcerequireaculturalshiftinbeliefsaboutthepurposeandnatureofassessmentinhighereducation,andthisismostlikelytobeachievedwithawell-plannedandwell-managedstrategy.

1.3.1 Leadership

Themostimportantfactorinsuccessfulimplementationofchangesinassessmentpracticeswillbecommittedleadership.Itisessentialthatthechangeisledbysomeoneatthetopoftheorganisationwithappropriateauthorityandvision:akeymanagerwhoispreparedtoopen-mindedlyconsidertheissuesraisedbythetenetsoftheManifestointhefollowingsection.Giventhatassessmentpermeatesmanyareasofinstitutionallife,theleaderorleaderswillneedtounderstanditscomplexity,beabletolivewithalevelofambiguityandnotbeaversetoacertainlevelofrisk.Thehighstakesnatureofassessmentforindividualstudentsandinstitutionalreputationsmeansthatitcangenerateanxietiesregardingqualityassuranceandpotentialnegativepublicity.Furthermore,manyaspectsofassessmentaremiredintraditionalapproachesthatwillbehardtotransform.Therefore,theleadershipshouldbesensitivetotheseanxietiesaswellaslocalneedsandcontext,butalsowillingtopersevereinquestioningtaken-for-grantedassumptionsandpractices.

Theprojectleadershipwillneedtohaveconfidenceintheongoingsupportof,andregularinteractionwith,theseniorteamandstrategiccommittees.Theywillbecapableofadoptinganinclusiveapproach;abletopersuademanystakeholdersthatthistransformationhasmultiplebenefitsforbothstudentsandstaffasoutlinedintheprevioussection.Theywillbeabletoinvolveallrelevantstakeholdersinbuildingasharedunderstandingofgoodassessment.

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Theleaderorleadershipteamwillneedtobepersistent,recognisingthattransformationwilltaketime.Somechangesmaynotworkwellatfirst,needingevaluationandrefinementinordertooperateeffectively.Itwillbeimportantforaleadertoperseverewiththegoalovertime,allowingforthereformtobethoroughlyembeddedinthecultureandpracticesoftheinstitution.

1.3.2 Students

Studentshaveanimportantroletoplayinthesuccessofthisventure.Theyarelikelytoresistchangeunlesstheyunderstandthereasonforitanditsbenefitstotheminrelationtolearning,fairnessandrelevance.Developingstudents’assessmentliteracy,thatistheirunderstandingofthelanguageofassessmentandassessmentprocesses,willbeimportantingainingstudentsupport:theyshouldbehelpedtounderstandtheprinciplesofsoundassessment,therelationshipbetweenassessmentandlearning,andthenatureofprofessionaljudgement.Studentsshouldbeclearlyinformedaboutassessmentsafeguards,suchassecondmarking,moderationandexternalexamining.Theevidencesuggeststhatwherestudentsandstudents’unionsareawareoftheeducationalbenefitsofengagingwithassessment,theyareagreatdealkeenertobeconstructivelyinvolvedandassistwiththerequiredchange.TheNationalUnionofStudents(NUS)hasalsocontributedsignificantlytothenationaldialoguearoundassessmentinrecentyears,includingthepublicationoftheirownCharter on Feedback & Assessment8,whichcomplementsthispublication.

Whileitwillbeimportanttobuildassessmentliteracyintothecurriculum,therearealsogoodexamplesofuniversitystudents’unionsworkingwiththeirinstitutionstopromotebetterassessment,forexampleatSheffieldHallam,BrunelandQueenMary,UniversityofLondon(QMUL).Suchschemeshaveinvolvedunionsintheeducationofstudentsaboutassessment,researchingstudentviewsonassessmentandfeedback,jointassessmentcommitteesandcampaigningtoimprovedepartmentalandinstitutionalassessmentpractice.Inordertodevelopthistypeofstrongpartnershipwithstudents,studentengagementprocessesatcourse,departmentalandinstitutionallevelwillneedtobeenhanced.

1.3.3 Resources workload management

Researchconsistentlyshowsthatassessmentdrivesstudenteffort,learningandachievement,yetresourcesandworkloadmanagementtraditionallyfocusonlecturers’classcontactandcourseadministration.TheOpenUniversity,whichconsistentlyperformsinthetoptenoftheNationalStudentSurvey,devoteswelloverhalfitsteachingresourcestoassessmentandfeedback.Consequently,workloadmanagementneedstoconveythemessagetostaffthatassessmentplanning,markingandfeedbackarecruciallyimportanttostudentachievement,andshouldbefactoredintothesystembeforemajorassessmentchangesareintroduced.Thisisnotacallforextraresources,butapleatothinkdifferentlyabouttheintegrationofteachingandassessment.Staffneedtohavepermission,evenencouragement,tochangetheirpracticeinordertobuildassessmentandfeedbackintocontacthours.Theyshouldbegiventheconfidencetoreviewtheuseofcontacttimetoprivilegelearningratherthantransmissionofknowledge,andtoavoidseparatingteachingfromassessment.Forexample,immediatefeedbackgiveninclassfollowingaformativetaskorstudentpresentationshasbenefitsinrelationtotimelyfeedbackonperformance,whilereducingadditionalstaffworkloadinmarking.Overall,assessmentmustnotbeunder-representedinworkloadplanningandresourceallocation.

Thedistributionofworkloadandresourcesshouldalsobeconsideredinrelationtothewholeofastudent’sprogramme.Thiscouldmean,forexample,thatresourcesshouldbeweightedtowardsfirst-yearcourseswheretheycanhaveanimportantimpactonhelpingstudentsmakeasuccessfultransitiontohighereducationandpreparethemformoreindependentlearning.Effortcouldalsofocusmoresquarely

8 NUS(NationalUnionofStudents)Charter on Feedback & Assessment.Availablefrom:http://www.nusconnect.org.uk/

news/article/highereducation/720/[25September2012].

15

onthevalidandreliableassessmentofprogrammeoutcomesratherthanpoorerqualitymeasurementofeveryindividualmoduleoutcome.Thereispotentialtoreducethequantityofsummativeassessmentwithitsaccompanyingqualityassuranceload(secondmarking,moderation,externalexamining,assessmentboardtime),whichmayfreeresourcesforuseinformativeassessmentactivity.

1.3.4 Staff development

Institutionswillneedaplannedandsustainedstaffdevelopmentstrategytosupporttheimplementationofchange,underpinnedbydedicatedsubstantialresourceforstaffdevelopment.Akeyfirststepwillbeencouragingallrelevantstafftoreviewtheirownassessmentpractice.ThetenetsoftheManifestoandtheassociatedassessmentreviewtoolofthispublicationprovideaframeworkforthisstaffdevelopmentactivity,offeringtheopportunityforindividualsandteamstoexaminetheirownassessmentknowledgeandbeliefs,andexplorethepracticalimplicationsofthetenetsfortheirspecificcontext.

Existingstaffdevelopmentactivitiesshouldalsofocusonraisingtheprofileofassessmentandstandards,andintegratingthemwithotherrelatedtopics,suchasinclusivepractice.Itneedstobethoroughlyincorporatedintoprogrammesfornewlecturers,mentoringofstaffandpersonaldevelopmentreviews.Activitiessuchasco-marking,moderation,engagementwithexternalexaminers,coursecommitteesandassessmentboardsshouldberegardedasopportunitiesforbuildingconfidenceinstandardsthroughthecalibrationofindividual’sstandardswiththoseoftheircolleaguesandwiththewidersubjectorprofessionaldiscipline.Inparticular,newlecturersshouldparticipateinassessmentcommunitiessuchas‘markingbees’wheremoduleteamsco-markstudentworktosupportstafflearningofappropriateassessmentknowledgeandstandards.Contributiontoassessmentdevelopmentshouldbereflectedinrewardandrecognitionpolicies,anduniversitystrategiesforstaffaccreditationwithinthe UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and supporting learning in higher education9shouldclearlypointtotheimportanceofassessment.

Thisdevelopmentofassessmentliteracyamongstaffneedstobefollowedbypracticalsupportforimplementingchange.Forexample,academicdeveloperscanworkwithcourseteamstorethinkprogrammeassessmentinpreparationforcourseapprovalorrevalidation.

1.3.5 Regulations and guidance

Allthoseinvolvedindrawingupregulationsandmanagingthequalityassuranceofassessmentinauniversity,includingheadsofdepartment,qualitymanagersandvalidationpanelmembers,willbenefitfromfamiliaritywiththeassessmenttenetstoenablethemtodevelopregulations,guidanceandpractical‘caselaw’thatareconducivetoeffectivechange.Itisimportanttorecognisethepowerofregulationandguidanceasleversforenhancementandtousethemasaforceforpositivechange.Poorlyconceivedregulationcanfocusstaffonminordetailsofassessment,divertingattentionfromassessmentasawholeprocess.Itcanalsoleadteachingstafftorestheavilyonsummativeassessmentorrejectmorediversemethodswithbenefitsforlearningorinclusionbecause,forexample,theyarenoteasilysubjecttoexternalmoderation.Effectiveassessmentusuallyinvolvesatrade-offbetweenvalidity,reliabilityandmanageability,thecharacterofwhichwillnecessarilyvaryforindividualtasksandexaminations.Aprogrammeapproachtoassessmentcanensureabalanceofthesethreeprinciplesaslongasregulationsandguidancedonotprivilegeoneovertheothers.

Itisalsoimportantthatregulationsandguidanceareclearlyunderstoodanddonotprovideeitherrealorperceivedbarrierstomakingfundamentalchangeinassessmentpractice.Simpleguidance,suchasrecommendedwordcountscanbeinterpretedrigidlybyvalidationcommitteesandlimittheabilityforcourseteamstoadoptmorevalid,inclusiveandauthenticassessmentmethods.Inflexibleregulationcanofferstaff

9 UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and supporting learning in higher education(2011)Availablefrom:

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ukpsf[25September2012].

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reasonstoresistchange:theycancurbinnovation,suchasstudentinvolvementinassessmentandtheycanabsorbstaffresourcesinprocedures,suchassecondmarkingandmoderation,whichcouldbebetteremployedinsupportinglearning.Regulationsmustalsotakeintoaccountthedemandsofcurrentassessmentpracticesincludingtechnology-enhancedlearning,groupandpeerassessment.

Fundamentalchangestoassessmentwillonlybesuccessfulifcourseapproval(validation)panels,particularlytheirchairs,arebothawareofandfullycommittedtothetenetsensuringsufficientchallengetolimitedortraditionalconceptionsofassessment.Anearlystepinimplementingchangewillbethestaffdevelopmentofthesekeypersonnel.Thiswillhelpensurethatvalidationandreviewprocessesinterrogatetherangeandpurposeofassessmentwithinaprogrammeanditsalignmentwiththetenets.

1.3.6 Using technology-enhanced approaches to improve assessment

Effectiveuseofinformationsystemsandlearningtechnologiesisaprecursortochangeinassessmentpolicyandpractice,efficienciesinstafftimeandabetterexperienceforstudents.Arangeoftechnologiescanbeemployedtosystematiseandimprovetheadministrationofthewholeassessmentcyclefromsubmissionofworktoassessmentboards(involvingsubmission,markingandfeedback),andincludingeasyaccesstostudentworkforexternalexaminers.Byharnessingrelevanttechnologies,thestudentexperiencecanbeenhancedthroughbetteraccesstoassessmentinformation,abroaderrangeoftasks,automatedorspeedierfeedback,student-studentandstudent-staffdialogueregardingassessment,andsupportforpeerandgroupassessment.Forexample,theuseofwebtools,suchasblogs,forumsandwikisinvolvinggroupworkandcollaborativeactivitycanofferinnovativeopportunitiesforassessmenttasks.Softwareapplicationshavethepotentialtopresentcomplexdataandscenariostostudentsformoreauthenticcourseworkandexaminationpurposes,andtext-matchingtools,suchasTurnitincanhaveakeyroletoplayinsupportingthedevelopmentofacademicwritingwithafocusonplagiarismprevention.Assessmentmethodsthatusetechnologyareoftenmoreadaptableforstudentswithspecificlearningneedsordisabilitiesandarethereforemoreinclusive.UniversitiesaresupportedintechnologiesforinclusioninlearningandteachingbyJISCTechDis10.

Althoughsoftwareapplicationsforenhancingassessmentinhighereducationarewell-established,itisclearthatthereisneedforinstitutionstocontinuetoadoptrobusttechnologicalsolutionstosupportassessmentandfeedback.Despitehighereducationinstitutionshavingarangeoftechnologiesavailableforassessmentpurposes,thereisvariationacrossinstitutionsastowhetherthesetechnologiesareintegrated11.Thiscanhaveimplicationsforthestudentexperience.Itisvitalthatinstitutionsworktoensurethatthetechnicalinfrastructureandsystemsareinplace,andthattechnicalstaffandlearningtechnologistscanworkinpartnershipwithteachingstafftosuccessfullydeployrelevanttechnologies.Regulatoryframeworksalsoneedtoembracethedemandsoftechnology-enhancedassessment,particularlyinrelationtoonlinesubmission,securityanddataprotection.

1.4 Conclusion

Thisopeningsectionhasprovidedtherationaleandbackgroundtothispublication.Ithasestablishedthecontextfortransformingassessmentandsetsthesceneinrelationtothebusinesscaseforchangeandhowinstitutionsmightprepareforit.Whilewehavemadethepointabovethatanewassessmentapproachforhighereducationwillneedtoreflectdifferentinstitutionalcontextsandpriorities,thispublicationhasavisionfor

10 FurtherinformationonJISCTechDisavailablefrom:http://www.jisctechdis.ac.uk/[25September2012].

11 Ferrell,G.(2012)A view of the Assessment and Feedback Landscape: baseline analysis of policy and practice from the JISC

Assessment & Feedback programme.AreportforJISC.Availablefrom:http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/

elearning/assessmentandfeedback.aspx[25September2012].

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whatthatfuturemightlooklike.Broadlyspeaking,itproposesthatassessmentthatismoreclearlyfitforpurposewillentailchangesrelatedtoassessmentdesign,students,staffandinfrastructure,asfollows.

1.4.1 Assessment design

Ourapproachwouldseeassessmentmethodsdiversifiedtoimprovetheirvalidity,authenticityandinclusivity,makingthemclearlyrelevantandworthwhileintheeyesofstudents.Gradingwouldfocusonfewerandmorechallengingsummativeassessments,whichcanbeeffectivelymeasuredinaquantitativeway,andtherewouldbeanincreaseintrulyformativeassessmentthatisthoroughlyintegratedwithteachingandlearning.

1.4.2 Students

Studentswouldbeofferedgreaterpartnershipinassessment,withaclearvoiceininstitutionaldecision-makingregardingassessment.Effortswouldbemadetoincreasetheirunderstandingandtrustinassessmentthroughgreateropportunityforself-andpeerreview,providingthemwithinformationaboutassessmentsafeguardsandbyengagingtheminenhancingassessmentpolicyandpractice.Inclusiveassessmentwouldbepromotedandembeddedinpoliciesandpracticetoenableallstudentstodemonstratewhattheyarecapableof.

1.4.3 Staff

Theassessmentliteracyofacademicstaffwouldbeparamount.Ourapproachwouldvalueprofessionaljudgementandrecognisethatacademicstandardscannoteasilybemadetransparent.Ontheotherhand,confidenceinthatjudgementwouldbeboostedbyintroducingconsistentmethodstoshareandsafeguardthese,oftentacit,standards.

1.4.4 Infrastructure

Ourvisionforassessmentwouldseetechnologiesestablishedandeffectivelyharnessedtoenhanceassessmentpractice,improvefeedbackandstreamlineassessmentinformationandadministration.Regulationswouldbereviewedtopromoteassessmentchangeandstudents’achievementswouldbecommunicatedinfairandconsistentways.

Withthisvisioninmind,thefollowingsectionsprovidethereaderwithprinciples,areviewtoolandfurtherresourcestoevaluateandsupportthedevelopmentofassessment.Thechallengeissignificant,butthepotentialbenefitsareequallygreat.TheHEAwelcomesfeedbackonthispublicationand,throughitsstaff,activitiesandresources,willendeavourtosupportinstitutionsinthisventure.

TheHEAwouldliketohearfromhighereducationinstitutionswhohaveusedthereviewtool,andtoreportonitsvaluefortheircontextandsuggestimprovements–visithttp://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assessmentformoreinformationonhowinstitutionscanfeedback.

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Section 2: Assessment standards: a Manifesto for ChangeIn2007and2009,theAssessmentStandardsKnowledgeexchange(ASKe)broughttogetherinternationalexperts,producingAssessment standards: a Manifesto for Changeforhighereducation12.Significantly,thisManifestoencapsulatesanevidence-informedapproachfortransformingassessment,andis“afirststeptowardsbringingaboutnecessarychangesinpolicyandpractice”.ThesixtenetsoftheManifestoprovideanorganisingframeworktotakeforwardthesechanges,andthissectionunpackseachofthetenets,withanexplanationofeachandassociatedkeypoints.

Thisworktothoroughly‘unpack’thetenetsinformedthedevelopmentofthereviewtoolinthefollowingsection:thetenetsandtheirkeypointswererecasttoformthestimulusquestionsofthistoolforhighereducationinstitutions.

12ASKe(AssessmentStandardsKnowledgeexchange)Assessment standards: a Manifesto for Change.Availablefrom:

http://www.brookes.ac.uk/aske/Manifesto/[25September2012].

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Tenet 1: Assessment for learning

The debate on standards needs to focus on how high standards of learning can be achieved through assessment. This requires a greater emphasis on assessment for learning rather than assessment of learning.

Explanation

Learningandassessmentshouldbeintegratedandfullyaligned.Assessmentisacrucialaspectoftheprocessbywhichstudentshaveahighqualitylearningexperience.Itshouldnotjustbeusedtoevidencethatlearningoutcomeshavebeenachieved.

Key points

• Assessmentmustbedesignedtodevelophighstandardsoflearning.Students’learningisenhancedwhenassessmentbuildsonpreviouslearningandrequiresdemonstrationofhigherorderlearningandintegrationofknowledge.

• Ahighqualitylearningprocessrequiresabalancebetweenformativeandsummativeassessmentensuringthatsummativeassessmentdoesnotdominate.Oneoftherolesofformativeassessmentistogivestudentsopportunitiesforpreparationandpracticebeforetheyaresummativelyassessed.

• Arangeofapproachestofeedbackinadditiontotutorcommentsonsubmittedworkneedtobeinplace.Studentsneedtodevelopthecapacitytousefeedbackeffectively.

Tenet 2: Ensuring assessment is fit for purpose

When it comes to the assessment of learning, we need to move beyond systems focused on marks and grades towards the valid assessment of the achievement of intended programme outcomes.

Explanation

Whileassessmentcontinuestohavearoleinaccreditingachievement,currentsystemsthatfocusonmarksandgradesneedtobereviewedbecauseinmanycasestheyarestatisticallyandintellectuallyindefensible.Systemsshouldfocusonthedemonstrationofthedevelopmentandachievementofintendedprogrammeoutcomes.

Key points

• Thereneedstoberecognitionofthedifficultiesinherentinmarkingsystems,andtheimbalancebetweenvalidityandreliabilityneedstoalsobeaddressedthroughanincreasedemphasisonassessmentvalidity.

• Programmelearningoutcomesshouldreflectwhatstudentsshouldachieve.Assessmentsshouldbesettoenablestudentstodemonstratethattheyachievedthelearningoutcomes,throughavarietyofroutesbestsuitedtotheirindividualneeds.

• Thereshouldbeafocusonprogrammeoutcomesbecausethequalificationstudentsareawardedshouldreflecttheirabilityattheendoftheprogramme,ratherthananaccumulationofmarks.

• Thevalidityoftheassessmentprocesscanbepromotedthrougheffectivecollaborationbetweenallthosewhoteachonaprogramme,allorientatedtowardstheassessmentofprogrammelearningoutcomes.

• Assessmentmethodsshouldnotbechosenforreliabilityalone,althoughreliabilityisanimportantconsideration.

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Tenet 3: Recognise that assessment lacks precision

Limits to the extent that standards can be articulated explicitly must be recognised since ever more detailed specificity and striving for reliability, all too frequently, diminish the learning experience and threaten its validity. There are important benefits of higher education which are not amenable either to the precise specification of standards or to objective assessment.

Explanation

Itisnotpossibletospecifypreciselyallmeaningfullearningorassessmentoutcomes.Precisedefinitioncouldnarrowthelearningexperienceandachievement.Therearesomeaspectsoflearningthatcannotbereasonablyassessed.

Key points

• Tosharestandardsinhighereducation,therehasbeenanoveremphasisondetailingcriteriaandlevels.Usingexplicitcriteriacannotcaptureallthedifferentaspectsofquality.

• Outcomesofhighlevelcomplexlearningcanbeassessedusingprofessionaljudgements.Thesejudgementsshouldbebasedonassociatedcriteriaandstandards,whicharesociallyconstructedandunderstoodwithinadisciplinecommunity.

• Standardsarebestdemonstratedthroughdiscussionaroundanonymousexemplarsofdifferentresponsestothesamepieceofassessedwork.

• Learningisatransformativeexperiencethatgoesbeyondtheperimetersofassessment.Theeffectsofassessmentextendoverandabovetheintendedoutcomes.

Tenet 4: Constructing standards in communities

Assessment standards are socially constructed so there must be a greater emphasis on assessment and feedback processes that actively engage both staff and students in dialogue about standards. It is when learners share an understanding of academic and professional standards in an atmosphere of mutual trust that learning works best.

Explanation

Bothstaffandstudentsneedtodeveloptheirownunderstandingsofwhatisrequiredfrom,andentailedin,theassessmentandfeedbackprocess.Theyarenotpassiverecipientsoftheprocess,butwillactivelyengagewithitovertime,buildingtheirknowledgeandexperience.Foreffectivelearningandassessmenttotakeplacetheremustbeanacceptanceofdifferinginterpretationsandunderstandings.Acommonunderstandingofthemeaningofstandards–bothacademicandprofessional–requiresmutualtrustanddialoguebetweenstaffandstudents.

Key points

• Itisimportantthatstaffandstudentsestablishasharedunderstandingofstandardsbothacademicandprofessional.Acommonunderstandingandsenseofvalueandtrustcanbefosteredthroughsocialandcollaborativeactivityamongthosewithinappropriatecommunities.

• Tounderstandstandardsstudentsneedtoengagewithacommunitythatdevelopsthosestandardswithinthediscoursesandpracticesoftheappropriatedisciplinesandprofessions.Thismighthappenatdifferentpointsintheassessmentcycleandinarangeofways.Thesedifferentaspectsmayinclude:- Whatismeantbystandards?- Howaretheymeasured?- Howdothecriteriausedtomarkassessmentsrelatetostandards?

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Tenet 5: Integrating assessment literacy into course design

Active engagement with assessment standards needs to be an integral and seamless part of course design and the learning process in order to allow students to develop their own, internalised conceptions of standards and to monitor and supervise their own learning.

Explanation

Coursesandassessmentsneedtobedesignedinwaysthathelpstudentstoachieveunderstandingoftherecognisedstandards.Understandingwillalsohelpthemtobecomeautonomouslearnerswhocanreadilyreflectonandreviewtheirownprogress,developmentandlearning.Appropriatelyinvolvingstudentsinthedesignofcourseswillhelpthisbemoreeasilyrealised.

Key points

• Assessmentliteracyisessentialtoeveryoneinvolvedinassessmentpractice.Ittakestimetodevelopunderstandingandskillsinassessment.Thesecanbegainedbyactiveinvolvementinaneducationalcommunityinwhichstudentsarecontributingpartners.

• Studentsareabletorealisecomplexandsophisticatedoutcomeswhentheyhavetheopportunitiestolearnabout,understand,internaliseandapplytherelevantstandards.Thiscanbeachievedthroughobservation,modelling,discussion,reflectionandpractice.

• Assessmentliteracyisaniterativeprocess,andthereforecoursedesignandimplementationshouldprovideunhurriedopportunitiesandtime–withinandacrossprogrammes–todevelopcomplexknowledgeandskills,andtocreateclearpathsforprogression.

• Encouragingself-andpeerassessment,andengagingindialoguewithstaffandpeersabouttheirwork,enablesstudentstolearnmoreaboutthesubject,aboutthemselvesaslearners,aswellasaboutthewaytheirperformanceisassessed.

Tenet 6: Ensuring professional judgements are reliable

Assessment is largely dependent upon professional judgement and confidence in such judgement requires the establishment of appropriate forums for the development and sharing of standards within and between disciplinary and professional communities.

Explanation

Assessmentofhighlevelcomplexlearningislargelydependentonholisticjudgementratherthanmechanisticprocesses.Academic,disciplinaryandprofessionalcommunitiesshouldsetupopportunitiesandprocesses,suchasmeetings,workshopsandgroupstoregularlyshareexemplarsanddiscussassessmentstandards.Thesecanhelptoensurethateducators,practitioners,specialistsandstudentsdevelopsharedunderstandingsandagreementaboutrelevantstandards.

Key points

• Althoughassessmentstandardsprovideafoundationfortheprocessofassessment,theyarenoteasytoexpress.Toalleviatethis,academic,disciplinaryandprofessionalcommunitiesmightsetupopportunitiesandmechanismstoregularlydiscussassessmentstandards.

• Becauseconsistentandeffectiveassessmentstandardsplayavitalpartininformingstudentlearning,itiscrucialthatthesearedevelopedandmaintained.

• Thesharinganddemonstratingofprofessionaljudgementsrelatedtoassessmentstandardsistheprimeresponsibilityofdisciplineorsubjectcommunities.

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Section 3: Assessment review tool

Thefollowingtoolwillenableyourhighereducationinstitutiontoreviewcurrentpolicyandpracticeinassessmentandfeedback,withaviewtoradicallyrethinkingtheinstitution’sassessmentstrategy.Thestimulusquestionsofthetoolprovideavaluablewaytoinitiatediscussion,captureandratetheextentofrelevantevidence,andidentifyanddevelopactions,basedaroundapproachestoassessmentandfeedbackthatarerelevanttoyourinstitution.

Thetooloffersanopportunityforyourinstitutiontoreflectonwhatisworkingwell,butthentotakeanhonestandopenlookatwhatneedstochangeindifferentareasofinstitutionalactivity.

3.1 Employing the tool

Itisrecommendedthatthereviewtoolisappliedasfollows:

PartAisdesignedtobeusedbyseniormanagers,suchasdeputyandpro-vice-chancellorsandvice-principalstoaddressstrategicinstitutionalissuesthatwillenableafocusonradicalchangesacrossaninstitution.

PartBisdesignedtobeusedbyaworkinggroupinvolvingadean,orheadofdepartment,curriculumleaders,courseorprogrammeleaders,educationaldevelopers,alongwithlecturerswhodeliverthecurriculum,andstudents.Thisworkinggroupcanprovidethenecessaryrangeofperspectivestoaddressassessmentissuesatthefaculty,school,collegeordepartmentlevel.

Areviewofassessmentpolicyandpracticecanthereforeengagearangeofcolleagueswithdifferingresponsibilitiesthatcontributetothetotalstudentlearningexperience.Inapplyingthetoolitislikelythatinpracticeaworkinggroupissetupforeachparticularfacultyorschool,butthiswilldependoninstitutionalandlocalneed.Itisalsorecommendedthatstudentsareincludedtogiveasfullapictureaspossibleofexistingpracticeandtohelptriangulatetheevidence.InthecaseofPartBabove,itisnoteworthythattheaboverolesare,ofcourse,oftenmixed,withstaffbothleadingprogrammesandteaching,forexample.

Throughtheuseofthetool,thereviewprocessisintendedtorecogniselocalautonomyandcontext,raiseawareness,engageawiderconstituency,andfacilitatedialogueanddevelopmentwithinandbetweendifferentunitsacrossaninstitution.Developedactionsfromthereviewprocesscanbeusedtoinformteaching,learningandassessmentstrategyandtorefine,reviseordevelop,asappropriate13.

Thereviewtoolisdevisedforseniormanagersandworkinggroupstocaptureandratetheextentofrelevantevidence,enablinganynecessarychangestobeprioritisedintheformofactions.Inaddition,theprocesscanhelptohighlighteffectivepracticesfordisseminationbothinternallyandexternally.Inallocatingaratingitisimportantthatevidenceisidentifiedthatjustifiestheassignedratingtoensure,asfaraspossible,anaccuratepicture.

13 Someinstitutionsmayhaveaseparateassessmentstrategy,whileotherswillintegrateassessmentissueswithinateaching

andlearningstrategy.

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Clearly,the‘findings’ofPartAandPartB,ortheoutcomesoftheprocessintheformofevidenceidentified,ratingsandactionsshouldbe‘broughttogether’toinformthedevelopmentofinstitutionalassessmentstrategy.Howthisprocessisundertakenandrealisedwilldependoninstitutionalcontextandpriorities:thetwopartsofthereviewtoolmightbeusedconcurrentlybyseniormanagersandworkinggroupsatthefaculty,schoolordepartmentlevel,orPartBmightbeusedasa‘startingpoint’,completedbydifferentdepartmentsorfaculties,providing‘evidence’forchange,whichcanalsodrivechangesattheleveloftheinstitution.Itisrecommendedthatqualityteamsarealsoinvolvedinthereviewprocess,andcontributetodiscussionandassociateddevelopments,astheycanprovidevaluableperspectivesonexistingpolicyandpractice.

3.2 The scope of the tool

Itisimportanttoemphasisethatthetoolhasbeendevelopedby‘recasting’thetenetsoftheManifesto,sothathighereducationinstitutionscaneffectivelytakeforwardradicalchangeinassessmentstrategy.Itisrecognisedthattherecanberelatedinstitutionalissuesconcerninginclusiveassessmentandacademicintegrity,whicharebeyondtheparticularfocusoftheManifestoandassociatedreviewtool.Toenhanceinstitutionalpolicyandpracticeintheseareas,itisrecommendedthatthefollowingresourcesareconsulted:

• SettingtheagendaforInclusiveAssessment:anauditingtoolisdesignedtoenablethereviewofassessmentstrategies,sothatinclusivepracticecanbedeveloped14;

• PolicyWorksprovidesgoodpracticeguidanceforinstitutionstosupportacademicintegrity,anddevelopprocedurestomanageunacceptableacademicpracticeinstudents(e.g.plagiarism,collusion,datafabrication)15.

TheHEAwouldliketohearfromhighereducationinstitutionswhohaveusedthereviewtool,andtoreportonitsvaluefortheircontextandsuggestimprovements–visithttp://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assessmentformoreinformation.

14 Waterfield,J.andWest,B.(2011)Setting the agenda for Inclusive Assessment: an auditing tool.PASS:ProgrammeAssessment

Strategies.Availablefrom:http://www.pass.brad.ac.uk/wp5-tool.pdf[25September2012].

15 Morris,E.withCarroll,J.(2011)Policy works: recommendations for reviewing policy to manage unacceptable academic practice

in higher education.TheHigherEducationAcademyJISCAcademicIntegrityService.Availablefrom:http://www.heacademy.

ac.uk/resources/detail/academicintegrity/policy_works[25September2012].

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Part A: Addresses strategic institutional issues in assessment and feedback

Thispartcanbeusedbyseniormanagerstoaddressstrategicinstitutionalissuesforradicalchangesacrossaninstitution.

Infocusingoneachstimulusquestionbelow:

• Ratetheextentofevidence,inwhich1=noneorverylittle,2=somebutinsufficient,3=justadequate,4=considerablebutstillsomegaps,5=fullandcomprehensive.

• Whatevidenceistheretosupportyourrating?Considerandprovideevidenceofexistingpolicyorpractice.

• Whatfurtherevidenceisneeded?Developappropriateactions(e.g.inrelationtoenhancements)basedontheratingsindicated(i.e.lowerratingsof1,2or3entailingparticularconsiderationofnecessaryactions).

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Tenet 1: Assessment for learningTowhatextentdoyourinstitutionalqualityandmanagementprocesses...

A1.1Giveappropriateprioritytotestingthestandards,designandvalidityofassessment?

1 noneorverylittle

2 somebutinsufficient

3 justadequate

4considerablebutstillsomegaps

5fullandcomprehensive

Evidence

Actions

A1.2 Ensureanappropriatebalancebetweensummativeandformativeassessment?

1noneorverylittle

2somebutinsufficient

3justadequate

4 considerablebutstillsomegaps


Evidence

Actions

26

A1.3Viewassessmentandfeedbackacrossprogrammesinrelationtothestudentlearningexperience?

1noneorverylittle


3justadequate



Evidence

Actions

A1.4Promotetheengagementofstudentsintheassessmentprocesstoensuretheirunderstandingoftheroleofassessmentinlearning?

1noneorverylittle


3justadequate



Evidence

Actions

27

Tenet 2: Ensuring assessment is fit for purposeTowhatextentdoyourinstitutionalqualityandmanagementprocesses...

A2.1Emphasiseassessmentforlearningoversystemsfocusedonmarks,gradesandreliability?

1noneorverylittle


3justadequate



Evidence

Actions

A2.2 Focusonthevalidassessmentofintendedlearningoutcomes?

1noneorverylittle


3justadequate



Evidence

Actions

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A2.3Giveprioritytoprogrammelearningoutcomes?

1noneorverylittle


3justadequate



Evidence

Actions

29

Tenet 3: Recognise that assessment lacks precisionTowhatextentdoyourinstitutionalqualityandmanagementprocesses...

A3.1Emphasisesupplementarysupport(e.g.exemplars)tocommunicateassessmentstandardsbeyondtheuseofexplicitassessmentcriteria,levelsdescriptors,etc.?

1noneorverylittle


3justadequate



Evidence

Actions

A3.2 Recognisethatitisnotalwayspossibletospecifyorassessimportantconsequencesofeducation?

1noneorverylittle


3justadequate



Evidence

Actions

30

A3.3Recognisetheroleofprofessionaljudgementinassessmentalongsideexplicitstandards?

1noneorverylittle


3 justadequate


5 fullandcomprehensive

Evidence

Actions

31

Tenet 4: Constructing standards in communities Towhatextentdoyourinstitutionalqualityandmanagementprocesses...

A4.1Fostercollaborationandthedevelopmentofacommonunderstandingofprofessionalandacademicstandards?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

A4.2 Supportaninfrastructurethatrecognisestheimportanceofthecreationandmaintenanceofdisciplinarycommunities?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

32

A4.3Facilitatedialoguebetweenstaffandstudentswithinthosedisciplinarycommunities?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

33

Tenet 5: Integrating assessment literacy into course design Towhatextentdoyourinstitutionalqualityandmanagementprocesses...

A5.1Requiretheprogressivedevelopmentofstudents’assessmentliteracyinmeetingassessmentstandardsenablingthemtoapplyandreflectonthesestandards?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

A5.2 Ensurethatprogrammesintegratesupportandopportunitiesforstudentstopractisemonitoringandsupervisingtheirownlearning?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

34

Tenet 6: Ensuring professional judgements are reliable Towhatextentdoyourinstitutionalqualityandmanagementprocesses...

A6.1Supportcolleaguesinshapingtheirprofessionaljudgementsincollaborationwiththeirdisciplinaryandprofessionalcommunities?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

A6.2 Fosteracultureinwhichpotentialbiasisrecognisedandaddressedtosafeguardthereliabilityofprofessionaljudgements?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

35

A6.3 Promoteaculturethatencouragescolleaguestosubstantiatetheirprofessionaljudgementscollaborativelythroughopenandhonestdiscussions?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

37

Part B: Addresses issues in assessment and feedback at the faculty, school, college or department level

Thispartcanbeusedbyaworkinggroupinvolvingadean,orheadofdepartment,curriculumleaders,courseorprogrammeleaders,educationaldevelopers,lecturersandstudents.

Infocusingoneachstimulusquestionbelow:

• Ratetheextentofevidence,inwhich1=noneorverylittle,2=somebutinsufficient,3=justadequate,4=considerablebutstillsomegaps,5=fullandcomprehensive.

• Whatevidenceistheretosupportyourrating?Considerandprovideevidenceofexistingpolicyorpractice.

• Whatfurtherevidenceisneeded?Developappropriateactions(e.g.inrelationtoenhancements)basedontheratingsindicated(i.e.lowerratingsof1,2or3entailingparticularconsiderationofnecessaryactions).

38

Tenet 1: Assessment for learningTowhatextent...

B1.1Areyouconfidentthatassessmenttasksdemandhighstandardsoflearning?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

B1.2 Isassessmentforlearninggivenemphasisinrelationtoassessmentoflearning?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

39

B1.3Doyouensureanappropriatebalancebetweensummativeandformativeassessmentattheprogrammelevel?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

B1.4Isassessmentandfeedbackplannedwithinandacrossprogrammestoensureappropriatestudentpreparationandpracticebeforesummativeassessmenttakesplace?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

40

Tenet 2: Ensuring assessment is fit for purpose Towhatextent...

B2.1Isthereanemphasisonassessmentforlearningoversystemsfocusedonmarks,gradesandreliability?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

B2.2 Doestheassessmentdesignprocessensurevalidassessmentoftheintendedlearningoutcomes?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

41

B2.3Isthetrade-offbetweenreliabilityandvalidityofassessmentdebated?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

B2.4Areassessmentdecisionsinrelationtodesign,developmentandvarietymadewithinaprogrammecontextandfocusedonprogrammelearningoutcomes?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

42

Tenet 3: Recognise that assessment lacks precision Towhatextent...

B3.1Isthereacknowledgementofthelimitationsofexplicitassessmentstandards?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

B3.2 Isthereanexplorationoftheimpactofexplicitassessmentcriteriaonassessmentpracticeandtheworkofstudents?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

43

B3.3Isthererecognitionthatitisnotalwayspossibletospecifyorassessimportantconsequencesofeducation?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

B3.4Isitacceptablefortheroleofprofessionaljudgementtobepartoftheassessmentprocess,alongsidetheuseofexplicitcriteria?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

44

Tenet 4: Constructing standards in communities Towhatextent...

B4.1Arethereopportunitiestoengageindialogueaboutstandardsamongstaff?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

B4.2 Arethereopportunitiestoengageindialogueaboutstandardsbetweenstaffandstudents?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

45

B4.3Arestudentsencouragedtoparticipateindisciplinarycommunities?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

B4.4Dolocaldisciplinarycommunitiesplayaroleinfacilitatingcollaborationaboutassessmentstandards?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

46

Tenet 5: Integrating assessment literacy into course design Towhatextent...

B5.1Istherearecognitionofthebenefitsofassessment-literatestudents?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

B5.2 Isthereanemphasisonbuildingstudents’assessmentliteracythroughalearningprocessinwhichtheyinternalise,applyandreflectonassessmentstandards?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

47

B5.3Arestudentssupportedtopractisemonitoringandsupervisingtheirownlearning?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

48

Tenet 6: Ensuring professional judgements are reliable Towhatextent...

B6.1Areopportunitiestakentosharetherationaleforassessmentjudgementsamongcolleaguestogiveconfidenceinsuchjudgements?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

B6.2 Aretheresupportmechanisms,suchasmentoringtohelpstaffbuildconfidenceintheformationandreliabilityoftheirassessmentjudgements?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

49

B6.3Areprofessionaljudgementsmadewithinthewidercontextofdisciplinaryandprofessionalcommunities?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

B6.4Isthepotentialforbiasinprofessionaljudgementsacknowledged?

1 noneorverylittle


3 justadequate



Evidence

Actions

51

Section 4: An annotated selection of resources 4.1 Core texts in support of the tenets

Boud,D.andFalchikov,N.(2006)AligningAssessmentwithlong-termlearning.Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education.31(4),399-413.

Thispaperhighlightstheneedforassessmentreformtosupportgraduatesintheirfuturelives.Itissuggestedthatthroughchangesinlearningandassessmentpractices,studentscanbecomeassessorswithinthecontextofparticipationinpractice.Itisthiskindofhighlycontextualisedlearningthatenablesthemtomeetthechallengesoflifelonglearning.Thislinkstothetenetsrelatingtovalidassessment(tenet2),sociallyconstructedstandards(tenet4)andassessmentstandardsasanintegralpartoftheprogramme(tenet5).

Gibbs,G.andSimpson,C.(2004-5)Conditionsunderwhichassessmentsupportsstudents’learning.Learning and Teaching in Higher Education.1(1),3-29.Availablefrom:http://www.open.ac.uk/fast/pdfs/Gibbs%20and%20Simpson%202004-05.pdf[25September2012].

Thisarticlefocusesontheevaluationofassessmentarrangementsandthewaytheyaffectstudentlearningoutofclass.Itisassumedthatassessmenthasanoverwhelminginfluenceonwhat,howandhowmuchstudentsstudy.Thearticleproposesasetof“conditionsunderwhichassessmentsupportslearning”andjustifiesthesewithreferencetotheory,empiricalevidenceandpracticalexperience.Theseconditionsareofferedasaframeworkforteacherstoreviewtheeffectivenessoftheirownassessmentpractice.

Strongcorrelationcanbeseentothethemesofassessmentforlearning(tenet1),validassessment(tenet2),dialogueaboutstandardsbetweenstaffandstudents,includingfeedbackprocesses(tenet4),andactiveengagementthroughintegratingassessmentliteracyintocoursedesign(tenet5).

52

James,M.(2006)Assessment,teachingandtheoriesoflearning.In:Gardner,J.(ed.)Assessment and Learning.London:Sage,pp.45-60.

James,M.(2012)Assessmentinharmonywithourunderstandingoflearning:problemsandpossibilities.In:Gardner,J.(ed.)Assessment and Learning.2nded.London:Sage,pp.187-205.

Thechapterinthefirsteditionexaminestheimplicationsforassessmentpracticeofthreeclustersoflearningtheories:behaviourist,cognitiveandconstructivist,andsociocultural.However,itissuggestedthatsocioculturaltheorieshavenotyetledtowell-worked-outformsofassessment.Keyelementsofasocioculturalapproachtoassessmentare:collaboration,authentictasks,holisticassessmentsandself-assessment(tenet3andtenet5).

Thesecondeditionchapteroffersarevisedfocusandoutlinestheproblemsandpossibilitiesofdevelopingassessmentpracticecongruentwithsocioculturallearningtheory.Althoughthereispotentialfordevelopmentofassessmentbasedonsocioculturalperspectives,whichwouldhavegreatervalidity,reliabilityofassessmentresultsremainsanissue(tenet2).

Joughin,G.(2010)Thehiddencurriculumrevisited:acriticalreviewofresearchintotheinfluenceofsummativeassessmentonlearning.Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education.35(3),335-345.

Theauthorcritiquesthreeclassicstudiesfrequentlycitedinsupportoftheviewthatassessmenthasastronginfluenceonstudents’learning,oftenatthedetrimentoflearningforlearning’ssake.Giventhelimitationsoftheresearchprojects,itisquestionedwhethertheoutcomesprovideenoughevidencefortheclaimsthathavesupportedresearchontherelationshipbetweenassessmentandlearning.Joughincallsforanewresearchagendathatwouldincludeamoreevidence-basedapproachtoresearchonalternativeassessmentdesignsandtheirrelationshiptolearning.Thistextisagoodintroductiontofurtherdevelopmentoftheargumentforassessmentforlearning(tenet1).

Knight,P.(2002)SummativeAssessmentinHigherEducation:Practicesindisarray.Studies in Higher Education.27(3),275-286.Availablefrom:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075070220000662[25September2012].

Thearticlebeginswithaviewoflearningandofwhatitsassessmententails,arguingthatitishelpfultodistinguishbetweenassessmentsystemsprimarilyintendedtoprovidefeedoutandthoseintendedtoprovidefeedback.Attentionisthenconcentratedonsummative,feedout,orhighstakesassessment,whichissupposedtobehighlyreliable.Anumberofdifficultieswithcurrentpracticesareidentified,leadingtotheclaimthathighstakesassessmentinfirstdegreesisinsuchdisarraythatitisdifficulttoknowwhatgradesorclassificationsmean,anditisriskytotreatthemasreliable.Thislinkswiththetenetsrelatingtoprofessionaljudgementandsharingstandards(tenet6)andactivelyengagingindialogueaboutthem(tenet4),whilealsoacknowledging theissueoftheextenttowhichstandardscanbearticulated(tenet3).

53

Knight,P.(2006)Thelocalpracticesofassessment.Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education.31(4),435-452.

Itisarguedthatassessmentdiscoursesareessentiallylocaldiscourses.Thecaseisdevelopedbydistinguishingbetweenthreeformsofassessment:backgroundassessment,warrantingachievement,andlearning-orientedassessment.Itisarguedthatthedifferentformsofassessmentsupportdifferentdegreesofconfidenceinlocallyconstructedjudgementsofachievement(tenet4andtenet6).

McDowell,L.,Sambell,K.andDavison,G.(2009)Assessmentforlearning:abriefhistoryandreviewofterminology.In:RustC.(ed.)Improving student learning through the curriculum.Oxford:OxfordCentreforStaffandLearningDevelopment,pp.56-64.

‘Assessmentforlearning’waspromotedintheUKbytheAssessmentReformGroup;however,amemberofthegroup,PaulBlack,hascalledtheterm“afreebrandnametoattachtoanypractice”.Inareviewoftheterminology,itisproposedthatanintegratedmodelofassessmentforlearningincludesafeedback-richenvironment,activeparticipationbystudents,developmentofstudentautonomy,areductioninthedominanceofsummativeassessment,andtheuseofauthenticandcomplexmethodsoflearningandassessment(tenet1).

Nicol,D.andMacFarlane-Dick,D.(2006)Formativeassessmentandself-regulatedlearning:amodelandsevenprinciplesofgoodfeedbackpractice. Studies in Higher Education.31(2),199-218.

Theresearchonformativeassessmentandfeedbackprocessesisreinterpretedtoshowhowtheseprocessescanhelpstudentstotakecontroloftheirownlearning(i.e.becomeself-regulatedlearners).Thisreformulationisusedtoidentifysevenprinciplesofgoodfeedbackpracticethatsupportself-regulation.Theshiftinfocus,wherebystudentsareseenashavingaproactiveratherthanareactiveroleingeneratingandusingfeedback,hasprofoundimplicationsforthewayinwhichteachersorganiseassessmentsandsupportlearning.

Thesevenprinciplesareconsistentwithassessmentforlearningapproaches(tenet1),facilitationofteacherandpeerdialogues(tenet4)anddevelopmentofself-assessmentskills(tenet5).

54

Orr,S.(2010)‘Wekindoftrytomergeourownexperiencewiththeobjectivityofthecriteria’:Theroleofconnoisseurshipandtacitpracticeinundergraduatefineartassessment.Art, Design and Communication in Higher Education,9(1),5-19.

Thisarticle,whichreportsonfineartlecturers’assessmentpractices,exploresthechallengesassociatedwiththeassessmentofcreativepractice.Creativedisciplinesarepremisedontheassumptionthatstudentswillproduceworkthatiscreativeandtosomeextent,unanticipated.Asaresult,thereisadegreeofindeterminacyinthelearningoutcomes(tenet3).Therearetwokeyareasexploredinthisarticle.Firstly,thepaperbuildsacaseforresearchingandunderstandingassessmentpracticeswithinthedisciplines.Secondly,drawingonWenger’sresearch,itoffersarenderingofthewaysthatcreativepracticelecturersworkin,andrelyon,communitiesofpracticetosecureassessmentstandards(tenet4).Byapplyingthetenets’principlestothedisciplinarycontextoffineart,thisarticleoffersatemplateforarticulatingassessmentrigourincreativedisciplines(tenet6).

O’Donovan,B.,Price,M.andRust,C.(2008)Developingstudentunderstandingofassessmentstandards:anestedhierarchyofapproaches.Teaching in Higher Education.13(2),205-217.

Thisarticlereviewsapproachestosharingstandardsinassessmentsandhighlightsthelimitationsofmakingstandardsexplicitforcomingtoanunderstandingofthem.A‘communityofpractice’approachtodefiningandsharingstandardsisofferedasthewayforward.Theauthorsproposethreepracticalwaysinwhichsuchacommunityapproachwithintheassessmentenvironmentmaybepromptedandenhanced,whichisthroughtheuseofasociallearningspace,sociallearningandcollaborativeassessmentpracticeswithincurricula,anddevelopingstudent‘pedagogicalintelligence’.

Thislinkswithconstructingstandardsthroughprocessesofassessmentandfeedback(tenet4)andactiveengagementwithstandards(tenet5).

Price,M.,Rust,C.,O’Donovan,B.,Handley,K.,withBryant,R.(2012)Assessment Literacy: The Foundation for Improving Student Learning.AssessmentStandardsKnowledgeexchange(ASKe),OxfordCentreforStaffandLearningDevelopment,OxfordBrookesUniversity.

Thisbookexaminestheroleofassessmentliteracyinimprovinglearning.Itsemphasisonhowtodevelopstudents’assessmentliteracyalignswiththeholisticchangeproposedinAMarkedImprovementanditprovidesargumentsthatsupportallthetenets.Thebookviewsassessmentliteracyasagatewayforstudents(andstaff)leadingtogreaterlearningthroughassessment.Akeyelementofassessmentliteracyisunderstandingthepurposes,natureandstandardsofassessment,whicharedevelopedthroughactiveinvolvementinassessmentpractices(tenet1),activeengagementwithassessmentstandards(tenets3,and5)andinvolvementindialogueaboutassessment(tenets4and6).Approachestodevelopingassessmentliteracyatallstagesofaprogrammearecoveredinthebook.

55

Sadler,D.R.(1987)Specifyingandpromulgatingachievementstandards.Oxford Review of Education.13(2).Availablefrom:http://www.jstor.org/stable/1050133[25September2012].

Thispaperpicksapartthelabelsofcriterionandstandard,andputsforwardthecaseforassessmentthatdrawsonprofessionaljudgement.Thekeythemesofnumericalcut-off,tacitknowledge,exemplarsandverbaldescriptorsarediscussedindetail.Mattersofthefallibilityofteachers’judgements,howjudges‘know’standardsandtheunreliabilityofassessmentduetopersonaldifferences,arejustasrelevantnowastheywereatthetimeofwriting,andtheserelatestronglywiththechallengeofbeingabletospecifyassessmentoutcomes(tenet3),engagingindialogueoverstandards(tenet4)andthedependenceonprofessionaljudgement(tenet6).

Sambell,K.,McDowell,L.andMontgomery,C.(2012)Assessment for Learning in Higher Education. Abingdon,Oxon:Routledge.

Thisbookisavaluableresourceforpracticeandpolicyinassessmentandaddressesallofthetenets.Inparticular,itdrawsontheexperienceoftheAssessmentforLearning(AfL)CETL,supportingtheshiftinemphasisfromassessmentoflearningtoassessmentforlearning(tenet1)andtherebalancingofformativeandsummativeassessment.Examplesillustratewaysinwhichassessmentcanbevalid,authenticandfitforpurpose(tenet2)andactivelyengagestudents,sothattheydevelopassessmentliteracy(tenet5).Ineachchapter,thebooksupportsputtingassessmentforlearningintopracticethroughthepresentationofaricharrayofexamples,fromawiderangeofdisciplines,thatarereadilytransferable.Thesedrawonextensivepracticeandresearch,andtheyforegroundstudentvoices.Keytheoreticalperspectivesanddebatesareidentifiedanddiscussed.Readersarepromptedtointerrogatetheirownpracticeusingkeycriticalquestions.

Shay,S.(2005)Theassessmentofcomplextasks:adoublereading.Studies in Higher Education.30(6),663-679.

Thisarticleconsidersassessmentasasociallysituatedinterpretiveactandfocusesonprocessesofjudgementinmarking,drawingonBourdieu’stheoryofsocialpractice.Thereisacomprehensivedescriptionofapracticalexampleofa‘doublereading’processwhereassessmentofastudentperformanceisseenasbothobjectively(relatingtostructuresandvaluesofthewidersociety)andsubjectivelygrounded.Theroleofanacademiccommunityofpracticeinjudgementsonstudentperformanceisdiscussed.Thisthemestronglylinkswithboththeextenttowhichstandardscanbearticulated(tenet3)andsharingprofessionaljudgements(tenet6).

56

4.2 Resources for leaders and senior managers

Boud,D.andassociates(2010)Assessment 2020: Seven propositions for assessment reform in higher education.AustralianLearningandTeachingCouncil.Availablefrom:http://www.iml.uts.edu.au/assessment-futures/[25September2012].

ThesepropositionsfromAustraliacontainsimilarideasasthoseexpressedintheManifesto.ThedevelopmentofthesepropositionswasundertakeninconsultationwithacademicsandleadersofthevastmajorityofAustralia’shighereducationinstitutions,andtheresourceincludesexamplesofpracticalinitiativesandcasestudies.

Brown,S.(2011)Bringingaboutpositivechangeinhighereducation:acasestudy.Quality Assurance in Education.19(3),195-207.

Thisarticlediscussessomeofthekeyleversuniversitymanagerscanusetobringaboutchangeinteaching,learningandassessmentpractices,withreferencetochangesinaparticularinstitution.Usingarangeofinterventions,thisarticledescribeshowaconcertedeffortwasmadetoimproveclassroomteaching,assessmentandfeedback,andthewaysinwhichactionstakeninresponsetostudentfeedbackwerereportedbacktostudents.

Campbell,S.(2008)Assessment Reform as a Stimulus for Quality Improvement in University Learning and Teaching: An Australian Case Study.PaperpresentedattheOECDIMHE2008GeneralConference,Paris,France,8-10September.Availablefrom:http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/60/9/41203854.pdf[25September2012].

Improvingassessmentqualityandpracticeisaparticularchallengeforhighereducationleaders.Internationally,assessmentpracticeisseenasinneedofimprovement;atthesametimethereisapreoccupationwithleaguetablesandstandards.ThisarticledescribesanassessmentreformprocessattheUniversityofWesternSydney.Thisyear-longprocessentailedthesimultaneousdevelopmentofanewassessmentpolicy,anassessmentguide,andcommunitiesofpracticearoundassessment.Thereformprocesshadeffectsbeyondpedagogyandimpingedonmanagementprocesses,curriculumrenewal,attitudestostudentcentredness,highereducationscholarship,governancearrangements,professionaldevelopment,andindustrialrelations.Insummary,itisarguedthatstudentassessmentreformisastrongleverforqualityimprovementinlearningandteaching,andbeyond,andthatitposeschallengesforhighereducationleadersinabroadrangeofmanagementdomains.Thesethemesprovideastrongassociationwiththetenetsofvalidassessment(tenet2),‘standardssharing’(tenets3and6)andtheprocessesofassessmentandfeedback(tenet4).

57

Gibbs,G.(2005) Being strategic about improving teaching and learning.KeynotepaperdeliveredattheHigherEducationResearchandDevelopmentSocietyofAustralasia(HERDSA)2005Conference,Sydney.Availablefrom:http://conference.herdsa.org.au/2005/knote_gibbs.pdf[25September2012].

Thispaperprovidesanexcellentoverviewofthenumerouschallengesfacedbyuniversities,sympathisingwiththedifficultiesofinstitutionalchangeandthetimechangetakestobecomeembedded.Whilethefocusisonresearch-intensiveinstitutions,thereferencestomethodsofchangeandpracticalconsiderationsinteaching,learningandassessmentmakethisavaluableresourcefordecision-makersandausefulstartingpointforthedebateonstandards(tenet1).Additionally,someoftheapproachesprovideusefuldiscussionpointsinconsideringhowtoimplementstrategicchangeinassessmentpractices.

Price,M.,Carroll,J.,O’Donovan,B.andRust,C.(2011)‘IfIwas going thereIwouldn’tstartfromhere’: acriticalcommentaryoncurrentassessmentpractice.Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education.36(4),479-492.

Thispaperwasinitiallypreparedtoforegroundaninternaldocumentprovidingdiagnosisandrecommendationsforchangetoassessmentstrategyandpolicyinapost-1992university. Itdrawsonawidebodyofliteratureandresearchstudiestodistilanddiscusskeyissuesthatshouldinformassessmentdecisions. Thesekeyissuesprovideaframeworktoexamineassessmentpolicyandpractice,andenablethealignmentofassessmentpolicywiththebeliefsandvaluesofaninstitution.

Sadler,D.R.(2005)Interpretationsofcriteria-basedassessmentandgradinginhighereducation.Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education.30(2).Availablefrom:http://sus.slu.se/kurser/betygskurs/criteriabased_assessment_sadler.pdf[25September2012].

Theincreasinguseofcriteria-basedapproachestoassessmentandgradinginhighereducationisaconsequenceofitssoundtheoreticalrationaleanditseducationaleffectiveness.Thisarticleisbasedonareviewofthemostcommongradingpoliciesthatpurporttobecriteria-based.Theanalysisshowsthatthereisnocommonunderstandingofwhatcriteria-basedmeansorwhatitimpliesforpractice.Thishasinhibitedhighqualitydiscourse,researchanddevelopmentamongscholarsandpractitioners.Additionally,theconceptsof‘criteria’and‘standards’areoftenconfusedand,despitetheuseofcriteria,thefundamentaljudgementsteachersmakeaboutthequalityofstudentworkremainsubjectiveandsubstantiallyhiddenfromstudents’view.

Thisisausefulpapertoimproveunderstandingofthenotionsofcriterion-basedassessmentandstandards,whichlinktothetenetsof‘standardssharing’andreliableprofessionaljudgements(tenet4andtenet6).

58

4.3 Resources for educational developers and practitioners

ASKe1,2,3leafletsarepracticalguidesontheassessmentthemesoftheManifesto.Availablefrom:http://www.brookes.ac.uk/aske/resources/index.html.

ExamplesofhoweachtenetoftheManifestoisbeingimplementedthroughavarietyofprojectsandinitiativesareavailablefrom:http://www.brookes.ac.uk/aske/Manifesto/TheAssessmentManifesto.html.

TheCentreforExcellenceinAssessmentforLearning,setupin2005atNorthumbriaUniversity,carriedoutpedagogicresearchintoareasofassessment,developinganevidencebaseandgoodpracticeresources,whichareavailablefrom:http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/cetl_Afl.

Bloxham,S.andBoyd,P.(2007)Developing Effective Assessment in Higher Education: a practical guide.Maidenhead:McGraw-Hill,OpenUniversityPress.Availablefrom:http://www.mcgraw-hill.co.uk/openup/chapters/9780335221073.pdf[25September2012].

Thispublicationreviewsthereasonsforchangeinthecurrenthighereducationcontext,includingareviewoftheconflictingpurposesofassessment.Itthendiscussesthepracticalitiesandchallengesofplacingassessmentpracticesatthecentreofteachingandlearningstrategies.Itexamineshowthevariousrolesofthestudent,teacher,markerandmoderatorareaffected,withclearsignpostingtotheneedtodevelopaholisticandcoherentassessmentstrategy.Asthisbookiscomprehensive,alltenetscanbeseenaslinkedtothediscussion.

Brown,S.andKnight,P.(1994)Assessing learners in higher education.London:KoganPage.

Thisearlycontributiontotheassessmentdebateincludesoneofthefirstreferencesto‘assessmentforlearning’inthehighereducationenvironment.Itoutlinesawidevarietyofassessmentmethods‘onthepage’and‘offthepage’thatarestillusefultocurriculumdesignerstoday,arguingthattheselectionofmethodsandapproachesforassessmentshouldaligncloselywithpurpose,timing,agencyandcontext.

59

Carless,D.(2007)Learning-orientedassessment:conceptualbasesandpracticalimplications.Innovations in Education and Teaching International. 44 (1), 57-66.

Thispaperreviewstheideaoflearning-orientedassessment,whichaimstostimulategoodlearning,developautonomyandself-direction,andprovideeffectiveandtimelyfeedback.Anexampleofamodulethatprovidedagoodbalancebetweenformativeandsummativeassessmentisdescribed.Summativeassessmentisbasedontwocourseworktasksinthemiddleandendofthemodule.Formativeassessmentisbuiltaroundthisbyfeedbackgivenintutorialstwoweeksbeforethefirstassignmentisdue.Writtenfeedbackisreturnedpromptlyaftersubmission,alongsideclasstimeforatutor-leddiscussionofissuesforstudentstoconsiderintheirsecondassignments.Studentsarerequiredtoparticipateinactivitiestodeveloptheirunderstandingofassessmentcriteriaandself-evaluatetheworktheyhandin.

Ecclestone,K.(2000)Assessmentandcriticalautonomyinpost-compulsoryeducationintheUK.Journal of Education and Work.13(2),141-162.

Thispaperproblematisestheconceptofautonomyandprovidesatheoreticalbaseforconsideringautonomyanditsrelationshipstomotivationandassessment.Threeversionsofautonomyareidentifiedanditisproposedthattheyareallrequiredforeffectivelearning.Proceduralautonomyisaboutstudentself-managementwithinastructuredlearningandassessmentcontext.Personalautonomyisevidentwhenstudentsareabletoactasreflectivelearners,undertakingself-regulationandself-directionwithinasupportivelearningenvironment.Finally,criticalautonomyfocusesonacriticalapproachtosubjectmatterandestablishedknowledge.Itisarguedthatthedevelopmentofautonomyrequiresstructuredassessmentforlearningwithembeddedformativeanddiagnosticassessment.

JISC:historically,theacronymstoodfor‘JointInformationSystemsCommittee’butJISC’srolehasevolvedbeyondthatofan‘informationsystemscommittee’.Itcontinuestochampiontheuseofdigitaltechnologyinresearch,teachingandlearning(http://www.jisc.ac.uk/).

TheJISCAssessmentandFeedbackprogramme,whichrunsuntilAugust2014,“isfocusedonsupportinglarge-scalechangesinassessmentandfeedbackpractice,supportedbytechnology,withtheaimofenhancingthelearningandteachingprocessanddeliveringefficienciesandqualityimprovements”.Furtherinformationonthisprogrammeisavailablefrom:http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearning/assessmentandfeedback.aspx,includingsummariesandproposalsoffundedprojects.

TheJISCpublication,Effective Assessment in a Digital Age: A guide to technology-enhanced assessment and feedback (2010)providesarangeofcasestudies,alongwithsupportingonlineresources,andisavailablefrom:http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/elearning/digiassass_eada.pdf[25September2012].

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Knight,P.T.andYorke,M.(2003)Authenticityinassessment.In:Assessment, Learning and Employability.Maidenhead:SRHEandOpenUniversityPress,pp.97-107.

Inthischapter,authenticityinassessmentisviewedasawayofpromotingandvaluinggenuinelearning,specificallyinrelationtoemployability.Summativeassessmentofauthenticactivity,suchaslearningonworkplacementsoftenprovesproblematic.Issuesofvalidityandreliabilityaresignificant.Theconceptof‘ecologicalvalidity’isusedtoevaluateauthenticassessment.Portfoliosareusedasanexampleofauthenticassessmentastheyenablestudentstomakeclaimstoachievementindifferentways,withdifferenttypesofevidence.Caremustbetakentosafeguardtheauthenticityofportfoliosforassessmentasastudentmayberewardedfortheirgoodskillsin‘presentingtext’ratherthanagenuinelygoodperformanceofthedesiredskillsintheprogramme.

Rust,C.,Price,M.andO’Donovan,B.(2003)Improvingstudents’learningbydevelopingtheirunderstandingofassessmentcriteriaandprocesses.Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education.28(2).Availablefrom:http://oxfordbrookes.academia.edu/ChrisRust/Papers[25September2012].

Thispaperreportsonthefindingsofatwo-yearresearchproject,whichhadasafocus,thedevelopmentofstudents’understandingofassessmentcriteriaandtheassessmentprocessthroughastructuredintervention.Thisinterventioninvolvedbothtacitandexplicitknowledgetransfermethods.Theconclusionsdrawnfromtheevidencearethatstudentlearningcanbeimprovedsignificantlythroughsuchanintervention,withpossiblelastingandtransferableoutcomes.

Sambell,K.,McDowell,L.andBrown,S.(1997)‘Butisitfair?’Anexploratorystudyofstudentperceptionsoftheconsequentialvalidityofassessment.Studies in Educational Evaluation.23(4),349-371.

Thisresearchisanin-depthstudyinarangeofsubjectsoftraditionalandmoreinnovativeassessmentmethods.Itlooksbroadlyattheimpactofassessmentpracticesonstudents’perceptionsoflearningandontheirlearningbehaviour,termed‘consequentialvalidity’.Keyfindingswerethatstudentsfeltthatmanytraditionalformsofassessmenthadanegativeimpactonlearning,wereartificialormeaningless,andinaccuratemeasuresoflearning,andtherefore‘unfair’.

VandenBerg,I.,Admiraal,W.andPilot,A.(2006)Peerassessmentinuniversityteaching:evaluatingsevencoursedesigns. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education.31(1),19-36.

Peerassessmentisunderstoodtobeanarrangementwithstudentswheretheyassessthequalityoftheirfellowstudents’writingsandgivefeedbacktoeachother.Thisarticlediscussestheuseofpeerassessmentatthecourselevelandreviewssevencasestudies.Theaimistoagreeanoptimaldesignafteraconsiderationoftherangeoffactorsinvolved,includingqualityofactivities,interactionbetweenstudentsinoralpeerfeedback,learningoutcomesandevaluationofpeerassessment.Thisarticlemaybeofassistancetoexplorethetypeofpeerassessmentmostsuitedtoaparticularfacultyorprogramme,andlinkswith‘standardssharing’andtheprocessesofassessmentandfeedback(tenet4).

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