using assessment in your teaching: why you should, how to do it and how to make it as painless as...

Sarah George s.george@bradford.ac.uk1

Using assessment in your teaching

Why you should, how to do it, and how to make it as painless as possible.

1 May 2023

1 May 2023 Sarah George s.george@bradford.ac.uk2

Why you should consider getting involved• Rounded view of learning and teaching

– And of your institution– HEA accreditation

• Finding out more about your students’ research interests• Breaking through the module barrier• Engaging reluctant pupils• Ensuring it’s done properly!• Covering the institutional back• Making yourself indispensible!

1 May 2023 Sarah George s.george@bradford.ac.uk3

You already do it!• Do you

– Give feedback on progress?– Check understanding?– Check references?– Give advice on source quality?

• You already assess!• Few new skills needed

– A few bits of admin

1 May 2023 Sarah George s.george@bradford.ac.uk4

What you need• A stressed but friendly academic• A couple of hours of time• Willingness to try something new

1 May 2023 Sarah George s.george@bradford.ac.uk5

What you assess

• Referencing• Source quality• Grammar and sense!

1 May 2023 Sarah George s.george@bradford.ac.uk6

Types of assessment• Presentations • Second-marking• Online quizzes• Annotated bibliographies• Search strategies• Editing / critiquing a Wikipedia article• Exams• Mini-projects / reports / essays

1 May 2023 Sarah George s.george@bradford.ac.uk7

Presentations• Time needed: a few hours maximum• What do you assess

– Clarity of slides– Presentation style– Source quality– Group work?– References?

• Don’t know anything about the subject?– Can the student explain their subject to a non-expert?

1 May 2023 Sarah George s.george@bradford.ac.uk8

Second considering (-ish) written work• Written assignments via Turnitin / electronic

submission• Time needed: About an hour per 10 students• What do you assess

– References and citations– Source quality– Quality of paraphrasing.

• Not second-considering as generally undertaken!

1 May 2023 Sarah George s.george@bradford.ac.uk9

Online quizzes• Quick to create

– Once you’ve got to grips with technology• Quick to mark• But:

– Hard to avoid shallow assessment, – Success by guesswork

• Use question pools to make less randome• Can use as introduction to other assessments

– Adaptive release

1 May 2023 Sarah George s.george@bradford.ac.uk10

Annotated Bibliographies / search strategies• Can be part of bigger assignment (portfolio?)• Direct link with teaching• Tailor to what’s available• Mark on

– Source quality– Referencing– Answering the question– Following instructions

1 May 2023 Sarah George s.george@bradford.ac.uk11

Others to consider• Critiquing and improving a Wikipedia article• Assessing their own Turnitin draft

1 May 2023 Sarah George s.george@bradford.ac.uk12

Traditional assessments• May not be able to get away from these

– What’s in the module descriptor• Essays – lots of work to mark!• Exams

– Very stressful to invigilate!– Complicated to do re-takes, reasonable adjustment– Can be very easy to mark– What is an exam assessing?

1 May 2023 Sarah George s.george@bradford.ac.uk13

An assessment of your own?• Freedom to choose topic and type• Tailor to resource availability

BUT• Marking!• Admin!• Re-takes!

Sarah George s.george@bradford.ac.uk14 1 May 2023