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Studying, brainpower and technology are all elements of the students life and how they achieve their goals.
Every student goes into their course to follow their passion and achieve their dreams.
Technology is hugely important in an academic’s life and how they communicate totheir students.
A paper is used to highlight the academics assessment of their students.
Reimagining assessment from the perspective of the educator and the learner has become increasingly important in recent times. There is a desire for a shared understanding of assessment and how this can be realised in an ever changing context.
In light of this, a community of practice was established, led by Dr. Fiona O’Riordan, Teaching Enhancement Unit, DCU and Dr Mary Fitzpatrick, Centre for Transformative Learning, UL, with input from other HEIs across the sector. The overarching aim was to create a distributed sense of learning, in a bid to bridge the perceived gap through sharing examples and resources on the process and product of assessment. This resource is the output from the community of practice and provides resources around three critical elements of assessment: workload, groups, and feedback.
This resource is an interactive tool designed by educators and learners for educators and learners in a bid to re-evaluate assessment through partnership.
DCU Student
We are all in this together. We want to be partners in the assessment journey.
Assistant Professor, DCU
We want to reflect on assessment and challenge existing values and beliefs about assessment.
Assistant Professor, UCD
Students and academics need to have a shared sense of assessment literacy
DCU Student
There should be equity and consistency across modules and programmes.
It is clear through conversations with educators and learners that there are diverse perspectives on assessment in terms of its role, value and approach across the sector which is evident in the conversations with educators and students. These are captured in the illustration below – allow time for the think bubbles to animate!
Values
Feedbacks
Concerns
Reinvent
Group assessment is considered differently by the educator and the learner.
The educator regards it to be a very effective and often efficient means of developing key graduate attributes such as creativity, collaboration, proactivity.
The learner’s initial reaction is that they prefer the efficiency of working on an individual basis due to the lack of trust and peer partnership in terms of achievement of outcomes.
Sources:
Group work collaboration podcast
Develop group culture throughout the module with clear expectations.
Call out group work in the learning outcomes.
Sources:
Ways to improve group work pdf
Sources:
Example group contract pdf
Sources:
Guide to peer assessment pdf
Sources:
Example teamwork rubric pdf
Incorporate opportunities for some individual component e.g. a reflection piece.
Design a detailed rubric and share/discuss in collaboration with students.
Group assessment is considered differently by the educator and the learner.
The educator regards it to be a very effective and often efficient means of developing key graduate attributes such as creativity, collaboration, proactivity.
The learner’s initial reaction is that they prefer the efficiency of working on an individual basis due to the lack of trust and peer partnership in terms of achievement of outcomes.
Sources:
Group work collaboration podcast
Develop group culture throughout the module with clear expectations.
Call out group work in the learning outcomes.
Sources:
Ways to improve group work pdf
Sources:
Example group contract pdf
Sources:
Guide to peer assessment pdf
Sources:
Example teamwork rubric pdf
Incorporate opportunities for some individual component e.g. a reflection piece.
Design a detailed rubric and share/discuss in collaboration with students.
The focus for both educators and learners is the purpose of assessment and how this is aligned to the learning outcomes. Some key factors for consideration include the value of the assessment strategy and the balancing of quality and quantity of assessment.
From an educator's perspective it is imperative that assessment is included in the programme level planning discussions which will allow for transparency in relation to the use of module descriptors to ensure alignment of NFQ and ects credits. Learners speak to an increasing importance of understanding the ‘why’ of the assessment and consideration of not just doing an exam just because that was always the approach.
Sources:
Reduce assessment? pdf
Sources:
Formative and summative Video
Sources:
TESTA Website
Balancing the approach to ensure an opportunity for the demonstration of learning outcomes.
Educators need to call out and make explicit where assessment of, as and for learning is within each module across the programme.
Sources:
EDTL@UL Website resource
Sources:
Assessment is like a game Video
Be wary of the high stakes approach and the tension impact on student learning.
External examiners can influence the workload to safeguard consistency across the programme.
The focus for both educators and learners is the purpose of assessment and how this is aligned to the learning outcomes. Some key factors for consideration include the value of the assessment strategy and the balancing of quality and quantity of assessment.
From an educator's perspective it is imperative that assessment is included in the programme level planning discussions which will allow for transparency in relation to the use of module descriptors to ensure alignment of NFQ and ects credits. Learners speak to an increasing importance of understanding the ‘why’ of the assessment and consideration of not just doing an exam just because that was always the approach.
Sources:
Reduce assessment? pdf
Sources:
Formative and summative Video
Sources:
TESTA Website
Balancing the approach to ensure an opportunity for the demonstration of learning outcomes.
Educators need to call out and make explicit where assessment of, as and for learning is within each module across the programme.
Sources:
EDTL@UL Website resource
Sources:
Assessment is like a game Video
Be wary of the high stakes approach and the tension impact on student learning.
External examiners can influence the workload to safeguard consistency across the programme.
Feedback is regarded as a valuable element of the assessment process by both the educator and the learner. It comprises of both the grade awarded and alignment to the criteria and areas for improvement.
The educator considers a variety of approaches to providing the feedback narrative while being conscious of the time and effort this takes. The learner consider it as a very emotional process which is necessary and welcome albeit when it is provided in a meaningful and accessible way
A programme approach should be adopted to ensure efficiency and efficacy in feedback approach.
Equity and consistency across the programme - all modules should adopt a similar approach.
Multimodal approach to feedback - it can be recorded, face to face, written thus ensuring students can access this.
Agreed detailed rubrics which demonstrate the effort/outcome required to progress: students work as partners in assessment
(ref Ni Bheoilan et al 2020)
Feedback is regarded as a valuable element of the assessment process by both the educator and the learner. It comprises of both the grade awarded and alignment to the criteria and areas for improvement.
The educator considers a variety of approaches to providing the feedback narrative while being conscious of the time and effort this takes. The learner consider it as a very emotional process which is necessary and welcome albeit when it is provided in a meaningful and accessible way
A programme approach should be adopted to ensure efficiency and efficacy in feedback approach.
Equity and consistency across the programme - all modules should adopt a similar approach.
Multimodal approach to feedback - it can be recorded, face to face, written thus ensuring students can access this.
Agreed detailed rubrics which demonstrate the effort/outcome required to progress: students work as partners in assessment
(ref Ni Bheoilan et al 2020)