Developing a Student-Centred
Approach to Assessment
ICED 2010 Conference, Barcelona
28-30 June 2010
Ken Marsden
Head of Learning and Teaching Bucks New University
Assessing Students
“It’s the most important thing we ever do ……..
we should be careful to get it right”
Professor Phil Race (Leeds Metropolitan University), THE, 29/01/09 p.25
Assessment:
The Right Combination?
• Variety
Is there a sufficient variety of appropriate assessments?
(e.g. essay, report, portfolio, exam, electronic/lab test, logs, etc)
• Quantity
How many is too many?
• Timing
Student-Centred Assessment
• Burgess Report Beyond the Honours Degree Classification (2007) -
recommended greater clarity and consistency in the assessment process www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/Publications/Documents/Burgess_final.pdf
• David Boud Learner Self Assessment - calls for a more systematic approach to self assessment
• David Carless et al Learner Oriented Assessment - focuses on peer /self assessment and ‘feedback as feedforward’ i.e. identify future tasks not just review completed task
• University of Bedfordshire (UK) CRe8 - focuses on learning outcomes for whole programmes of study and emphasises the centrality of
MESA Project 2006
(Managing Effective Student Assessment)
•
More advice and support
•
Spread out the assessment load
•
Reduce workload
•
Relevant real life topics
•
Clear criteria
•
Feedback to help learning
•
More choice of assessment topics
Student-Centred Approaches
to Assessment 1
Negotiated Assessment Model
• Students become agents in their own assessment rather than objects of assessment
• Students and tutors negotiate the assessment criteria and weighting of Assignment
• Emphasis could be less on presentation and more on process and idea or more on final product and less on idea and process
• An assessment interview gives the student the opportunity to
Student-Centred Approaches
to Assessment 2
Self-Assessment Exercise
• Student groups given sample of benchmarked work (e.g. 1:1, 2:1, 2:2, etc.)
• Students decide individually which work fits into which category
• Students identify differences and express these as criteria
• Students give feedback on each piece of work in their groups
Student-Centred Approaches
to Assessment 3
Student-Staff Workshops
• Cross Faculty workshop with students and staff from every School / Department
• Tasks: Identify current practices; suggest new ways of improving the process
• Compile list of recommendations
• Submit to University Committee(s) and approve
• Informs Assessment Manifesto/Guidelines
Student-Centred Approaches
to Assessment 4
Peer Assessment
• Compared fairly accurately with tutor’s marks
• Spread of marks by tutors was broader
• Attendance was virtually 100%
• Most students said they found it interesting and valuable
• Most said they had a better understanding of the marking criteria and what was expected
Student-Centred Approaches
to Assessment 5
• Incorporate self assessment and peer assessment into module content
• Build students’ reflections and action planning into assessment form design and tutorial progress records
• 2-way assessments, where students and tutors assess the quality of each other’s written feedback
• Offer choice of different ‘innovative’ assignment formats - not just one (then ask students to describe why they made that choice, as part of the assessment)
Marking
•
Enter into a reciprocal arrangement with a partner
University and mark each other’s student work?
•
Reduce ALL assessments (and marking) by 20%?
(University of Gloucestershire, UK)
•
Award no marks at all?
Should Students be Surprised
with their Marks?
If yes, then why?
•
Lack of communication between tutor and student
•
Poor attendance by the student
•
Lack of quality formative assessment / feedback from
tutor
•
Students’ perceived level of their understanding is
inaccurate / misguided
Put Students at the Centre
of Assessment
• Demonstrates open and transparent process
• Increases sense of student autonomy
(tutor becomes more facilitator, less provider)
• Helps towards better understanding of assessment
• Promotes deeper learning
