Key Contacts Meeting

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Key Contacts Meeting
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Assessment

• Types of assessment
• Making assessment fit for purpose
• Aligning with learning objectives
• Aligning with syllabus
• Student motivation
• Time costs for staff
• Other issues

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Feedback

• Forms of feedback
• Coursework
• Exams
• Generic versus individual
• Mechanising feedback
• Peer assessment
• Getting students to engage with feedback
• PDP
• Other issues

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What makes a bad assessment?

• Too much upfront detail, too much information
• Poorly phrased question (not too specific if you
  want to encourage creativity)
• Very technical question on its own (need
  something more to test application)
• Not aligning question with what you want them to
  achieve
• Breaking down in too much detail marking scheme
  (or no detail)

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What makes a bad assessment?

• Not aligning question with student level (but
  does allow students to be show their range of
  abilities)
• Broken down assignments more appropriate at level
  1 than level 3
• Multi part assessment good for testing range of
  abilities
• Can be easily answered by wikipedia
• Regurgitated questions (partic. Quant. Quest)
• Over assessment

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What makes a bad assessment?

• Tutor doesnt recognise diversity in students
  important to set out expectations in language
  that students can understand
• Making it marking scheme too clear so students
  aim at minimum pass
• Good assessment can feedback on teaching
• Set at end of term and marked over vacation
• End of term exams where students learn least
• Important to have a variety of assessment

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What makes a bad assessment?

• Timing of assessment and feedback to help further
  learning
• An exam that draws on a number of modules could
  be important

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Designing assessment for an individual module

• Variety and flexibility weekly assignments,
  projects, exams, applied projects etc
• Exams/tests good because of plagiarism
• Different assessment for undergrads/postgrads?

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Designing assessment for a degree programme

• Assessment desire, change over degree (e.g. level
  1 core skills..)
• Large classes need systems of moderation for
  teaching team
• Challenge of large groups cohorting, buddying
  etc
• METAL good exemplar of question structure etc
• Coordinating assessment over the years
  assessing different skills in different years

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Effective use of feedback

• Legible timely forward-looking (how can they
  improve?) follow-up if necessary structured by
  learning objectives balanced positive and
  negative reflections from previous years cohort

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Plagiarism issues and solutions

• Issues
• How serious?
• More conscious of it
• Internet makes it easier
• Poor English (overseas st)
• Study cultures
• Student understanding of plagiarism
• Why is it an issue?
• Need to provide evidence
• Referencing
• Wikipedia?

• Solutions
• Catching students early
• Advice in feedback
• Abandoning open-ended essays use of
  problem-based assignments
• But still problem of student collaboration
• Précis of article
• Dont penalise poor English
• Turnitin
• Do students see their own report?
• How reliable?

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Plagiarism issues and solutions

• Issues
• What does plagiarism include?
• Deliberate or accidental
• Is there best practice in the use of Turnitin?
• How often do you use it?
• Above what score do you penalise?
• What sanctions?
• Pressures on staff if students fail through
  plagiarism
• Problems at postgrad. level
• Buying hard copies
• Pressure to move away from coursework

• Solutions
• Regular contact with students
• Use of vivas
• Use of Turnitin is as educational tool
• Designing out plagiarism
• Internet detective
• Courses on use of Internet