Assessment of students

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Assessment of students

• Draft University Code of Practice

Gill Clarke, Education Support Unit
gill.clarke_at_bristol.ac.uk / g.clarke_at_qaa.ac.uk
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Why do we need a Code for assessment?
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• To share good practice
• To bring together in one document all
  University guidance on assessment
• To raise awareness of the Universitys
  expectations for the conduct of assessment
• To encourage consistency and convergence (but not
  uniformity)
• To show alignment with external guidance
• Other reasons?

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Background to draft Bristol Code
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• External developments
• Student views on assessment
• Changes in internal assessment practice
• Education strategy implementation
• Mapping of current practice
• Reviewing assessment burden staff and students

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Education Strategy action point
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• Action 23
• The University will initiate a review of
  assessment practices. Through pilot studies in a
  small number of departments, we will identify
  ways of reducing the time and effort spent on
  assessment whilst enhancing the quality of
  learning and ensuring that assessment methods
  test intended student learning outcomes

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How did we collect information? 1
Convened five themed working groups, each
chaired by Education Director(s), reporting to
an Assessment Review Steering Group, chaired by
the PV-C (Education), including an
external consultant and supported by the
Education Support Unit
External examiners
Academic staff
Departmental reviews
Student focus groups
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What were the working group themes?
Group
Chairs

• David Mumford and Mick Harbuz
• Bevis Miller
• Sally Heslop
• Julian Rivers and John Bailey
• Neville Morley

• Testing learning outcomes and the use of
  assessment criteria
• The role of e-Assessment
• Motivating student learning through assessment
• Consistency and sustainability of assessment
• The value of formative feedback in the learning
  process

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What is new / important in the Code?
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• Implicit principles of fairness, consistency and
  clarity, with anonymity where practical
• Section 2 types of assessment (and Annex 6)
• Regulatory status of some elements, e.g. conduct
  of formal, unseen written exams
• New sections on e-assessment (4) assessment and
  disability (7) religious observances and
  timetabling (8)

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What is new / important in the Code?

• The marking process
• Marking criteria (9) (definitions Annex 1)
• Internal verification moderation (10)
• Formative feedback (11)
• Role of internal examiner (14.1)
• Pass marks (UG and PG)

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Focus of consultation
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• What are we looking for?
• Anything that looks unworkable or compromises
  implicit principles
• Comments on what should / shouldnt be regulatory
• Examples of good practice that would help
  illustrate guidelines
• Is there enough of relevance to taught
  postgraduate programmes?

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The product
or the starting point?
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Consultation period
Letter and code circulated 29 January 2008
- available at http//www.bris.ac.uk/tsu/groups/a
ssrevgrp.html Deadline for responses 20 March
2008 After approval by Education Committee and
Senate intention is that the Code will come into
effect from the start of the 2008/09 academic
year and that it will be produced in hard copy
and electronic format