Managing Assessment Boards Why are we here

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Managing Assessment BoardsWhy are we here UMF
Review Phase 2
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Contributors

• Overview Julie Hargreaves
• Key Principles Marie Ward
• The Role of the Chair Peter Steer
• Administrative processes Brenda Williams / Anne
  Hogarth
• The Regulatory Framework Wayne Turnbull
• Feedback session Monica Mason

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Welcome
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Key Principles
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Internal Drivers

• Fairness to the student body as a whole, as well
  as fairness to individual students in light of
  their contextual circumstances
• Consistency of treatment for students
• Maintenance of agreed academic standards
• Transparency of procedures and outcomes

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Internal drivers

• Consider students with regard to
• Mitigating circumstances
• penalties for academic impropriety
• Progression / awards / classifications
• Identify issues of principle for further
  consideration and referral as appropriate
• Fully record all decisions
• Notification of outcomes to students and other
  sources as appropriate.

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External Drivers

• QAA Codes of Practice
• HEFCE funding relationship / student
  completions
• Office of the Independent Adjudicator
• Collaborative partner relationships
• Professional accreditation / recognition of
  standards

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External Drivers

• Legal responsibilities anti-discrimination,
  confidentiality, Data Protection etc
• Timely efficient processing of business
• License to practice issues
• Duty of care to
• students
• the wider community

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Recording and dissemination of decisions /
outcomes.

• All assessment related procedures must be
  conducted in a timely and efficient manner, with
  due consideration to the students status.
• Students should be notified of the outcome(s) as
  above
• Decisions reached must be fully substantiated,
  clear, unambiguous and auditable with reference
  to published minutes of each stage of the process
  as appropriate
• Decisions should always refer to the relevant
  element of the appropriate regulatory framework
  - particularly where the Board has exercised
  discretion

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• The minutes must transparently confirm that the
  regulations have been followed
• Minutes must be presented in such a way that they
  can be read and understood de novo
• Students have a right of access to all
  information on them held by the University -
  including minutes of any meetings which relate to
  them. Such information may later be used in
  internal / external proceedings

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The role of the Chair
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Overall principles

• Equity for students, which depends on full and
  accurate information coupled with informed
  discussion
• Transparent decision-making coupled with clear
  documentation of decisions and reasons for
  decisions, where discretion has been applied

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Overall principles

• Peer decision-making where all Board members may
  input on all aspects
• Being quorate matters, including the attendance
  of external examiners
• Consistency both within the meeting over all
  students and over time is an important part of an
  effective process.

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Key Challenges

• The role of the external examiner one among
  equals? power of veto? can change individual
  marks? can change borderline marks without
  changing the rest?
• International students can they be given special
  dispensation for lack of language skills?
• Getting agreement on difficult areas are votes
  to be encouraged? are they necessary?
• The use of Chairs action

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Link Tutors

• Link tutors do not have to be at all assessment
  boards but attendance at least one per academic
  year is part of the job
• Link Tutors advise on UMF regulations and check
  for quoracy (see Link Tutor Guide role 10)
• If you cannot attend all assessment boards it is
  useful to select the most important one(s)

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Link Tutors

• Link tutors do not duplicate the role of the
  external examiner or an internal moderator
• The link tutor role at assessment boards is
  generally similar to that of a University
  representative on internal boards
• Active but low key participation in the board is
  useful, asking for points of clarification,
  offering suggestions

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Link Tutors

• Link Tutors do have a particular role if
  validation requirements, for instance UMF
  regulations, are not being followed
• In the above case the Link Tutor has to right to
  intervene until the issue is resolved
• The point above may require the Link Tutor to
  have UMF and validation documents to hand

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Any Questions?

• The points made under the heading of key
  challenges reflect some of the differences in
  viewpoint that are found across the sector.
• What are your experiences?
• They also indicate the need for as much
  consistency in approach over time as possible

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Administrative processes
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Session outline

• Overview of the student life cycle and management
  information system (Oracle)
• The relationship between LJMU and its Partners in
  preparing for the assessment process

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The Student Lifecycle

• Programme Set-up
• Admission
• Enrolment
• Module Registration
• Ongoing Assessment Activities
• Progression
• Reports
• Awards Graduation

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Programme Set-up

• Validation documents
• Offerings
• Calendars

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Admission

• Valid programme?
• Patterns of study correct?
• Student acceptance received?
• Correct Calendar?
• Correct Offering?

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Enrolment / Registration

• Confirmation / Roll-forward
• Log arrival
• Core Option units confirmed
• Check number of credits registered
• Completion year and period confirmed

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Ongoing Assessment Activities

• Assessment
• Coursework submission
• Mark entry
• Mark aggregration
• PMCs, Extensions, Waivers
• School Investigatory Panels
• Information to MAB(s)
• Advanced Standing

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Unit Attempt Outcomes

• Student Attempted Final Assessment Grade
  Mark
• and Failed F Actual Mark or 0
• Competency Failure XF Actual Mark or 0
• PMC submitted, mark less than 40 DF Actual
  Mark
• Confirmed Academic misconduct penalty XF
  Actual Mark
• Student NOT Attempted Final Assessment
• No PMC submitted NCF Leave Blank
• Submitted PMC, deferral approved by MAB NCDF
  Leave Blank
• No Mark Awarded for Module
• Pass or Fail module P or F Leave Blank
• (including dummy sandwich modules)

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Progression

• Module Assessment Boards
• Moderate module marks
• Determine requirements for Referral
• Programme Assessment Boards
• Examine individual assessment profiles
• Make decisions on
• Level Completion
• Award Completion / Fallback Awards
• Compensation
• Trailing
• Does not change marks

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Working Together LJMU and Partners

• Communication
• Keeping LJMU informed
• changes at programme level, modular level
• impact on Assessment boards
• Relevant documentation supporting changes

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Working Together

• Data accuracy incorrect data in, results in
  incorrect data out
• Data format has to be manageable n.b. name
  formats, use of LJMU OSS numbers

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Working Together

• Link tutor role transfer of information
• Link administrator?
• Suggestions for improvement or items of good
  practice?

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The Regulatory Framework

• UMF regulation and assessment board discretion

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MAB activities / outcomes

• Mark finalisation
• PMC consideration
• Determining re-assessment requirements
• Applying penalties

• Complete mark list
• Full record of outcomes
• Record of nature and timing of all re-assessment
  activity
• Clearly worded outcome (sanction or escalation)

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PAB activities / outcomes

• Review student profiles
• Awards
• Applying penalties

• Determine progression / completion status with a
  record of all decisions regarding compensation
  credit, trailing, re-registration
• Full list of awards (inc fallback)
• Clearly worded outcome (sanction or escalation)

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PMC consideration

• MAB
• Receives PMC Committee recommendations
• Verify no prior mitigation for evidenced claims
• Either defer in the event of failure
• Or refer case to PAB where impact judged severe

• PAB
• PMCs considered when reviewing student profiles /
  determining awards
• Module marks may not be altered
• Students should not benefit from secondary
  mitigation
• Opportunity to review inconsistencies in practice
  between MABs

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MAB role in facilitating progression

• MABs determine nature and timing of referral /
  deferral requirements, noting that
• Student may be required to re-attend
• The form of referred/deferred assessment may vary
  from the initial assessment
• Referred mark capped at minimum pass threshold
• Failed modules at levels 0, 1 2 normally
  referred in the same academic year as failure
• Failed modules at levels 3 M normally
  referred when the module is next scheduled to be
  assessed

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PAB role in facilitating progression

• Progression with trailing may be permitted
• Students may be permitted to re-register upon a
  module which has been failed (both initial and
  referral attempts)
• Compensation of failure in light of good overall
  performance is permitted
• Module mark in range 30-39
• Qualifying level mark gt 45
• Max 20 of credit per level

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Awards Classification

• PAB judges whether a student has attained
  required credits for their target award
• Classification of honours degrees determined by
  PAB, based upon the Award Mark and upon Academic
  Judgement in the case of borderline candidates
• very close to higher band (normally within 1)
• majority of L3 credits in higher band (exit
  velocity)
• C7.6
• Alternative exits