Jeremy Hall

1
An Exploration of Assessment Practices at Cardiff
Universitys Schools of Engineering, Psychology
and the Centre for Lifelong Learning

• Jeremy Hall
• Nicholas Jones
• Wouter Poortinga

2
Key Questions

• What does the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher
  Education (QAA) say about the breadth of
  assessment of our subject areas?
• How is this being met in our own schools
  course/programme design?

3
QAA Benchmark Statement for Music Assessment

• Music programmes have assessment strategies which
  reflect the variety of abilities and skills
  developed within diverse curricula, and which
  enable students to demonstrate progressive levels
  of attainment. A variety of methods is desirable,
  involving both formative and summative
  assessment.
• http//www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/benchm
  ark/honours/music.asp

4
Lee Dunn Selecting Methods of Assessment (2002)

• When choosing assessment items, we tend to stay
  with the known or the 'tried and true methods',
  because they seem to have the ring of academic
  respectability, or possibly because it was the
  way we were assessed as undergraduates ourselves.
  From learners' perspectives, however, it often
  seems as if we are turning them into 'essay
  producing machines' or 'examination junkies'.
  When choosing methods it is important to offer
  variety to learners in the way they demonstrate
  their learning, and to help them to develop a
  well-rounded set of abilities.
• http//www.brookes.ac.uk/services/ocsd/2_learntch/
  briefing_papers/methods_assessment.pdf

5
Cardiff University Assessment Strategy

• Assessment is at the heart of the student
  experience it shapes the curriculum and helps
  define what is important for students. Assessment
  is thus an integral part of all learning and
  teaching activities. The Cardiff University
  Assessment Strategy is the vehicle through which
  enhancement of assessment will be achieved. The
  Strategy is based on the three principles that
  underpin practice at University, School,
  programme, and unit of study level. The
  principles of assessment are that it will be
  valid, reliable and explicit.
• www.cardiff.ac.uk/learning/wp-content/uploads/2009
  /08/Assessment-Strategy-final.pdf

6
Music Modules within LEARNs Humanities
Programme Embedding Assessment
Course Diary (or Learning Log) Listening Journal Short Class Exercises These are designed to develop relevant skills and count for part of the assessment Short Homework Exercises review of an article, CD recording, or a concert annotated bibliography essay plan questionnaire programme / CD liner note Oral Presentations Practical Performances
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QAA Benchmark Statement for Psychology Assessment

• The choice of assessment methods should be
  clearly related to the learning objectives.
  Assessment methods may include formal
  examinations, multiple-choice tests, assessed
  essays, practical reports, other reports,
  information technology use, case-studies,
  portfolios, dissertations and formal assessment
  of performance in oral presentations and debates,
  including seminar and individual presentation.
• To ensure that the full range of skills being
  developed () a diversity of assessment methods
  is encouraged.

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Benchmark Standards Psychology

• A typical honours degree psychology graduate
  should have obtained
• subject knowledge and understanding
• E.g. subject specific knowledge/ scientific
  underpinnings of psychology
• subject specific skills
• Use statistical methods
• generic skills, with a particular emphasis on
  independent empirical research
• E.g. communicating ideas, computer literacy,
  scientific reasoning, presentation skills

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Assessment in School of Psychology

• Does breadth of assessment cover the benchmark
  standards (i.e. overall learning outcomes)?

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Conclusion Psychology

• The assessment practices at the School of
  Psychology are diverse and broadly reflect the
  benchmarks of knowledge and skills that a typical
  single honours psychology student is expected to
  have acquired upon graduation.
• However, main focus is on traditional written
  examination.
• Incorporating assessment methods for more generic
  academic skills?
• E.g. performance in oral presentations and
  debates, including seminar and individual
  presentations.

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QAA Benchmark Statement for Engineering
curriculum

• Teaching, learning assessment
• There should be a holistic approach to the
  design of the curriculum.
• The methods of teaching, learning and assessment
  should be constructed so that the learning
  activities and assessment tasks are aligned with
  the learning outcomes that are intended in the
  programme

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QAA Benchmark Statement for Engineering
curriculum

• Teaching, learning assessment
• Existing engineering programmes have been
  developed over many years and deploy a diverse
  range of learning, teaching and assessment
  methods to enhance and reinforce the student
  learning experience. This diversity of practice
  is a strength of the discipline.
• Whichever methods are employed, strategies for
  teaching, learning and assessment should deliver
  opportunities for the achievement of the learning
  outcomes, demonstrate their attainment and
  recognise the range of student backgrounds.

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QAA Benchmark Statement for Engineering
assessment

• Assessment
• Assessment is the means by which students are
  measured against benchmark criteria and should
  also form a constructive part of the learning
  process. There should be a programme level
  approach to assessment that ensures output
  standards are met.

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Assessment Method BEng EEE Total Marks Total Marks Total Marks Total for 3 years Total for 3 years
Assessment Method BEng EEE Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total Marks
Unseen exams (Exam / class test) 860 90 853 72 730 0 2605 73.3
Lab exams
Oral exams
Open-book exams
Synoptic exam
Multiple-choice test
Problem solving exercises (example classes) 60 60 1.7
Essay assignments 10 10 0.3
Other types of extended writing 65 65 1.8
Oral presentations 30 30 0.8
Student-led seminars/discussions
Design tasks 35 35 1.0
Computer-based exercises 40 40 80 2.6
Lab reports 65 115 80 260 7.3
Simulation exercises
Work placement reports
Learning logs/diaries Learning portfolios 50 30 20 100 2.8
Exhibition/poster displays
Group projects
Independent projects (30 credit module) 100 x 3 300 8.4
Misc. 10 10 0.3
TOTALS 3555 100
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Overall Conclusion

• All three QAA subject Benchmark Statements
  recommends that assessment methods should be
  diverse.
• However, it is noteworthy that diversity is
  somewhat neglected in the Cardiff University
  Assessment Strategy.
• The Strategy was approved by Senate in November
  2005. We would suggest that diversity of
  assessment methods is a topic that should be
  addressed more robustly and explicitly in the
  next update of the document.