CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNING: ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING LEARNING AND TEACHING SUPPORT / STUDENTS’ UNION

External Examiners Seminar, 26th January 2009

Assessment Enhancement

Liz McDowellLynne Conniss

Lisa Burton

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNING: ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING LEARNING AND TEACHING SUPPORT / STUDENTS’ UNION

External Examiners Seminar, 26th January 2009

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNING: ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING LEARNING AND TEACHING SUPPORT / STUDENTS’ UNION

External Examiners Seminar, 26th January 2009

Introduction• Who are we?

– Liz McDowell: Director of Northumbria’s Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching in Assessment for Learning

– Lynne Conniss: Learning and Teaching Adviser for Assessment and Feedback

– Lisa Burton: Vice President Academic Affairs, Students’ Union

• Today’s session will cover:– Assessment Enhancement Group– CETL Assessment for Learning – Feedback initiative– e-Assessment pilots

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNING: ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING LEARNING AND TEACHING SUPPORT / STUDENTS’ UNION

External Examiners Seminar, 26th January 2009

Assessment Enhancement Group (AEG)

Remit To consider under the general heading of assessment, the support and

development of good practice, including the development of effective learning environments, student support; reflective practice and personal development in which assessment and feedback can take place.

The group will exchange practices and experiences to support and encourage the use of innovative methods in assessment and feedback with particular emphasis placed on formative assessment, provision of feedback, efficiency in assessment, innovations including e-assessment and e-support for assessment

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNING: ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING LEARNING AND TEACHING SUPPORT / STUDENTS’ UNION

External Examiners Seminar, 26th January 2009

Comment from AEG Student Rep “I feel this group is very important for students to be

a part of, because then we are not in the dark on issues which will be affecting the student body. Although I have only been to one session out of the two I feel that as students we are allowed and have our say on matters arising and 99% of the time this is received with greatest of respect, and is responded to accordingly.”

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNING: ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING LEARNING AND TEACHING SUPPORT / STUDENTS’ UNION

External Examiners Seminar, 26th January 2009

Assessment for

Learning

Is rich in informal feedback

(e.g. peer review of draft writing,

collaborative project work)

Emphasises authentic & complex

assessment tasks

Offers extensive ‘low stakes’

confidence building opportunities and

practice

Develops students’ abilities to evaluate

own progress, direct own learning

Uses high stakes summative assessment

rigorously but sparingly

Is rich in formal feedback (e.g. tutor

comment, self-review logs)

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNING: ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING LEARNING AND TEACHING SUPPORT / STUDENTS’ UNION

External Examiners Seminar, 26th January 2009

AfL Examples• Draft writing• Peer review• Engaging with standards• New media• Authenticity/relevance• Summative/formative balance

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNING: ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING LEARNING AND TEACHING SUPPORT / STUDENTS’ UNION

External Examiners Seminar, 26th January 2009

Feedback initiatives• Partially in response to the NSS, there have been two

strands featuring feedback:Feedback – Feed Forward: aimed at increasing students awareness of what is feedback, where they can get it and how to make best use of it.

Focus on Feedback: working with staff to share and embed good practice. http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/focusonfeedback

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNING: ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING LEARNING AND TEACHING SUPPORT / STUDENTS’ UNION

External Examiners Seminar, 26th January 2009

e-Assessment Pilots• Two pilots taking place

– Range of Schools participating in Semester 2 this academic year– Both e-assessment tools are integrated into Blackboard

• Assessment By Computer (ABC) tool – Designed for online exams and supports four question types: free text, slot

questions, MCQs and diagrams– Two components: setting questions/marking answers

• Assignment Handler– Blackboard building block which supports the electronic submission of

assessment work and provision of feedback– Allows receipting emails to be automatically generated– Marks and feedback (both typed and audio) can be uploaded into Gradebook– Feedback can be automatically emailed out to students (once released by Tutor)

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNING: ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING LEARNING AND TEACHING SUPPORT / STUDENTS’ UNION

External Examiners Seminar, 26th January 2009

Questions?

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING & LEARNING: ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING LEARNING AND TEACHING SUPPORT / STUDENTS’ UNION

External Examiners Seminar, 26th January 2009

Links• Assessment Enhancement

– http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/central/ar/lts/enhance/assessenhance/

• Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching in Assessment for Learning– http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/cetl_afl/

• Northumbria University Students’ Union– http://mynsu.northumbria.ac.uk/