Why is Assessment and Feedback a CEL Priority?
In 2017 BU was recognised for delivering high quality teaching, learning and outcomes for its students and excellent teaching and pedagogic innovation remain key themes in the BU Strategic Plan.
The Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) focusses on assessment that enables students to develop effective knowledge and skills; and assessment for learning that supports development, progression and attainment.
Some Principles and processes of assessment for high quality student-centred learning can be readily adopted
Moving from a focus on Assessment of learning to Assessment for learning (Sambell et al 2013)
Q. How do you ensure your feedback to students is rich, meaningful and timely to provide them with opportunities to act on it to improve learning?
Aligned assessment - ensuring assessment is a central part of curriculum design (Biggs and Tang 2011; Boud and Fakinov 2006; HEA 2016)
Q. How do the assessments you design fit with a programme’s assessment strategy and provide a range of assessment approaches that enable all students to demonstrate their learning and engage in authentic assessment tasks that prepare students for future employment?
Embedding assessment literacy in learning (Smith et al 2013)
Q. How are students prepared for assessment and what opportunities do they have to learn about the purpose and process of assessment? Could you co-construct assignment briefs to ensure they are clear to students who may be approaching the subject area for the first time?
Assessment for learning
Source: Sambell K. undated. Informal feedback; feedback via participation. Wise Assessment briefing no 9. University of Hong Kong. www.cetl.hku.hk/wise-assessment-forum/
| References |
|---|
| Biggs J and Tang C. 2011. Teaching for quality learning at university; what the student does. 4th ed. Buckingham: OUP |
| Boud D and Falkinov N.2006. Aligning assessment with long term learning. Assessment and evaluation in higher education. 31 (4) pp399-413 |
| Higher Education Academy. 2016. Framework for transforming assessment in higher education. York: HEA https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/framework-transforming-assessment-higher-education |
| Sambell K, McDowell L and Montgomery C. 2013. Assessment for learning in higher education. Abingdon: Routledge. |
| Smith CD, Worsford K, Davies L, Fisher R and McPhail R. 2013. Assessment literacy and student learning; the case for explicitly developing students ‘assessment literacy’. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education. 38 91) pp44-60. |
Peer-assessment and self-assessment
(Patton 2012; Boud and Malloy 2013; Mulder et al 2014)
Peer- assessment and self-assessment activities can lead to the development of critical reflection skills and can support transparency in assessment, particularly when used in formative rather than summative contexts.
- Students also learn more from giving feedback (rather than awarding marks) to peers than from receiving peer feedback as it involves them in considering the criteria, the content and the approach taken.
- Peer learning techniques such as the two-part exam or team-based learning are becoming more widespread.
Q. How could you embed these in your assessment practices?
| References |
|---|
| Boud D and Molloy E. 2013. Rethinking models of feedback the challenge of design. Assessment and evaluation in higher education. 38 (6) pp698-712 |
| Mulder R, Baik C, Naylor R and Pearce J. 2014. How does student peer review influence perceptions, engagement and academic outcomes? A case study. Assessment and evaluation in higher education. 36(3) pp301-14 |
| Patton C. 2012. “Some kind of weird, evil experiment”; student perceptions of peer assessment. Assessment and evaluation in higher education 37 (6) pp719-31 |
Technology and assessment
The TEL Toolkit provides guidance on a wide range of pedagogic strategies that embrace technology, such as blended learning and the flipped classroom; along with web-based tools to support assessment and feedback.
Visit the CEL website and click through to a rich collection of materials and information.
| Further Resources |
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| Ball, S. et al., 2012 A marked improvement: transforming assessment in higher education. York: HEA http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/assessment/A_Marked_Improvement.pdf |
| Bearman M, Dawson P, Boud D, Hall M, Bennett S, Molloy E, Joughin G. 2014. Assessment Design Decisions Framework. www.assessmentdecisions.org |
| Ferrell G 2013 Supporting assessment and feedback practice with technology: from tinkering to transformation. JISC http://repository.jisc.ac.uk/5450/ |
| Hounsell, D., 2008. The trouble with feedback: new challenges, emerging strategies. Interchange 2, pp. 1-10 www.docs.hss.ed.ac.uk/iad/Learning_teaching/Academic_teaching/Resources/Interchange/spring2008.pdf |
| Jackel B, Pearce J, Radloff A and Edwards D. 2017. Assessment and feedback in higher education. A review of literature for the HEA. York: HEA https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/assessment-and-feedback-higher-education-1 |
| JISC 2010 Case Study 1 Putting assessment at the heart of learning. www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearning/assessment/digiassess.aspx |
| Marriott, P. & Teoh, L. K. 2013.Computer-based assessment and feedback: Best practice guidelines. York: HEA. |
| Nicol, D and MacFarlane, D., 2006. Formative assessment and self -regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice Studies in Higher Education 32(2): 199-21 http://www.hefce.ac.uk/news/newsarchive/2014/news87934.html |
Feedback as Dialogue
Examples of practice at BU: (Nicol 2010; Carless undated)
- Building a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) bank pre-empting questions and responding to questions about assignments.
- Facilitating discussion about the assessment tasks at regular intervals.
- Using audio or video feedback to capture richer meaning and to pose questions.
- Providing assignment workshops with structured activities for self-assessment, peer assessment and formative feedback.
- Designing feedback response activities for students to capture their reflections on how they will act on feedback and/or how they have acted on feedback.
- Using audience response systems for questions and answers supported by discussion.
To find out more talk to one of the CEL Theme Leaders: Anne Quinney - Assessment and Feedback; Dr. Ann Luce, Technology Enhanced Learning
| References |
|---|
| Carless D. undated. Feedback as dialogue. Wise Assessment briefing No 10. University of Hong Kong. www.cetl.hku.hk/wise-assessment-forum/ |
| Nicol D. 2010. From monologue to dialogue: improving written feedback in mass higher education. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education. 35 (5) pp501-517 |
Commenting Constructively
- Clarify your feedback priorities
- Focus your comments on what matters most
- Be specific – suggest how to improve
- Personalise – but don’t get personal
- Blend criticism with praise
- Engage students in the feedback conversation
- Nest your feedback comments in a wider framework of support
- Try out new ways of commenting
| References |
|---|
| Hounsell D. undated. Commenting constructively: feedback to make a difference. Wise Assessment Briefing no 11. University of Hong Kong. www.cetl.hku.hk/wise-assessment-forum/ |
| Hounsell D. 2017. Workshop at CELebrate Assessment and Feedback Conference. Bournemouth University. June 2017. |
Flipping feedback – from feedback to feedforward
Rather than end of unit testing on what the student doesn’t understand, this approach seeks to develop the fullest possible learning and understanding by adjusting the nature and timing of the feedback by
- creating more and earlier opportunities for ‘real time’ feedback for learning
- embedding frequent opportunities for giving, receiving and responding to feedback.
This can involve submitting drafts for comment and revision (as in the doctoral model); checking understanding at the end of each class and revisiting themes to develop clearer understanding; or using flipped classroom techniques to focus on achieving deeper understanding rather than information transmission.
| References |
|---|
| Hounsell D. undated. Flipping feedback. Wise Assessment Briefing no 12. University of Hong Kong. www.cetl.hku.hk/wise-assessment-forum/ |
Helping students recognise feedback
Find out more:
CEL website https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/centre-excellence-learning