a compendium of assessment ... - university of leeds · the authors wish to thank leeds institute...
TRANSCRIPT
LITE 2017 Teaching Excellence Project Leader Report
LEEDS INSTITUTE TEACHING EXCELLENCE
for
A COMPENDIUM OF ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES IN HIGHER EDUCATION: FROM STUDENTS' PERSPECTIVES
Joe Kent-Waters, Olivia Seago and Lydia Smith
Edited by Dr Samantha Pugh
PATRICKSON | Mobilising the curriculum
LITE creates a sector-leading community of excellence in teaching practice and scholarship.
Join the discussion: @leedsteaching teachingexcellence.leeds.ac.uk
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TableofContentsAbouttheAuthors.............................................................................................................5
Introduction......................................................................................................................7
AbstractsofGuestLectures...............................................................................................8
AssessedWorkshop.........................................................................................................10
Audio/VisualPodcast.....................................................................................................12
CaseStudy.......................................................................................................................13
CollaborativeWiki/Blogs...............................................................................................15
ContinuousAssessment(Seminars).................................................................................16
ContinuousAssessment(StudioBased)...........................................................................18
DataAnalysis...................................................................................................................20
DataVisualisationExercise..............................................................................................22
Debate............................................................................................................................23
Dissertation(STEMDiscipline).........................................................................................25
Essay...............................................................................................................................27
ExtendedMatchingItems(EMI)......................................................................................29
Fieldwork........................................................................................................................31
GroupPortfolio...............................................................................................................33
GroupPresentation(MixedMode)..................................................................................35
GroupPresentation.........................................................................................................37
HAZOP.............................................................................................................................38
In-ClassTests...................................................................................................................40
In-LaboratoryPracticalAssessment.................................................................................42
IndependentResearchProject(ArtsandSocialSciences).................................................44
InvestigationReport........................................................................................................46
LaboratoryNotebook......................................................................................................48
LaboratoryReport...........................................................................................................50
LaboratoryResearchProject............................................................................................52
LessonPlan.....................................................................................................................54
LiteratureReview............................................................................................................56
MultipleChoiceQuestionnaire........................................................................................57
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NewspaperArticle...........................................................................................................59
OnlineAssessments.........................................................................................................60
Open-BookExam.............................................................................................................62
OralExamination/VivaVoce..........................................................................................64
PeerAssessment.............................................................................................................66
PlantDesignProjectReport.............................................................................................67
Poster.............................................................................................................................69
PosterPresentation.........................................................................................................71
PracticalAssessment(Collaborative)...............................................................................73
PracticalAssessment(CreativePractice)..........................................................................75
PracticalEssay.................................................................................................................77
Presentation....................................................................................................................79
Problem-BasedLearning..................................................................................................81
ProfessionalSimulations.................................................................................................83
ProjectProposal..............................................................................................................85
PythonQuiz.....................................................................................................................87
Referencing.....................................................................................................................89
ReflectiveLog/ContentSummary..................................................................................90
ResearchProposal...........................................................................................................92
SelfAssessment...............................................................................................................94
Self-ReflectiveEssay........................................................................................................95
SiteInvestigation.............................................................................................................97
SourceAnalysis...............................................................................................................99
StructuredChemicalExaminations................................................................................101
SupervisorReport.........................................................................................................103
Take-HomeExamination...............................................................................................105
Visual/IllustratedEssay................................................................................................107
VivaVoce......................................................................................................................109
WrittenCoursework......................................................................................................111
WrittenExamination(Unseen)......................................................................................113
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AbouttheAuthorsJoeKent-Waters
Iamasecond-yearTheatreandPerformancestudentfromHuddersfield.OutsideofuniversityIact,dostand-upcomedyandmaketheatrewithperformancecollectiveHalliGalli.Iamalsointerestedincommunityartsandin2018/19IwillbedoinganindustryplacementwithInkwellArts,aLeeds-basedartsandmental-healthcharity.
WhenIfoundoutaboutthisprojectthroughmyschool’sopportunitiesbulletinIwaskeentogetinvolved.ThisisbecauseIthinkre-consideringassessmentinHigherEducationisan
incrediblyimportanttask.ToomanytimesthroughoutmyeducationcareerIhaveseengifted,talentedandintelligentpeersfailtoachievethemarkstheyarecapableof.ThereisalargelyunchallengedstatusquoofassessmentandasaresultIhaveseenthesepeersblamethemselvesforthisfailurewhenIthinkweshouldbequestioningthesystemsofassessmentinplace.Boudsuggeststhat“wefeartochangethesystembecauseoftherisks”(Boud:2007:5),anditisencouragingtoseeprojectslikeRUALSEtryingtotacklethisissue.
AsaBATheatreandPerformancestudent,Ihavehadadifferentexperienceofassessmenttomycolleagues.Ihavealwaysbenefitedfrommorealternativeformsofassessment.Ithinkthisisbecausemymainskills–creativityandperformance–arenotassessablebytraditionalmethods,suchasessaysandcoursework.Whiletheinclusionofpracticalassessmentsisagreatfeatureofartscourses,andsomethingIampersonallythankfulfor,inmyresearchoverthecourseoftheprojectIhaveidentifiedissueswiththismethodandhavebeenabletofindpotentialsolutions.
Boud,D.2007.RethinkingAssessmentinHigherEducation.Oxon:Routledge
OlivaSeago
IhavejustfinishedmysecondyearstudyingChemistryattheUniversityofLeeds.OriginallyfromLowestoft,Suffolk,IwasdrawntostudyingherebytheUniversity’sfriendlyatmosphereandstrongacademicreputation.IwasexcitedbyworkingonthisprojecttolearnmoreabouthowassessmentinHigherEducationcanvaryfromthatinsecondaryeducation,awayfromthefamiliarityofexamsandcoursework.Itwasinterestingtodiscoveradiverserangeofassessmentmethodscurrentlyinuse,aswefoundthemajorityofmodulesresearched,
particularlyacrossthesciencesubjects,tobedominatedbywrittenexams.Ihopeourwork
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willhelpexpandtheuseofvariedassessmentmethods,asIfeelthisisimportanttoassessdifferentkeyskillsgraduatesneedfortheirfuturecareers.LydiaSmith
IamaChemistrygraduateseekingavaluableandrewardingcareerpath.Ienjoyworkinginateamenvironmentandlearninghowmyresearchcanmakeanimpact.Iamalsoapassionateadvocateofmultidisciplinarywork.Outsideacademia,Iamakeenhockeyplayer,pianist,violinistandIlovetotravel.
ThisprojectprimarilyappealedtomeasIwantedtodiscoverwhatnewassessmenttechniqueswereusedatuniversityandwasespeciallyinterestedtoseehowotheruniversitiesassessedtheirChemistrystudents.Alltheinternsagreedthatweneverconsideredassessmentmethodsbeforeapplyingtouniversity,
andthisprojecthasmadeusrealisehowperhapsitwasworthlookingatthedifferentassessmentmethodsused.
Beinginvolvedinaprojectsuchasthishasenergisedmyinterestineducationandhasgivenmeanopportunitytomeetnewpeopleandengageinteamworkaswellasindependentwork.Thisopportunityhasalsogivenmeanadvantageoverthosealsoapplyingforrolesineducationnextyear.Iampleasedwithwhatwehavecreatedandhopeitwillproveveryusefulinthefuture.
SamanthaPugh(Editor)IamaNationalTeachingFellowandanAssociateProfessorinSTEMEducationattheUniversityofLeeds.Ihaveextensiveexperienceindevelopingcontext-basedlearningandworkinginpartnershipwithstudentsinthePhysicalSciences.IalsomentorcolleaguestoshapeteachingthroughpedagogicresearchandscholarshipatLeedsandbeyond.
In2017/18,Iundertooka‘LeedsExcellenceandInnovationFellowship’sabbaticalattheLeedsInstituteforTeachingExcellence(LITE).Myinstitutionalprojectwas‘Re-imaginingAssessmentinHigherEducationbylearningfromSecondaryEducation.’Ibelievethatsynoptic,programme-
levelassessmentisthekeytoenhancingthecareerprospectsofuniversitygraduates.IhopethattheopportunitytoworkwithJoe,LydiaandOliviaonthiscompendiumwillprovidecolleagueswithalternativeassessmentmethodstoconsiderintheirprogrammedesign.Theaddedbenefitofthisbookisthatisitwrittenfromastudentperspective.
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IntroductionManydegreeprogrammesaredominatedbylargelytraditionalassessmentmethods,suchasunseenwrittenexaminationsandessays.Theaimofthisbookistobringtogetherawiderangeofassessmenttechniquesthatcouldbeusedinstead.Throughoutthisbook,eachassessmenttechniqueisconsideredinturn,focusingonwhattheyassess,intermsofwhatstudentsknow,thinkanddoasaresultoftheirlearning.Wehavetriedtoconsiderbothsubjectspecificandgenericattributesthataredemonstratedbystudentswhenundertakingtheseassessments.TherearemanyexcellentpublicationsthatdocumentdifferentassessmentmethodsthatcanbeemployedinHigherEducation.However,theuniqueaspectofthispublicationisthatithasbeenwrittenbystudents;presentingtheirperspectivesoneachoftheassessmenttechniques.Theyhaveconsideredwhattheirexperiencewouldbelike–thepositiveandnegativeaspectsoftheexperience,andalsoprovidedapersonalopinion.Thiscompendiumisoneoftheoutputsfromtheinstitutionalproject,RethinkingUniversityAssessmentbyLearningfromSecondaryEducation(RUALSE).Theaimofthisprojectistotakeamoresynoptic,programmeviewofuniversityassessment,particularlyassecondaryeducationhasmovedtowardslinearA-levelcourses,ratherthanthepreviousmodularsystem.Intakingaprogramme-levelviewofassessment,coursedesignerscanbemorecreative,allowingawiderrangeofassessmenttechniquestobeemployedacrossaprogramme.Theapproachtakenincompilingthiscompendiumwastoconsidercurrentassessmenttechniquesthatareemployedinthedisciplineareasthatwerepartofthestudy.ThesewereBiology,ChemicalEngineering,Chemistry,Education,andTheatreandPerformance.Theteamofstudentinternsdrewupontheirownexperiences,andfurtherresearch,torevieweachoftheseassessmentmethods,focusingonskillsassessedandadvantagesanddisadvantagesfromteachingdeliveryandstudentexperienceperspectives,aswellasprovidingopinionsfromtheirexperiencesasstudents.Thenextstepwastoresearchthemethodsofassessmentbeingusedforthefivesubjectsatotheruniversities.TheauthorschosetolookfirstatotheruniversitiesintheUK,focussingontheRussellGroup,sothemethodsfoundcouldbecomparabletothoseatLeeds,intermsofteachingandlearningexperience.Subsequently,thesearchwasextendedtothetop50QSWorldUniversityRankingsbySubject,lookingforalternativeassessmentmethodsinthestudysubjects,atinstitutionsnotyetresearched.Thereisscopetoexpandthiscollectionofassessmenttechniquesbycoveringawiderrangeofdisciplines,orbyconsideringawiderrangeofinstitutions.Wehopethatyouwillfindthiscompilationhelpfulinyourquesttodiversifyassessmentwithindegreeprogrammes.TheauthorswishtothankLeedsInstituteforTeachingExcellence(LITE)attheUniversityofLeedsforsupportingthisproject.
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AbstractsofGuestLecturesSpecifictothemodulecontainingtheguestlecture.Description:Aguestlecturer,oftenfromindustry,adifferentacademicoraninfluentialfigurefromarelevantfield,isinvitedtopresentmaterialtostudentsinatimetabledlectureslot.Studentsthenwriteashortsummaryofthematerialtaught.Theassignmentcouldbeextendedbyaskingstudentsfortheiropinionsofthematerialtaught,anyfurtherquestionsraised,ortoperformtheirownresearchintothetopic.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?DepartmentofChemistry,UniversityofWarwickWhatdoesitassess?
• astudent’sunderstandingofthetaughtmaterial• theirabilitytoengagewiththesubject• thinkcritically• performrelevantresearch
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Theusuallecturerhasabreakfromlecturing,whilststudentsgettoexperienceadifferentaspectoftheirsubject.Materialfromguestlecturersisoftendifficulttoincludeinawrittenexamination,sobywritingabouttheguestlectures,students’engagementcanbeassessed.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Anyguestlecturerwillprovideaslightlydifferentoutlookonthetopicbeingtaught.Therecouldbeissuesregardingoverlapwiththeusuallecturematerial,forexamplethematerialmayhavealreadybeentaughttothestudents,orthestudentscouldbeunfamiliarwithterminologybeingused.Itcanbedifficulttoorganiseaguestlecture,andthereisoftennoguaranteethatthestudentswillfinditbeneficial.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Havingaguestlecturecanbeexcitingasitmakesachangefromtheusuallectureseriesandoftenprovidesanewoutlookintoatopic,whichmaymakeiteasierormoreenjoyable.Asaresult,writingasummaryofthelecturecanbebothinterestinganduseful.Ifthelecturerisfromindustry,theirlecturecanprovidemoregeneralcareersinformationratherthanpuresubjectmaterial,whichcanbeparticularlyusefulforstudentslookingforcareersoutsideofacademia.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentsmayfeelmaterialfromguestlecturersisirrelevanttotherestofthelectureseries,somayfeelwritingasummaryofthelectureandperformingfurtherresearchintothetopic
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isawasteoftheirtime–especiallyifthemoduleismostlyassessedbyanexamination,asmaterialfromguestlecturestendsnottobeexaminable.Studentsmaystruggletounderstandthematerialtaughtifthelecturerisunsureofthelevelatwhichthestudentsareworking,orusesunfamiliarterminology.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ifindguestlecturerstobeinterestingasyouknowyouwillbegettingadifferentlearningexperiencetoanormallecture,whetheritisimmediatelyrelevanttothemoduleorwideremployabilityskills.But,becauseitcanbedifficultforthoseorganisingtheguestlecturestomonitorexactlywhatwillbetaught,sometimesthematerialcanseemirrelevant.
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AssessedWorkshopGenerallymodulespecific,asworkshopstendtofocusonmaterialtaughtrecently.Description:Workshopsaretypicallymoreinteractiveversionsoflectures,inwhichalecturerpresentsquestionstostudentswhoareencouragedtoworkingroupstolearnhowtotackleproblemsandensuretheyunderstandthematerialbeingtaught.Inanassessedworkshop,studentsattemptthesetproblems,eitherindividuallyorindiscussionwithothers,andthemarkscontributetowardstheirgrade.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?DepartmentofChemistry,UniversityofYorkWhatdoesitassess?
• students’knowledgeandunderstandingofthematerialtaught• problemsolvingability• bothwrittenandoralcommunicationskills,and• students’abilitytoaskrelevantquestionswhenworkinginagrouptofurthertheir
learningBenefitsfromateachingperspective:Byattendingaworkshop,astudentprovestheytrulyunderstandthematerialbeingtaughtastheyareabletoapplyittosolveproblems,andhavetheopportunitytoaskquestionsiftheyareunsure.Assessingperformanceinaworkshopensuresstudentattendancesotheirlearningpotentialismaximised.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Asuitableworkshopcanbedifficulttoarrange,asthesetproblemsmustbechallengingenoughtowarrantcreditforcompletion,butmuststillbepossiblewithoutweeksofdedicatedrevisionofthesubject.Ifcommunicationbetweenstudentsisallowedduringanassessedworkshop,itcanbedifficulttomonitorhowmuchindependentworkeachindividualhascontributedtotheiranswers.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Duringaworkshopstudentsareusuallyallowedtodiscusstheiranswers,sotheycanlearnfromtheirpeers–thismeanstheygainabettersubjectunderstandingwithouthavingtoaskalecturer,whichcanbeintimidating.Studentsgainpracticeattemptingexamination-stylequestionsbeforetheexam,sotheyarebetterpreparedinthefuture.Aworkshopusuallyfocusesonmaterialtaughtrecently,soitshouldbefreshinstudents’mindswithouttheneedfordedicatedrevisionbeforehand.
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Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Despitetheproblemsfocusingonmaterialtaughtrecently,studentsmaystillfeelunpreparedforanassessmentiftheyhavenothadtimetorevise.Whilstworkshopsgenerallyprovidetheopportunitytosolidifyanylearning,studentsmayworryaboutanassessedworkshopiftheydonotfeelconfidentintheirunderstandingofthetopicsbeforehand.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ithinkworkshopsareveryusefulforconfirmingyourknowledgeofaparticulartopic,andhavingtheopportunitytoattemptexam-stylequestionsrelievessomefutureexamstressasyouhavesomeideaofwhattoexpectfromthewrittenpaper.Theideaofanassessedworkshop,however,isintimidatingasthegradingaspectremovesthefreedomtolearnthroughyourmistakes.
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Audio/VisualPodcastThisisamodule-specificassessmentmethod.Description:Severalstudentsrecordthemselvesusingamicrophone/camerahavinganon-formalconversationaboutatopic.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofEducation,DurhamUniversityWhatdoesitassess?
• showsthatstudentscanrelateknowledgetoreal-worldissues• thinkcriticalityabouteducationpolicyandpractice• becriticallyawareoflearnersandtheirplaceinsociety• whetherthestudentisabletoengagewithissuesandconstructarguments• workingcollaboratively• articulatingthemselvesorally
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Tutorscanseehowstudentsengagewithintellectualmaterialinalessformalenvironment.Tutorscangetasenseofstudents’non-formalopinionsratherthantheobjectivityofformalacademicwork.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Itisalessscholarlyapproach.Technologycanbeunpredictableanderrorsthatareoutofstudents’controlmightaffectthequalityofthework.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Itcreatesalesspressuredenvironmentwhichallowsstudentstomakeerrorsandeditthemoutlater.Itequipsstudentswithawidervarietyofskillswhichincreasesemployability.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Noguaranteethatstudentswillmakeequalcontributionstothediscussion.Moreconfidentstudentswillbemoreoutspoken.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ithinkthisisamorerelaxedwayofdemonstratingknowledge,whichIthinkwoulddefinitelysuitsomestudents.Furthermoreitequipsstudentswiththeskillstomakepodcastswhichisausefulskillforthosewithmoreentrepreneurialambitions.
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CaseStudyThisisamodule-specificassessmentmethod.Description:Thisiswhereastudentwillresearchtheirownappliedexampleofasubjectortopicanduseittoanswerwiderquestions–thiscanbeintheformofanexamorcoursework.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofEducation,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• whetherthecandidatehasabaseknowledgeofconceptsandissuesintheirsubject• canrelatetheirknowledgetorealworldissues• ifthestudentcanthinkcritically• ifstudentsareabletoengagewithissuesandconstructarguments• iftheyareabletoarticulateideasorallyandinwritinginaconvincingway
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Tutorscanseehowwellthestudenthasbeenabletoapplytheirknowledgetoreal-worldscenarios.Italsocreatesawidevarietyofresponses,canseehoweachstudenthastakenonthetaskdifferentlyandchosenacasestudywhichreflectstheirowninterests.TutorscanfeelasiftheyareequippingstudentsratherthanjusttransferringknowledgeDisadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Ifthedetailsofthestudyarenotconveyedeffectivelythenthetutormightstruggletounderstandaspectsofthework.Itwillalsobemoredifficulttocomparestudentworkformoderationpurposes.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentscanresearchsomethingwhichisofpersonalinterest.Applyingknowledgetoareal-lifecasestudycanbearewardingwaytoworkasstudentsfeelasifknowledgeisbeingusedinamorepragmaticfashion.Case-studyexamsareopenbook,meaningstudentshavetoworrylessaboutmemorisingknowledgeNegativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Somecasestudieswillbemoreeffectivethanothers,thismeansthereisalotofpressurearoundtheinitialchoice.Ifapoorcasestudyischosentheoverallworkcouldsuffer.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ithinkitallowsthestudenttobemorepersonalwithwhattheystudy,whichisalwaysagoodthing.Ithinkitisalsoarewardinglearningexperiencetobeabletoapplyknowledge
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toareal-lifescenario,especiallywhenasubjectismorevocational.Theopen-bookaspectisgreatasittakesawaythepressureofmemorisingandcanallowyoutodevelopmorecriticalandanalyticalskillsasopposedtojustmemorising.
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CollaborativeWiki/BlogsThisisamodule-specificassessmentmethod.Description:Thisiswherestudentsworktogethertocreateanextensivewebpagecontaininginformationonatopic.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofEducation,UniversityofExeterWhatdoesitassess?
• thestudent’sabilitytoworkwithknowledgeandthinkcritically.• theirabilitytoworkingroups• collectivelydemonstratetheirunderstandingofthesubject
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Itdemonstratescomprehensiveknowledgeofasubject.Studentsarecreatinglearningresourcesthemselves.Opportunitytohavealearning‘environment’outsideoftheseminar/lecturespace.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:NoteasytocheckforplagiarismasitcannotbeuploadedtoTurnitin.Somewikiformatsdonotallowyoutoseewhowrotewhichentry,makingithardtoseparategroupandindividualmarks.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentsdevelopskillsincollaborativeworkingmethodsandbasicwebsitecreation,twoveryvaluableattributesonthejobmarket.Studentshavetheirownlearningresourceforfuturereferenceoncetheassessmentiscomplete.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Student’sgrademightsufferifsomeoneinthegroupdoesnotsubmittheircontribution.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Thisisagreatideatobringcollaborativewritingforwardintoamoderncontext,howeveryourindividualcontributionsmightgouncredited.Buildingalearningresourcewithyourpeersisalsoaninvaluableexperience.
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ContinuousAssessment(Seminars)Thisisamodule-specificassessmentmethod.Description:Inthisassessmentstudent’saremarkedontheircontributionstoseminarsthroughoutthemodule.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?DramaDepartment,TheUniversityofExeterWhatdoesitassess?
• interculturalunderstanding• theabilitytointerpretatextorasituation• thatthestudentispoliticallyawareandcanthinkcritically• thestudent’sabilitytoquestionacceptedknowledgeandbeadeepthinker• theabilitytocommunicateorally• abilitytoworkcriticallywithknowledge
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Studentcanbeassessedonhowwelltheyhaveengagedinthemoduleasopposedtohowwelltheyperformonacertainday.Lessofaformalenvironmentsotutorsmightbeabletogetmoreinsightsfromstudentswhostrugglewithwrittenworkandpresentations.StudentscreateadialogueratherthantheonevoiceofanessayorpresentationDisadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Tutorshavetobeconstantlyassessingtheirstudents,thismeansitishardertokeepmarksconsistent.Itreliesheavilyonstudentshavingdonethepreparationbeforetheseminar.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentscanarticulatetheirunderstandingofatopicinalessformalenvironment,althoughthismayworkbetterforsomestudentsandnotothers.Cancreateadialoguewhichmeansstudentscanworkfromoneanother’sideasratherthanbeingsolitary.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Requiresstudenttodothepreparationbeforetheseminaronaweeklybasis.Ifeachseminarisassessed,thiscouldincreasestresslevels.Studentswhoarenotasconfidentintheirownideasmightstruggletomakeacontributionthatreflectstheirthinkingonatopic.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ithinkaseminarisoftenaplacetogetthingswrongandlearnfromthat,ifthemarkingschemeaccommodatedthisfactorthenassessingstudentsontheirengagementinatopic
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ratherthantheaccuracyofwhattheysaythenthiswouldbeagoodassessmentmethod.However,althoughseminarsareapartofmoststudents’universityexperience,somedonotflourishinadiscussionenvironment–especiallythosewholackconfidenceorthosewithcertainlearningdisabilities.
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ContinuousAssessment(StudioBased)Thisisamodule-specificassessmentmethod.Description:Thisiswhereastudentwillbemarkedonthetutor’sobservationoftheprocessasopposedtothefinalcreativeproduct(Editor’snote:Thisapproachwouldalsobefeasibleforalaboratory-basedmodule).Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?DramaDepartment,TheUniversityofExeter.Whatdoesitassess?
• thestudent’screativity• abilitytounderstandhumaninteractionthroughartisticwork• whetherastudentcancollaborate(althoughtheprojectcouldbeasoloone)• dealingwithconflictandworkoutpracticalities• thestudents’abilitytomakesomethinghappen/beenterprising.• criticalthinkingandindependence
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Studentscanbeassessedonhowwelltheyhaveengagedinthemoduleasopposedtohowwelltheyperformonacertainday.TutorscanbegettingconstantinsightintohowastudentworksandtheintentionsbehindtheircreativedecisionsDisadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Itishardtojudgefairly,especiallywithgroupwork,asthetutoronlyhasoneperspective.Perhapsthereislessclearcriteriaforthemarkingprocessduetocreativeinterpretation.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Lesspressurewhenitcomestothefinalperformancewhichisbetterformentalhealth.Theamountofworkthatyouputintocreatingthepieceisperhapsbetterrecognised.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Thereisariskthatcertainworkcouldgounrecognisedasthetutorcannotbepresentatalltimesandoftenworkisdoneinself-directedsessions.Perhapsiftheoppositeeffecthappenedandachaoticprocessproducedanoutstandingpiece,studentscouldfeelthattheirworkisnotbeingcredited
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ithinkmarkingtheprocessisaneffectivewayoftryingtotackletheissueofart’ssubjectivity.HoweverIthinkaneffortneedstobemadebythetutortoobservethisprocess,otherwisetheirrestrictedviewontheprocessmightnotequatetothetruth.Portfoliosandlogbookscanhelprecordandgiveevidencetosupportthetutor’smarking.
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DataAnalysisCurrentlymodulespecific,butcouldbesynopticbyapplicationofthedata-analysisskills.Description:Dataanalysisinvolvesprocessinglargeamountsofrawdatasoitcanbeunderstoodandusedefficiently.Thisinvolvesavarietyofstatisticaltechniques,suchasdataaggregation,patternmatching,andtabulation.ThiscanbeachievedusingcomputerprogrammessuchasExcelandPython.Theanalyseddataisusuallypresentedinareportexplaininghowithasbeenprocessedandwhattheresultsshow.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofChemistryandSchoolofBiology,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• numericalliteracy• presentationofanalyseddatademonstrateswrittenand/ororalpresentationskills• criticalthinking• practicalskillsthroughuseofsoftware,• problemsolving• creativity• theabilitytobereflective
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Studentslearnessentialskillsforthemodernworkplace,beitinacademicresearchorinindustry.Littletraditionalteachingisrequired,asskillsarebestdevelopedthroughpractice.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Ifstudentsstrugglewithdataanalysis,one-on-onehelpmayberequired,whichcouldmeanhighstaffdemand.Staffmustbefamiliarwiththeprogrammesused.Markingmaybedifficultandtimeconsumingbecausetheprocesseddatamustbecheckedagainsttherawdatafordiscontinuity.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentswilllearnessentialtransferableskillsandgainanappreciationforthevalueofanalyseddatainexplainingconceptsandresults.Studentsmayalsoenjoygettingexperienceusingsoftwaretoachieveresultssotheycanputtheoryintopractice.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Workingwithlargeamountsofrawdatamaybeintimidating,anditcouldtakealongtimetobecomefamiliarwiththesoftwareusedtoprocessit.Analysisofthedataandreportingresultscanbetimeconsuming.
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ithinkitisimportanttobecomefamiliarwithdataprocessingsoftwareasitformsapartofsomanyjobs.Theideaofworkingwithlargeamountsofrawdataisscarysoitwouldbehelpfultogettolearnhowtodothistoastandardsuitableforassessment.
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DataVisualisationExerciseThisisamodulespecificassessmentmethod.Description:Anassessmentwhichasksyouthestudentstotakequalitativedataandpresentitinanappropriateandeffectiveway.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofEducation,TheUniversityofBristolWhatdoesitassess?
• thespecificskillofdatavisualisationbuttiesintoevaluatingwhetherastudentcantakeaninterdisciplinaryapproach
• whetherastudentisabletobereflectiveandindependentBenefitsfromateachingperspective:Tutorscanseeclearlyandobjectivelyhowwellstudentshavebeenabletousetheirdata-handlingskillsDisadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Itwouldbedifficulttoapplythistoalleducationcoursesasdataanalysisisnotacommonskillwithinthesubjectarea.Theprocessofcheckingthevisualisation’saccuracywouldtakeupalotofmarkingtime.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentscangetpracticeandfeedbacktohelpdevelopaskillwhichishighlyrelevantforemployability.Itwouldbenefitstudentwholikevisualrepresentations,asopposedtocreatingawrittendataanalysisreport.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:NonereportedStudents’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ithinkthisisagoodwaytotesttheskillofdataanalysis,especiallyforthosewhoworkbettervisually.However,asawiderassessmentmethoditwouldnotworkasitisspecifictothetopic.
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DebateOftenmodulespecific,asthedebatemustfocusonaspecifictopic.Description:Inteams,studentsmustresearchandprepareanargumenttodefendaparticularviewpointonacontroversialsubject.Eachmemberoftheteampreparestheirownshortpresentation,whichbuildsupontheirteammates’pointstoproduceacohesiveargument.Teamswillbesubjectedtoquestioningfromgroupswithopposingideas,andmustremainrespectfulandfocusedwhilstdefendingtheirassignedviewpoint.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofChemistry,UniversityofManchester.Whatdoesitassess?
• abilitytoresearchforrelevantmaterial• thinkingcreativelytoconstructapersuasiveargument• presentationskills• oralcommunicationskills• subjectknowledgeandunderstanding• criticalthinking• abilitytoworkinateam
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Students’researchskillsaredevelopedinfindingrelevantandpersuasivepoints,aswellastheircriticalthinkingskills–theymustconsiderpotentialoppositionalviewpointswhilstpreparingtheirinitialpresentations,aswellasbeingabletothinkquicklywhenquestionedduringthedebate.Bothpresentationandoralcommunicationskills,individuallyandaspartofagroup,areassessedasthedebateproceeds.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Adebatecanbeatime-consumingprocedure,asteamsmustbelimitedinsize.Thedebatemustbechaired,andeachperson’scontributiontotheirteampresentationsaswellasdefenceagainstoppositionmustberecordedtoallowforfairassessment.Adebateisonlysuitableforusewhendiscussingacontroversialtopic.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentsareencouragedtodeveloptheirownopinionsonatopicthroughresearchanddiscussionwithotherstudents.Whilepresentationscanbedaunting,someofthepressureisrelievedwhenpresentingaspartofagrouptoasmallaudienceofpeers.
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Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Adebatecanbeanunfamiliarandintimidatingprospect,andlessconfidentstudentsmaystruggletogetinvolvedaftertheirinitialpresentation.Preparingforadebateistimeconsumingandstudentsmaylackmotivationifaskedtoresearchanddefendaviewpointthatcontradictstheirown.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Adebatewouldbeagreatmethodofengagingwiththetopicandencouragingactivelearning,butthethoughtofcreatingcounter-argumentsonthespotduringthedebatecouldbeintimidating–especiallyifyouknowyourattemptsarebeingassessed.
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Dissertation(STEMDiscipline)Inthiscase,modulespecificbutcanbemoresynoptic.Description:Inthiscase,a3,000wordessayonachosentopic,guidedbyasupervisorwhospecialisesinasimilarfieldtothetopicoftheessay.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofChemistry,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• writtencommunication• researchskills• persuasiveskills• abilitytounderstandandappreciatedifferentpointsofview• criticalandlateralthinking• reportwritingskills• independentlearning• perhapsdevelopingahypothesis
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Seeaninsightintohowdeepknowledgeandunderstandingis.Abletoassessmanydifferentskills.Notmuchteachingrequired,abriefgiven,thenasupervisorjusttheretoguidethework.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Alongread.Noopportunitytoaskfurtherquestionslikeinapresentationforexample.Timetakentopreparebriefs.Requiresdouble-blindmarkingforquality-assurancepurposes.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Topicusuallyischosenbythestudent,sointerestingtoresearchandwriteabout.Flexibilityonwherethestudentwouldliketotaketheresearch.Studenthasagoodopportunitytoshowtheirinterestinaparticulartopicandthiscanhelpcareerdevelopment.Noneedtomemoriselotsoffacts.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Timeconsuming.Thesupervisionofadissertationcanbeinconsistent.Somesupervisorsarewillingtohelpstudentsalotmorethanothers,whichcanmakeitunfair.Marksmayvaryaccordingtowhichsupervisormarksthework.Somestudentsmaysharethesameopinionasasupervisor,whichmayputtheminamoreadvantageouspositionthanafellowstudent,evenifbothstudents’essaysareatthesamelevel.
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Goodthatstudentsgettochoosetheirownresearchtopic.Itwouldbeniceifitcouldbearrangedtospeaktostudentsinpreviousyearsabouthowtheyfoundcertainsupervisorsastheycanbeinconsistentwithhowmuchtheyassistyou.
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EssayInthiscase,modulespecificbutcouldbesynoptic.Description:Ashortpieceofwritingonaparticularsubject.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolsofBiology,Chemistry,Education,PerformanceandCulturalIndustries,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• knowledgeandunderstandingofaparticulartopic,oftenanin-depthone• writtencommunication• experiencewithprimaryresearch• abilitytoworkwithliterature• understandandappreciateothers’viewandcometoaconclusionbasedondata
collected• independentworking• persuasiveskills• understandingofhowtheresearchprocessworks• abilitytoengagewithissuesandconstructarguements• abilitytoreference
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Effectivewaytogaugedepthofunderstandingandknowledgeofstudent.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Takestimetodevotetoreadingstudents’responses.Noopportunitytoaskfurtherquestions,asinapresentationforexample.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Ifthetimeismanagedwell,thiscancauselessstressthananexam.Opportunitytoshowunderstandingandknowledge,aswellasoriginalityinthewayinwhichthestudentthinks.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Marksmayvaryaccordingtowhichsupervisormarksthework.Verytimeconsuming.Somestudentsmaysharethesameopinionasasupervisorwhichmayputtheminamoreadvantageouspositionthanafellowstudent,evenifbothstudents’essaysareatthesamelevel.
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:PersonallyIdonotperformwellinessays.Ifindwritingsomuchaveryboringanddifficultprocess.Although,IrecognisethoseskillsareneededandthatIshouldimprove.Ifplannedfarenoughinadvancebythestudent,thisassessmentmethodcanresultingreatperformance.
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ExtendedMatchingItems(EMI)Inthiscase,modulespecificbutcouldbesynoptic.Description:Typeofexamination,inwhichstudentsanswerquestionsbyselectingoptionsfromalistgiven.AtypeofMCQ,excepttherearemultiplequestionswiththesamesetofpossibleanswers.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofBiologicalSciences,UniversityofLiverpool.Whatdoesitassess?Knowledgeandunderstandingofcertaintopics.Beingabletoreproduceinformationgiveninlecturesandbeabletoapplytheknowledgeinunseensituations.Problemsolving.Attentiontodetail,numericalliteracy.Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Relativelyquicktomarkquestionsandgivefeedbacktostudents,oftenmarkedbyacomputer.Examsmarkedfairlyandconsistently.Teacherscantellthelevelofunderstandingofacertaintopicfairlyeasilythisway.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Canbedifficultandtimeconsumingtowrite;incorrectanswersmustbeprovidedaswellascorrectones,buttheycannotbetooobviouslywrong.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Eachstudentismarkedaccordingtoaschemeandsomarkedfairlyandconsistently.Noplagiarismandlittlecheatingoccuring.Studentscanhelpeachotherlearnandunderstanduptotheexamitself,thusbuildinggoodrelationships.Ifstudentsperformwellinexams,thiscanbeabigconfidenceboost.Pressureofexamscanpushastudenttoexcel.Studentsmayfeelthereislesspressuretomemorisefacts,asseeingthecorrectanswerprovided(albeitamongstsimilarincorrectanswers)couldactasaprompt.Itcanbereassuringtobeabletoanswereveryquestion,evenifit’sbyguessing.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Verystressful,reliesonafewhoursexcellentperformance,whichcanputpressureonstudentscausingthemtounderperformeveniftheyhavethecapabilitytoachieveahighgrade.Thereisverylittleopportunityforstudentstodemonstratetheirknowledgeoutsideofthespecifiedanswers:forexample,nocreditcanbegivenforusingthecorrectmethod,butobtaininganincorrectanswerforamathematicalproblem.
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ihavefoundalltypesofmultiplechoicequestionstobequitechallenging.Idon’tthinktheyareafairwaytoassessawholemoduleasthereissolittleflexibility,butcouldbegoodforassessingunderstandingofconceptsforpartialmodulecredit.
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FieldworkInthiscase,modulespecificbutcouldbesynoptic.Description:Workdoneoutsidethenormaluniversitysetting,usuallycollectingdatafromtheenvironmentstudied.Areportisthenwrittenonstudents’experience,theirdatacollectedandanalysedWhereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofBiology,UniversitiesofBristol,Durham,Glasgow,Leeds,Liverpool,QueenMary,Southampton.Whatdoesitassess?
• students’understandingofscientificconcepts• numericalliteracy• writtencommunicationskills• abilitytoanalysedata• note-takingskills• problemsolvingskills• appreciationofhealthandsafetyintheenvironmenttheyfindthemselvesin
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Teacherscantellthelevelofunderstandingofacertaintopicfairlyeasilythisway.Excitingtoteachinanewsetting.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Timetakenfromtimetablemayinfringeonteachinghours.Timeconsumingtomarkallthereports.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Eachstudentismarkedaccordingtoaschemeandsomarkedfairlyandconsistently.Maybeexcitingtodoworkthatisnotintheusualsetting,ofteninthecountrysideand,assuch,relaxing.Studentshavethetimetocollectagoodsetofdatabeforeinterpretation.Realisticlearningexperience.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Maynotbemarkedconsistentlyifdifferentsupervisorsmarkthework.Couldcosthundredsofpoundsifabroad.
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Thisisagoodwayforbiologiststoseeintherealworldwhatcollectingdataisaboutandtheapplicationofthetheorytaughtinlecturescanbebroughttolife.Acompletelydifferentwaytoassessthingsandkeeptheminteresting.Overallaneffectivewaytoassessmanyskills.
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GroupPortfolioInthiscase,modulespecificbutcouldbesynoptic.Description:Inthisinstance,wasa40-60pagebusinessplanforaproductwedesigned,bringingseveralindividuals’workandcompilingthemtogethertomakeonecohesive,single-purposedocument.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofChemistry,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• knowledgeandunderstandingoftheproductdesigned• writtencommunicationskills• teamworkand• organisationalskills• researchskills• thinkingcriticallyandlaterally• persuasiveskills
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Seeaninsightintohowdeepknowledgeandunderstandingis.Catchaglimpseofhowwelltheteamworkedtogether.Notmuchteachingrequired,justneedtoprovideabriefingandthenkeepstudentsontrack.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Portfoliosarealongread.Hardtotellhowmucheachteammembercontributedtothedocument,whichcouldskewindividuals’marks.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Alotoftimegiventogroupinordertoaccomplishthework,soit’sanopportunitytocreatetheverybestworkpossible.Opportunitytoworkwithothers.Researchingsomethingthatyourgrouphaschosensoshouldbeinteresting.Studentsmarkedonseveraldifferentsectionsmakingtheoverallgradelikelytobefair.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Teammembersnotpullingtheirweightcancauseissues.Itcantaketimetoadaptdifferentpeople’sworktomakeitsoundlikeitwaswrittenbyoneperson.Meetingupwithteammembersifthey’refromadifferentcoursecouldprovedifficult.(Editor’snote:Severalmechanismsforassigningindividualcontributionstothegroupeffort.WebPAisonesuchsystem).
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ithinkthisisaneffectivemethodforassessingandagreatwaytoaccomplishgroupwork.However,alongwithanygroupworkthereneedstobesomesortofmeasureofcontributionofeachteammember
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GroupPresentation(MixedMode)PresentationsareusuallytwiceasemesterforPCIstudentsinfirstandsecondyear,sointhissensetheyworkacrossmodulestohelpbuilduptheseskills.However,theassessmentsareverymuchcontainedwithinthemodule.Description:Thesearesimilartogrouppresentationshowevertheycancontainmoreofaperformativeelement.Somestudentsmightcreatesomethingmoreinteractiveorincludeademonstrationofpractice.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofPerformanceandCulturalIndustries,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• creativity• abilitytocollaborate• criticalthinking• abilitytolead,contributetoateamandtakeondifferentrolesasrequiredbythe
task• adaptability• abilitytocommunicateorallyandinwrittenforms• abilitytoworkcriticallywithknowledge
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Tutorscanevaluatethestudentsunderstandingwhenpracticalelementsareusedwithinthepresentation.Itpresentsadifferentkindofskillanddemonstratesamoreembodiedkindofanalysis.ItmeansthatthestudentshavemorelicensetobeoriginalandimaginativewiththewaytheypresentinformationDisadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Thereisariskthatstudentsmightnotstrikethebalancebetweenpracticeandtheory,meaningthatevenifastudentdisplaysskillinthedemonstrationifitisnotcontextualisedsufficientlythenitcannotberewarded.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Canbeamuchmoreengagingtaskwhenpracticeisinvolved,givesthestudentlessrestrictiononhowtheycanexpresstheirlearning.PCIoftenusespresentationsasanassessmentmethod,sohavingaslightlydifferentapproachcankeeptheprogrammefromfeelingtoorepetitive.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Nonereported.
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:MixedmodepresentationsmakealotofsenseinTheatreandPerformance,thereareaspectstothesubjectwhichcanbemosteffectivelycommunicatedthroughpractice.However,IthinkthisshouldbeencouragedinallpresentationsinPCIasanoption,whenitismoreexplicitlyincludedinthebriefthefinalresultcanfeelmoreforced,ratherthanamoreorganicexpressionofknowledgeandresearch.
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GroupPresentationInthiscasemodulespecificbutcanbesynoptic.Description:Aspeechortalkinwhichinformationisconveyedto(an)otherindividual(s)byagroupofpeople.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolsofChemistry,Education,andPerformanceandCulturalIndustries,UniversityofLeeds.Whatdoesitassess?
• knowledgeandunderstandingofaparticulartopic• verbalcomminication• researchskills• thinkingcriticallyandlaterally• appreciatingdifferentpointsofviewandpersuasiveskills(dependingonthenature
ofthepresentation)Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Interestingtoobserveandassess.Thereoftenanopportunitytoaskquestionstogetinmorein-depthideaoftheknowledgeandunderstandingthestudenthas.Showscommunicationskillsofstudentandteamworkskills.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Potentiallytimeconsuming.Timetakenforstudentstochoosenatureofpresentation.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Presentationalskillsareusuallyessentialforgoingintoachemistryprofessionandsogivesgoodexperience.Getthechancetoconveypointsacrosstoacademics,moreimpactfulthanwriting.Enjoyable.Potentiallyaneasierroutetoattaininggoodmarks.Chancetoworkwithothersandbuildrelationships.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Perhapsalotofpressureonthosewhoareshy,howeverafterafewpresentationsthisshouldimprove.Canbestressful,especiallyifanyteammembersdonotpulltheirweightandthereforegetcreditforothers'work.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Givesyougreatexperienceforindustrywork.Ensuresthorough,in-depthknowledgeandunderstandingofatopicduetotheopportunityforthesupervisortoaskanyquestions.Nicetoworkingroups,howeverifpeopledon’tpulltheirweightitstartstobecomeproblematic.
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HAZOPCurrentlymodulespecific,butcanbeusedasasynopticmethodofassessingskillslearntoveralongperiodoftime,suchasgroupworkandorganisationalskills.Description:AHazardandOperability(HAZOP)studyisatypeofrisk-assessmentprocedurecommonlyusedintheengineeringindustrytoidentifypotentiallyrisk-causingproblemsataplannedorexistingplant.Itassumesrisksarecausedbydeviationsfromdesign,anduses“guidewords”agreedbytheteamperformingtheassessmenttoidentifythesedeviations.Dataiscollectedfromthesite,thenthesystemdividedintopartsandanalysed.Thereportofthestudyfollowsaconventionalstructure,consistingofsectionsincludingaims,descriptionofthefacility,teammembersandguidewordsused,plantoverview,andanalysisofmainfindings.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofChemicalEngineeringandAnalyticalScience,UniversityofManchesterWhatdoesitassess?
• understandingoftheprocedureinvolvedinthestudy• theabilitytofollowaconventionalreportstructure.• writtencommunicationskillsareusedtoproducethereport• oralcommunicationskillsaredevelopedwhenworkinginagrouptoperformthe
study• students’abilitytoreflectupontheirwork,• thinkingcriticallyandcreativelytoidentifyandsolveproblems
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Studentsgainexperiencewithreal-lifeindustrialproceduresandsoarebetterpreparedforgraduaterolesinindustry.Meanwhile,theskillsdevelopedcanbeappliedtotheirworkatuniversity.Studentsareencouragedtothinkcriticallyandimaginatively,whilstorganisingtheirworkbothinprogressandinthefinalreport.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:AnindustrialHAZOPcanbeahighlytime-consumingactivity,andtheprocessmayhavetobeadaptedtobesuitableforundergraduatestudents.Thereportcanbetimeconsumingtomark,andstudentsmayneedtobesupervisedon-site,requiringstafftobeavailabletovisit.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentsgettoexperiencemanyaspectsofworkinginindustry,includingworkinginateam,writingreports,andperforminganon-sitestudy–thisopportunitycanbeexcitingasitgivesaninsightintolifeafteruniversity.ByfollowingtheconventionalHAZOPstructure
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whenwritingthereport,studentslearnhowtowritetoabriefandHAZOPsinthefuture.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:AHAZOPisverytimeconsumingandmustfollowastrictstructure.Itcanbedifficulttoorganiseasagroupofstudentsaseachmemberneedstoadheretotheirrolewithinthegroup.Itmaybefrustratingforstudentsifsomemembersofthegrouparenotputtinginasmucheffortasothers,whichcouldbedifficulttodemonstrateinthefinalreport.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:IthinktheopportunitytoperformafullHAZOPstudyandreportforgradingwouldbeveryusefulinpreparationforacareerintheengineeringindustryasthisisregularpractice.However,itwouldbequiteintimidatingatfirst,soitwouldbehelpfultohavespecifictrainingonhowtoperformthestudyandwritethereport,andtoseeexamplesorforinitialassessmenttobeformativeratherthancontributingtoyourfinalgrade.
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In-ClassTestsModulespecific,testingstudentsonmaterialrecentlycoveredinlectures.Description:Short,examination-styletestsareperformedinatimetabledlectureslotunderexamconditions.Theymayconsistofmultiple-choicequestions,calculations,orexplanation-basedquestions.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?DepartmentofChemistry,UniversityCollegeLondonWhatdoesitassess?
• students’knowledgeandunderstandingofmaterialtaughtrecently• criticalthinking• abilitytoapplythistosolveproblemsbythinkingcreatively• writtencommunicationskillsareassessedthroughclarityoftheirwrittenanswers
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Lecturersareabletowritemoredetailedquestionsfocusingonmaterialtaughtrecentlyratherthanthewholelectureseries,asinatraditionalexamination.Thetestsareshortertowriteandmark,andprovideanopportunitytoidentifywherestudentsaresucceedingandstrugglingwhilstthemoduleisstillrunning.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Lecturersmayhavetowriteexamination-stylequestionsandmarkthesefrequently,dependingonhowmanyclasstestsareincludedinthemodule.Settingatestduringalectureslotreducestimeavailableforteaching,solecturersmayfeelrushedtodeliverthecoursematerial.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Theshortnatureofanin-classtestmeansitcanonlycovermaterialtaughtrecently,sostudentsshouldbefamiliarwiththecontentwithoutneedingtorevisematerialtaughtmonthsago.Takingthetestinthefamiliarlecture-theatreenvironmentcouldmakestudentsfeelmorecomfortableandconfident,asopposedtosittingatraditionalexaminanunfamiliarlocation.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Beingtestedinclasswillcausesomeexamstress:whilestudentswillnotbeexpectedtomemorisecontenttaughtoverawholemodule,therewillstillbeanaspectofrecallrequiredandpressuretoperformunderveryshorttimeconstraints.Iftestsarehappeningfrequently,studentsmaynotfeeltheyhavesufficienttimetorevise.
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ithinkanin-classtestwouldbehelpfultogetasenseofhowwellyouunderstandandcanmemorisematerialcoveredrecently;ifyoustruggle,youknowyouneedtogooverthatparticulartopicagain.However,Ifeelitcouldcausealotofstressifyoudonothaveadequatetimetoprepareforthetest,especiallyifitcontributesaconsiderableamounttoyourfinalgrade.
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In-LaboratoryPracticalAssessmentCurrentlymodulespecific;studentsarecontinuouslyassessedthroughoutthedurationoftheyear-longmodule.Butitcouldeasilybeusedasasynopticmethodofassessment.Description:Laboratoryskillsarecommonlyassessedcontinuouslyovertheyear:studentsperformpracticalexperimentsfollowinginstructionsprovided,withtheaimofproducingthedesiredchemical,inweeklytimetabledlaboratorysessionsoftentotallingapproximatelyninehours.Theinstructionscanvaryinlevelofdetail,allowingpracticalabilityaswellasproblemsolvingskillstobeassessed.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofChemistry,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• practicalworkassessesstudent’smanualdexterity• understandingoflaboratorytechniquesandsafetymeasures.• preparationforexperimentsassessesastudent’splanningandtime-management
skillsandtheabilitytodealwithunexpectedissuesintheprocedureassessestheirabilitytothinkcreativelytosolveproblems
• explanationofproceduresandaskingrelevantquestionsdemonstratesoralcommunicationskills
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Studentslearntoworksafelyandcompetentlyinalaboratoryenvironment,whichtheymayneverhaveexperiencedbeforeuniversity.Thispreparesthemforsuccessinacademiaandindustry,wherepracticalabilityandcommunicationskillsareequallyimportant.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Studentsmustbetrustedtouseexpensiveanddangerouschemicalsandequipmentresponsibly.Thereisasignificantamountofriskinvolved,anditisunfeasibletoconstantlymonitoreachstudent–bothintermsofstaffnumbersandstudents’independentlearning.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentsgainknowledge,experienceandindependenceinalaboratoryenvironment,sotheyfeelpreparedtoentertheworkingworld.Regularlaboratorysessionsallowtheenvironmenttobecomefamiliarandstudentslearnhowtomanagetheirtimeeffectively.Theylearntothinkcreativelytosolveproblems,whilsthavingaccesstohelpfromstaffwhenneeded.
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Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Practicalworkcanbeverystressfulbecauseproceduresdonotalwaysworkasplanned,andthereispressuretoachieveagoodproductyieldinthetimeframeasthisdirectlyimpactstheirmark.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ihavefoundpracticalworkintheundergraduatelaboratoriestobeincrediblystressfulbecause,despitemybestefforts,myresultshavenotalwaysgoneasplanned.Thereisalotofpressuretogetgoodresults,whichIhavelearntisnotthecaseinreal-liferesearch–butitdoesprovidelotsofpracticeinusingtherequiredtechniques.
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IndependentResearchProject(ArtsandSocialSciences)Thisisasynopticassesment–itcomesattheendofthedegreeprogrameandisanamalgamationoflearningandacademicpracticecompletedoverthethreeyears.Description:Thisiswhereastudentwillcompletearesearchtaskinfull.Notonlyreviewingliterature,outliningamethodology,butactuallyconductingtheresearchandanalysingthedatathemselves.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofEducationandSchoolPerformanceandCulturalIndustriesattheUniversityofLeeds.Whatdoesitassess?
• interculturalunderstandingandculturalawareness• abilitytoquestionsocialconditioningandarepoliticalawareness• interdisciplinaryexperienceandskills• baseknowledgeofconceptsandissuesinthediscipline• abiitytorelateknowledgetoreal-worldissues• ongoinginterestinthesubject.• abilitytoengagewithissuesandconstructarguments• abilitytoreferenceproperly• abilitytosearchforliteratureproperly• abletoengagewiththeliteratureinacriticalway• abletoarticulateideasorallyandinwritinginaconvincingway
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Cangivethestudentone-to-oneguidancethroughouttheresearchandwritingprocess.Getasenseforstudents’individualresearchinterests.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Itisanexceptionallylongpieceofwork–soittimeconsumingintermsofsupervisionandisaheavyworkloadforthemarker.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Gettoresearchandwriteaboutatopicthattheyfindinteresting/haveaconnectionwith.Senseofpurposewiththework–makingagenuinecontributiontotheirfieldNegativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Iftimemanagementisnoteffectivethenstudentscanbeleftwithanexceptionallyheavyworkload.Takesverycarefulconsiderationtochooseandrefinearesearchtopic.
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Itisagreatoppertunitytofindanacademicspecialism.HoweverIthinktherecouldbemoreroomtoincludepractice-ledresearchinthesekindofassignments.
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InvestigationReportCurrentlymodulespecific,butcouldbesynoptic.Description:Thisisawrittenreportsummarisingtheprocedureandresultsofaninvestigation,whichmaybeperformedbyastudentindividuallyoringroups,orbyadifferentparty.Ittypicallyconsistsofvarioussectionssuchasanintroduction,methodology,summaryofresults,anddiscussion.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofEducation,UniversityofLeeds.Whatdoesitassess?
• criticalthinkingaboutresultsandtheirmeanings• researchskills• understandingofinvestigativemethods• abilitytothinkcreativelyandreflectively• abilitytoengagewiththeissuespresentedtoconstructrelevantarguments• writtencommunicationskills
Itmayalsoassess:• group-workingability• practicalskillsinperformingtheinvestigation
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Studentsaregivenanopportunitytodeveloptheirwrittencommunicationskillsbylearningtowritetoinaconventionalreportstructure.Theyalsodeveloptheirunderstandingofinvestigativeproceduresbywritingthereport,eveniftheyhavenotperformedtheinvestigationthemselves.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Ifstudentsarenewtodevelopingtheirowninvestigations,theymaystruggletowriteareportontheprocessandresultsinaconventionalstyle.Markingtheprojectcouldbetime-consumingduetothevarietyofeachstudent’sinvestigation.Ifthestudentsarenotperformingtheinvestigation,appropriatedatamaybedifficulttofindortimeconsumingtogenerate.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Writingareportaboutaninvestigativeprocedurehelpsstudentsunderstandwheretheresultshavecomefromandappreciatewhattheymean.Theylearntowriteconciselyandtofitabrief,whichisakeyskillinmanygraduateroles.Theymayalsohavetheopportunitytoworkwithagrouptodeveloppracticalability.
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Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Performingtheinvestigationandcollectingresults(ifapplicable)canbeintimidatingifthestudentisunfamiliarwiththisprocess.Writingandformattingthereportcanbetimeconsuming,especiallyiftheresultsoftheinvestigationvaryfromthoseexpected.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ithinkwritingreportsisanessentialgraduateskillanditwouldbebeneficialtopractisethisandgetfeedbackonmywriting.Planninganinvestigationcouldbeintimidatingatfirst,butisimportanttolearntoworkindependentlyandtotakeresponsibilityforyourwork.
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LaboratoryNotebookSpecifictomodulescontaininganaspectoflaboratorywork.Description:Studentsareassessedonthecontentandorganisationofthebenchnotesintheirlaboratorynotebook.Theseshouldincludethedateandtitleoftheexperiment,theplannedandactualprocedures,resultsandcalculations.Thelaboratorynotebookcanbeassessedaspartofthelaboratoryreport,ortreatedasaseparateentity.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?DepartmentofChemistry,UniversityCollegeLondonWhatdoesitassess?
• organisationalskillsinaccordancewithscientificconvention• writtencommunicationskills• abilitytoperformsimplecalculations• students’understandingofrelevantinformationtorecord
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Studentslearnhowtomakeclear,relevantrecordswhilstinthelaboratory.Thispreparesstudentsforacareerinacademiaorindustrywhereexperimentsneedtoberepeatedorpublished,andlaboratorynotebookscanactaslegaldocumentsinpatentdisputes.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Asthereisnouniversalmethodoforganisingnotesinalaboratorynotebook,markingishighlysubjectiveaccordingtothepreferenceoftheindividual.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentsformagoodhabitofrecordingnoteswhiletheyworkinthelaboratoryandunderstandtheimportanceofkeepingclearandcomprehensiverecords.Inaddition,goodrecordsfrominsidethelaboratorywillbeagreathelptostudentswhenwritinglaboratoryreportsoutsidethelab.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Adheringtothemanyconventionsofgoodlaboratoryreportingrequireslotsofeffort,andcertainaspectscanfeelunnaturalwhentryingtomaintainatidyappearance,suchasensuringanymistakescanstillberead.Studentsmaystruggletokeepconstantrecordswhilstworkinginthelaboratoryastheymaybefocusingmoreonperformingtheexperimentwithinthetimeframeandtryingtosolveanyproblemsastheyoccur.
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ihaveneverhadmylaboratorynotebookmarkedasaseparateentitytomylaboratoryreport;mynoteshaveonlybeenbrieflycheckedtoensureIhavebeenkeepingrecordsofmyworkwhilstinthelab.Placingmoreemphasisonthelaboratorynotebookwoulddefinitelyencouragestudentstogetintogoodhabits,butwouldincreasethepressurewhilstworkinginthelaboratoryasitcanbetimeconsumingtoensureyouarerecordingeverythingcorrectly.
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LaboratoryReportCurrentlymodulespecific;studentsarecontinuouslyassessedthroughoutthedurationoftheyear-longmodule.Butitcouldeasilybeusedasasynopticmethodofassessment.Description:Followingsynthesisofachemicalproductintimetabledlaboratorysessions,studentsanalysetheirproductsandwriteabouttheirfindingsinalaboratoryreport.Thesereportsarewritteninanimpersonalscientificstyle,standardofpracticeinanacademicorindustrialsetting,andtypicallyfeatureadateandtitle,introductionandbalancedequations,experimental,resultsanddiscussion,andreferences.Alternatively,thelaboratoryreportmaybewritteninashorter,proformastyle,inwhichanswerpromptsareprovided.Thereportsaremarkedonanapproximatelyweeklybasis,duringwhichproductqualityandreportformatandcontentareassessedbymemberofacademicstafforpostgraduatestudent.Markingmaybeperformedinaone-on-onesessionwiththestudent,oroutsideofthelaboratory.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofChemistry,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• students’understandingofscientificconcepts• numericalliteracy• writtencommunicationskills• oralcommunicationskillsinaone-on-onemarkingsession• abilitytothinkcriticallyandreflectively• abiliitytosolveproblems.
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Thecontinuousassessmentoflaboratoryreportsdevelopsstudents’time-managementskillsinkeepingtoregulardeadlines.Students’understandingofchemicalconceptsandproceduresareclearlycommunicatedthroughmarkingsessions;additionalteachingcanbedirectedtowardsthoseinneed.Studentslearntowritealabreportaccordingtoscientificconventioninpreparationforgraduaterolesinthelaboratoryandforbetterunderstandinganylaboratoryreportstheyread.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Regularlymarkingeachstudent’sworkinaone-on-onesessionistimeconsumingandrequiresahighvolumeofstaff.
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Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Regularfeedbackfromlaboratoryreportsallowsstudentstodemonstrateandmonitortheirprogress,andaskspecificquestionsintheone-on-onemarkingsessionstoaidlearning.Studentsareawareoftheirexactgradeandhavetheopportunitytoimproveitovertime.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Thereisadditionalpressuretoproduceagoodproductwithahighyield,asthisimpactsthelaboratoryreportgradeaswellthepracticalassessmentgrade.Writinglabreportsonaregularbasiscanbetimeconsuming;asthereisnottimetocompletetheseduringallocatedlaboratorysessionsitcanbeeasytofallbehindschedule.One-on-onemarkingsessionsprovideadditionalpressureonstudentstoprovetheirknowledgethroughoralquestions,andscoringcanbehighlysubjectivedependingonthepersonmarkingthereport.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ihavebeenabletokeepupwithplanningexperimentsandwritinglabreportsthroughcarefulorganisation,butitisverytimeconsumingandIexpectitwouldbedifficulttocatchupifyouhadfallenbehind–itcanfeellikelabworkisnever-ending.Itishelpfultoreceivefeedbackduringdiscussionsoyoucanputitintoactionstraightaway.
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LaboratoryResearchProjectModulespecific,howeveruseslabskillslearntoverthecourseofthedegree.Description:Inthiscase,a4,000wordlabreporton12weeksoflabresearch(onesemester).Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofChemistry,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• performingthepracticalworkassessesastudent’smanualdexterity• theirunderstandingoflaboratorytechniquesandsafetymeasures• writtencommunication,• researchskills• criticalandlateralthinking• reportwritingskills• independentlearningabilitytodevelopahypothesis• abilitytomakeandanalysecompounds.• Abilitytoworkchemistrysoftware• problem-solvingskillsforopen-endedproblems.
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Seeaninsightintohowdeepknowledgeandunderstandingis.Abletoassessmanydifferentskills.Notmuchteachingrequired:abriefisgiven,thenasupervisorisjusttheretoguidethework.Mayaddinformationtotheirfieldofwork.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Alongread.Noopportunitytoaskfurtherquestionslikeinapresentation,forexample.Timetakentopreparebriefs.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Topicusuallyischosenbythestudent,sointerestingtoreaduponandwriteabout.Flexibilityonwhereyouwouldliketotaketheresearch.Studenthasagoodopportunitytoshowtheirinterestinaparticulartopicandthiscanhelpcareerdevelopment.Noneedtomemoriselotsoffacts,justuseskillsalreadyacquiredfrompreviouslabwork.Labworktakenatownpace,lessstress.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Timeconsuming.Thesupervisionofthereportcanbeinconsistent.Somesupervisorsarewillingtohelpstudentsalotmorethanotherswhichcouldmakethisformofassessmentseemunfair.Marksmayvaryaccordingtowhichprofessormarksthework.
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Goodthatstudentsgettochoosetheirowntopicandtaketheirprojectsaretheirownpace.Itwouldbeniceifitcouldbearrangedtospeaktostudentsinpreviousyearsabouthowtheyfoundcertainsupervisorsastheycanbeinconsistentwithhowmuchtheyassistyou.
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LessonPlanCanbespecifictoateachingmodule,orsynopticacrossaneducationdegree.Description:Studentscreateaplanforalessontobetaughtinschoolstopupilsofaspecifiedage.Theplanshoulddescribethelearningobjectives,teachingactivities,resourcestobeusedinclass,methodsforverifyingstudentlearning,andfurtherstepssuchashomework.Studentsmaycarryoutthislessoninaschool;ifso,theycanwriteareviewoftheirlessondiscussingwhichaspectswentwellandwhichpartsoftheirplancouldbeimproved.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofEducation,UniversityofLeeds;SchoolofChemistry,UniversityofBirminghamWhatdoesitassess?
• astudent’sknowledgeandunderstandingoftheirsubjectastheypreparetosharethiswithothers.
• abilitytothinkcreativelybyfindingteachingmethodswhichwillengagetheirpupils• writtencommunicationskillsthroughcreatingalessonplanwhichcanbefollowed• ifthestudentperformsthelessontoaclass,theiroralcommunicationskillsare
tested• theirabilitytothinkreflectivelywhenreviewingtheirlesson
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Byconsideringhowtoteachothers,studentsthinkcriticallyabouttheirownknowledgeandareencouragedtofillinanygapsintheirunderstanding.Ateachingplanisusuallybriefsocanbequickandeasytomark.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Duetothebriefnatureofalessonplan,markingcanbedifficultifastudenthasnotprovidedadequateexplanationsoftheirplans.Reliabilityofassessmentcanbeaffectedbythemarker’sknowledgeofthesubjecttobetaughtbythestudent.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Creatingalessonplanprovidesaclearmethodforstudentstodemonstratetheirknowledgeofthemanyaspectstoconsiderwhenteaching.Studentsmaybeabletouselessonplanscreatedforassessmentinareallesson;ifnot,theywillknowhowtoplananylessonstheymayberequiredtoteachatalaterdate.Receivingfeedbackonassessedlessonplanswillhelpstudentsimprovetheirlessonplansinfuture.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentsmaystruggletodemonstratetheirknowledgeofteachingpracticeduetothebriefnatureofthelessonplan.Somestudentsmaydisputethevalueofthelessonplanasa
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concept:somemayprefertoteachfromtheirownnotes,ratherthanastandardisedlessonplan,andothersmayfeelitisapointlessexerciseduetotheunpredictablenatureoftheclassroomenvironment.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Foranybodyinterestedinteaching,Ithinkalessonplanwouldbeavaluableexercise,evenifthelessonisnottobedeliveredtoaclass.Itencouragesstudentstoconsidertheaspectsofteachingindetail.Ifeelalessonplanwouldbemostsuccessfulasanassessmentmethodifcombinedwithasupportingdocumentwherestudentscanexplaintheirintentionsand/ortheirexperiences.
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LiteratureReviewInthiscase,modulespecificbutcanbesynoptic.Description:Evaluativereportofinformationfoundintheliteraturerelatedtoyourselectedareaofstudy.Thereviewshoulddescribe,summarise,evaluateandclarifythisliterature.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolsofBiology,Chemistry,EducationandPerformanceandCulturalIndustries,UniversityofLeeds.Whatdoesitassess?
• knowledgeandunderstandingofaparticulartopic,oftenin-depth• writtencommunication• experiencewithprimaryresearch• experiencewithliterature• understandingandappreciationofothers’view• drawingconclusionsbasedondatacollected• independentworking• persuasiveskills• understandingofhowtheresearchprocessworks
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Effectivewaytogaugedepthofunderstandingandknowledgeofstudent.Doesn'trequiremanyteachinghours.Assessesmanydifferentskills.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Takestimetodevotetoreadingstudent’sresponses.Noopportunitytoaskfurtherquestions,likeinapresentationforexample.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Ifthetimeismanagedwell,thiscausesminimalstress.Opportunitytoshowmanyabilities.Fairlysimpletasktoundertake.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Marksmayvaryaccordingtowhichsupervisormarksthework.Ifworktobereviewedisassignedtoyou,thenitmaybeinanareainwhichyouhavenointerest.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechniqueIfplannedinadvancebythestudent,thiscanresultingreatperformance.Simpletasktodo,findingrelevantinformationandpresentingitinamorecondensedway.
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MultipleChoiceQuestionnaireCurrentlymodulespecific,butcouldbeusedasamethodofsynopticassessment.Description:Atypeofexamination,takenmid-termorattheendofamodule,inwhichstudentsanswerquestionsbyselectingoptionsfromalistgiven.Thereareoftenaroundfiveanswersprovidedforeachquestion,andstudentsmaybeaskedtoselectthecorrectorincorrectstatement(s)fromthelist.Studentsmaybepenalisedforselectingincorrectanswers.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofBiology,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• understandingofsubjectmaterial• problemsolving• attentiontodetail• numericalliteracy
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Focusisplacedonunderstandingofdifficultconceptswithinthesubjectmaterial.Teachingcanbemoredetailorientated,whichmaybepreferableforanindividualtodemonstratetheirareaofspecialism.Markingisfastandeasy,andoftencomputerised.Thismeansfeedbackcanbegiventostudentspromptly.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Multiplechoicequestionnairescanbedifficultandtimeconsumingtowrite;incorrectanswersmustbeprovidedaswellascorrectones,buttheycannotbetooobviouslywrong.Thestyleofquestionisquiterestrictive:theytypicallycoverdefinitionsorsimpleexplanations,oranswerstomathematicalproblems.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentsmayfeelthereislesspressuretomemorisefacts,asseeingthecorrectanswerprovided(albeitamongstsimilarincorrectanswers)canactasaprompt.Itcanbereassuringtobeabletoanswereveryquestion,evenifguesswork.Examsmaytakelesstimetocomplete.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Havinganswersprovidedmeansadeeperunderstandingofconceptsisexpected,anditmaybedifficulttodistinguishbetweensimilarcorrectandincorrectanswers.Thereisverylittleopportunityforstudentstodemonstratetheirknowledgeoutsideofthespecifiedanswers.Forexample,nocreditcanbegivenforusingthecorrectmethodbutobtaininganincorrectanswerforamathematicalproblem.
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ihavefoundsomemultiplechoicequestionstobequitechallenging.Idon’tthinktheyareafairwaytoassessawholemoduleasthereissolittleflexibility,buttheycouldbegoodforassessingunderstandingofconceptsforpartialmodulecredit.
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NewspaperArticleCurrentlymodulespecific,butcouldbeusedasamethodofsynopticassessment.Description:Writingapiecethatcouldhaveaplaceinascientificjournalbasedonarecentscientificpaper.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?Biology,UniversityofSouthamptonWhatdoesitassess?Knowledgeandunderstandingofaparticulartopic,oftenanin-depthone.Writtencommunication,experiencewithprimaryresearchandexperiencewithliterature.Understandandappreciateothers’viewandcometoaconclusionbasedondatacollected.Independentworking,persuasiveskills.Howtheresearchprocessworks.Creativityinwriting.Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Effectivewaytogaugedepthofunderstandingandknowledgeofstudent.Notalongpieceofwritingtohavetomark.Readingadifferentstyleofworkisinteresting.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Takestimetodevotetoreadingstudent’sresponses.Noopportunitytoaskfurtherquestions,likeinapresentationforexample.Onlyviewasmallrepresentationofalltheworkthatthestudenthasputin.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Ifthetimeismanagedwell,thiscauseminimalstress.Fairlysimpletasktoundertake.Differentstyleofwritingsointeresting.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Marksmayvaryaccordingtowhichsupervisormarksthework.Ifworktobereviewedisassignedtoyou,thenitmaybeinanareayouinwhichyouhaveinterestinandthereisariskyoumightunderperform.Onlyshowsaportionoftheworkdone.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ifplannedinadvancebythestudent,thiscanresultingreatperformance.Simpletasktodo,findingrelevantinformationandpresentingitinamorecondensedway.
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OnlineAssessmentsGenerallymodulespecific,andmostappropriateforhighlynumericmodules.Description:Anonlineassessmentgenerallyconsistsofaseriesofonlineteststakenthroughoutthemodule,requiringtypedinputofananswerorselectionfrommultiplechoice.Eachtestcanbeaccessedatanypointwithinaspecifictimewindowandpreparedfeedbackisusuallyprovidedtothestudentinstantlyaftersubmission.Thereistheoptiontoallowmultipleattemptsateachassessment.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofChemistry,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• understandingofcoursematerial• problemsolvingthroughapplicationofknowledge• timemanagement
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Studentscanfocusongainingabetterunderstandingofcoursematerialastheyhaveaccesstonotesandlecturematerialswhilstcompletingthetestsratherthanhavingtomemorisefacts.Thismeanstheyarebetterequippedtosolvetheproblemsfaced,astheycanmakeuseofrelevantresourcesaswouldhappenintherealworld.Noneedtomarkanswersfromeachstudent’ssubmissionasfeedbackisautomatic.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Itisdifficulttoawardcreditforcorrectmethodbutincorrectanswers,asonlythefinalanswerissubmitted.Settinguptheonlinetestswithanswerscanbetimeconsuming,especiallyifmultipleversionsofeachquestionhavebeenwritten.Doesn’tdemonstratestudents’abilitytoretainrelevantinformation.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Thereisnoneedtomemoriseinformation,somoreeffortcanbemadetounderstandit.Studentscanaccessandthetestsatanytimeduringtheallocatedtimewindows,forimprovedflexibilityandreducedstresscomparedtothestricttimeconstraintsoftraditionalexams.Feedbackisprovidedinstantlyintermsofnumberofcorrectanswers.Ifallowed,studentscanhavemultipleattemptswiththeirbestscoretaken,sotheyhavetheopportunitytolearnfromtheirmistakes.
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Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Completingeachtestbeforeitsdeadlinecancausemorestressthroughoutthedurationofthemodulecomparedtoafinalexamination.Havingmultipleattemptsateachassessmentcanbetimeconsuming.Nocreditforworkingoutmeansmarkscandropsignificantlyduetosmallfactorssuchasmathematicalerrors.Automaticfeedbackisn’tdetailed–itisn’ttailoredtotheindividual,somaynotbeparticularlyhelpful.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Havingtoregularlycompletetheonlinetestsontopofdoingotherworkwasstressful,especiallyconsideringtheall-or-nothingmarkingsystem.However,thiswaspreferredoveranotherend-of-moduleexam–itwasgoodtohavemarksforthismodulesecuredwhilstothermoduleswerebeingassessed.IenjoyedthechancetofocusonunderstandingtheinformationtaughtwithoutworryingthatIwouldhavetoremembereverydetail.
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Open-BookExamThisexampleofanopen-bookexambeingusedintheSchoolofChemistryattheUniversityofLeedswasmodulespecific.However,thismethodcouldalsobeusedforsynopticassessmentasitdoesnotrequirelargeamountsofinformationtobememorised.Description:Questionsaresetundertraditionalexaminationconditions,exceptstudentsareallowedaccesstotextbooks,lecturematerialsandwrittennotesbroughtwiththemtotheexam.Electronicdeviceswhichallowaccesstotheinternetareusuallyforbidden.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofChemistryandSchoolofChemicalandProcessEngineering,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• planning• timemanagement• understandingofcoursematerial• problemsolving• identificationofrelevantcoursematerial• writtencommunicationskills
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Focusisplacedonhigher-levellearningratherthanmemorisation;thisencouragesdeeperunderstandingandengagementwithtaughtmaterial.Studentslearnhowtomanagetimeandresourcesbychoosingrelevantreferencematerialstobringtotheexamandhowtousetheseefficientlytosupporttheirownknowledge.Examscanfeaturemorein-depthquestions,whichallowstudentstosolveproblemsusingavailableresources,justastheywouldoutsidetheacademicworld.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Studentsmayrelytooheavilyontheirresourcematerials,consideringtheseareplacementtoengagingwiththematerialduringteaching,andthereforestrugglewiththebasicunderstandingneededtosuccessfullytackletheadvancedproblems.Exampapersmaybemorechallengingtowriteandmark,aslower-levelquestions,suchasdefinitions,arenolongerappropriate.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Reliefofstressfromtryingtomemoriseallrelevantcontentforanexam,thereforestudytimecanbespentunderstandingthematerial.Studentsmayenjoylearningthematerialmoreastheyfeellesspressuretomemoriseit.Referencematerialsfortheexamcanbepreparedinastylesuitedtotheindividual’spreferenceforlearning.Studentslearntohighlightrelevantmaterialstobringtotheexamandhowtousetheseeffectively.
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Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentscannolongerrelyontheeasiermemory-basedquestionstoguaranteemarksintheexam,astheywillnotbecreditedforreproducingmaterialthatcanbebroughtintotheexam.Thereforethequestionswillbemoredifficult,andtheexamswilltakelongertocomplete.Also,studentsmustinvesttimetofindandpreparerelevantreferencematerialsbeforetheexam.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ihaveonlyexperiencedanopenbookexamasamidtermexam–whilstIandmanyotherstudentswereshockedatthestartofthesemestertolearnwehadanexaminjustafewweeks’time,weunderstoodthereasoningandadaptedwelltotheprocedure.Itwasespeciallyhelpfultohavethetestduringrevisionweekwhenwecouldfocusonpreparingfortheexam,ratherthanhavingtofititaroundotherlectures,andhavingthisdoneincreasedmyconfidenceinthetraditionalexamusedtoassesstherestofthemodule.
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OralExamination/VivaVoceThismethodofassessmentcanbeeithermodulespecificorsynoptic.Description:Inanoralexamination,astudentprovidesaspokenresponsetoquestionsposedbyoneormoreexaminersinanisolatedsetting.Theexaminationusuallylastsbetween5and30minutes,andvariesinstructurebetweenclosed,inwhichallquestionsarepreparedbeforehand,andopen,inwhichtheexaminerbuildsuponpointsraisedbythestudentduringtheexamination.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?DepartmentofChemistry,UniversityCollegeLondonandSchoolofChemicalEngineeringandAnalyticalScience,UniversityofManchesterWhatdoesitassess?
• oralcommunicationskills• subjectknowledgeandunderstanding• problemsolving• creativethinking• criticalthinking
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Theexaminationcanbedesignedtoassessavarietyofskills,fromsimpleknowledgerecalltomoreadvancedproblemsolvingquestions,sogradingcanbetailoredtothelevelofeachstudent.Astudent’sknowledgeandabilitycanbeaccuratelyassessedinanoralexaminationasitisdifficultforanswerstobesharedbetweenstudents,especiallyiftheexaminerusesarandomselectionofpreparedquestionsforeachstudent.Feedbackcanbegiventostudentsimmediatelyaftertheexamination,whichallowsfortheirpersonalimprovement,andtheexaminercanquicklyidentifyanygapsintheknowledgeofthestudentsasagroup.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Oralexaminationstakealongtimetoconductsoareunsuitableforlargeclassgroups,andusuallytakeplaceincancelledteachingtime.Iftheexamistobeperformedbymorethanoneexaminer,clearmarkingguidelinesmustbeestablishedforfairnesstostudents.Unlikeawrittenexaminationthereisnoanonymityforstudents,whichcouldcausebias.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Oralexaminationsprovideanexcellentopportunitytopracticeoralcommunicationskills,aswellastheabilitytoadapttoasituation,whicharevaluableskillstohaveinanyworkingenvironment.Inaddition,somestudentsmayfinditeasiertoexplaintheirthoughtsandknowledgeorally(comparedtoawrittenexam)astherecanbemoreinteractionwith
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theexaminer.Informationrehearsedthroughspeechismorelikelytoberetainedthanthatmemorisedforawrittenexamination.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Ifunfamiliarwiththeformat,oralexaminationscanbeverystressfulforstudents–oftenmoresothanawrittenexam.Thiscouldhaveadetrimentaleffectontheirperformanceintheexam,eveniftheyhavehighlevelofsubjectknowledgeandunderstanding.Studentscouldbenegativelyimpactedbybiasfromafamiliarexaminer,ortheirrandomselectionofquestions,whichanindividualmaydeemtobemoredifficultthanequivalentquestions.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Whileanoralexaminationwouldatfirstbemuchmorestressfulthanawrittenexamination,Ithinksomeofthisstresscouldbealleviatedbyhavingadequatetimetopractiseoralcommunicationskillsbeforehand,andbeingtoldwhattoexpectfromtheexam.Itcouldbedifficulttoreviewyouranswersasyouwouldinawrittenexam,butIthinkbeingabletoformasuitableresponsetoaquestiononthespotisavaluableskilltohave.
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PeerAssessmentInthiscase,modulespecificbutcouldbesynoptic.Description:Markingtheirpeers’workagainstagreedassessmentcriteria.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofBiologyWhatdoesitassess?
• writtencommunication• understandingandappreciationofothers’viewsandwork• abilityofstudentstogradeagainstanassessmentcriteria
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Nomarkinginvolved.Minimaltimehastobespent.(Editor’snote:Assessmentcriteriamustbecarefullypreparedandadequatetimegiventotrainingstudentsinhowtousethem).Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Studentsmorelikelytohavebiassoteacherreceivesinaccurategrade.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Increasedunderstandingofassessmentcriteria.Goodpracticetocompareyourabilitiesandprogresstootherstoseehowtheyhavedealtwiththetask.Relativelysimpletasktoundertake,whichhaspositiveconsequences.Goodtobuildeachother’sconfidenceup,andstudentsarelikelytolearnthingsfromeachother’swork.Comparingpeople’sworkcanleadtoencouragementofhealthycompetitionresultinginenhancedperformance.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentscanbeunsureabouttheresponsibilityofgradingsomeoneelse'swork.Somestudentsmaymarkmoregenerouslythanotherssothereisthepotentialforinconsistency.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechniqueAgoodidea,perhapsmorecommonuseinformativeratherthansummativework.Mainadvantagesincludecomparingpeople’sworkencouragingsomehealthycompetitionresultinginenhancedperformance,andlearningfrompeersbylookingattheirwork.
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PlantDesignProjectReportThedesignreportitselfisspecifictothefinal-yearmodule,butassessesskillsdevelopedthroughoutthedegree.Description:Inteams,studentsdevelopadesignforachemicalengineeringplant,consideringpracticality,sustainability,andeconomicandoperationalfeasibility.Thefinalproductisareport,containingsectionscoveringprocesssynthesis,detaileddesignofkeyunits,plantcontrol,plantsafetyandlayout,environmentalimpact,businessplan,andexecutivesummary.Theprojectmaybeworthupto40%ofthefinal-yeargrade,withcreditgivenforgroupcontributionandpresentationaswellasthewrittenreport.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?DepartmentofChemicalEngineering,ImperialCollegeLondon;DepartmentofChemicalandEnvironmentalEngineering,UniversityofNottingham;SchoolofChemistryandChemicalEngineering,Queen’sUniversityBelfast.Whatdoesitassess?
• subjectknowledgeandunderstanding• problem-solvingskills• abilitytothinkcritically• creativity• abilitytoworkindependently• abilitytoworkaspartofagroup• researchskills• organisationalskills,presentationskills• writtencommunication• oralcommunication
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Studentshavetheopportunitytoputtheskillstheyhavedevelopedoverthecourseoftheirdegreeintopracticeinpreparationforworkingintheengineeringindustry.Throughgroupmeetings,whichreplacelectures,teacherscanassessstudents’progressandofferpersonalisedsupporttohelpstudentssucceed,bothintheassessedreportandaftertheygraduate.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Whilstmeetingswithstudentshelpteacherstomonitortheirprogress,itcanbedifficulttohelpthosewhoarestrugglingwithoutdoingtheworkforthem–studentsmustdeveloptheabilitytoworkindependentlyinanorganisedmanner.Logistically,itcanbedifficulttomeetwithstudentsworkingondifferentprojectswithdifferenttimescales.
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Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Thisprojectguidesstudentsthroughtheentireprocessofdesigningachemicalengineeringplant,providinganinsightintotheirlikelycareersaftergraduation.Studentsappreciatethelevelofindependenceandlearntothinkimaginativelyandcriticallywhilstreflectingontheirownwork–thesearevitalskillsforgraduateroles.Astheprojectisworthasignificantproportionofthefinal-yeargrade,alargeamountoftimeisdedicatedtothework,givingstudentstheflexibilitytoorganisetheirworkingpattern.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Somestudentsmaystruggletoorganisetheirworkgiventhehighlevelofindependencerequiredontheproject.Therearemanyaspectstoconsider,andsomemaylackmotivationtoworkoveranextendedperiodoftimewithoutdirectionfromatutor.Astheprojectislargelygroupbased,individualsmayfinditfrustratingiftheirworkschedulesdonotmatchupwithothersintheirgroup.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Thiswouldbeanexcitingopportunitytoexperienceallaspectsofachemicalengineeringplantdesignplan.Theideacouldbeintimidatingatfirst,butwithsupportfromtutorsandgoodgroupcommunicationitwouldbeidealpreparationforworkinginthechemicalengineeringindustryaftergraduation.
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PosterCanbemodulespecificwhenreferringtoaparticulartopic,orsynopticifcoveringseveraltopicstaughtoveranextendedperiodoftime.Description:Studentscreateeitheranindividualorgroupposterdemonstratingtheirworkinavisuallyappealingstyle,oftenincolour,fordisplay.Studentsmayalsoperformapresentationoftheirpostertoanaudience.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofChemistry,CardiffUniversityDepartmentofChemistry,DurhamUniversityWhatdoesitassess?
• subjectknowledgeandunderstanding• researchskills• problem-solvingability• graphic-designskills• creativity• writtencommunicationskills
Thismethodcanalsoassessoralcommunicationskillsifpresentedtoanaudience,andabilitytoworkinateamifproducedandpresentedasagroup.Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Students’workispresentedinaconcise,easy-toreadformat.Thekeyinformationishighlightedsomarkingcanbeverystraightforward.Aposterprovidesanidealpromptforsupportingquestionstofullyassessstudents’knowledgeandunderstandingoftheirsubject.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Duetotheconcisenatureofaposter,notallofthestudents’workeffortswillbedemonstratedinthefinalproduct.Therefore,itcouldbedifficulttogradeiftherearekeypiecesofinformationmissing.Foragroupposter,itmaybedifficulttoidentifyeachstudent’scontributiontothefinalproduct.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Designingandcreatingapostercanbemoreenjoyableforstudentsthanothertypesofassignments,suchasessaysorproblemsheets.Studentswilllearnhowtocommunicateideasefficientlyduetothelimitedavailablespace,and,ifproducingagroupposter,howtoworkwithotherstosuccessfullycreateacollaborativeproduct.
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Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentsmayfocustoomuchonthedesignoftheposterratherthanthecontent,meaningtheirgradesuffersasthereisinsufficientdemonstrationofknowledge.Ontheotherhand,itcanbedifficulttodecidewhatinformationneedstobeincludedontheposter,andtoomuchisincludedsotheappearancesuffers.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Iliketheideaofcreatingapostertosummarisekeyideas,butIthinkIwouldstrugglewithknowingwhatinformationneedstobeincludedandwhatcanbeleftoff.Havingclearguidelinestofollow,oranawarenessoftheassessmentcriteria,wouldbeveryhelpful.
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PosterPresentationInthiscase,modulespecificbutcouldbesynoptic.Description:Aspeechortalkinwhichinformationisconveyedto(an)otherindividual(s)usinganacademicposterthey’vemade.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofChemistry,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• knowledgeandunderstandingofaparticularsubject• verbalcommunicationskills• confidence• abilitytodoindependentwork• researchskills• thinkingcriticallyandlaterally• appreciatingdifferentpointsofview• persuasiveskills
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Interestingtoparticipatein.Thereoftenanopportunitytoaskquestionstogetinmorein-depthideaoftheknowledgeandunderstandingthestudenthas.Showscommunicationskillsofstudent.Thestudent'sworkiscondensedintoaneasy-to-readformat.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Potentiallytimeconsumingtolistentosomanypresentations.Duetotheconcisenatureofaposter,notallofthestudents’workeffortswillbedemonstratedinthefinalproduct.Therefore,itcouldbedifficulttogradeiftherearekeypiecesofinformationmissing.Foragroupposter,itmaybedifficulttoidentifyeachstudent’scontributiontothefinalproduct.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Presentationskillsareusuallyessentialforgoingintoachemistryprofessionandsothisprovidesvaluableexperience.Oftenwhatispresentedhasbeenresearchedandsothisskillisacquired.Getthechancetoconveypointsacrosstoacademics,moreimpactfulthanwriting.Enjoyable.Opportunitytoconveypointsofviewandunderstanding.Theworkfortheposterisusuallyalreadydone,soallthatisrequirediscondensingandidentifyingimportantinformationtobeincludedontheposter.
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Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Perhapsalotofpressureonthosewhoareshy.howeverafterafewpresentationsthisshouldimprove.Canbestressful.Studentsmaychooseirreleventinformationtoincludeontheposter,notreflectingalloftheirworkandthereforeachievinglessthantheydeserve.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Givesyougreatexperienceforindustrywork.Ensuresthorough,in-depthknowledgeandunderstandingofatopicasthesupervisorortutorisabletoaskanyquestions.PerhapsneedstobeintroducedmoreespeciallyinChemistryasmostwillgettothirdyearhavingnotdoneasingleindividualorgrouppresentation,andconsideringthepresentationisworth15%ofa35-creditmoduleweneedmoreexperience.
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PracticalAssessment(Collaborative)PerformanceandCulturalIndustriesstudentswillhaveoneofthesemodulesperyear,thismakestheassessmentmoreholistic,eachbuildingoffthepreviousyear’s.Studentsbecomemorefamiliarwiththestructureoftheassessmentandbythirdyeartheyarecreatingfull-scaleambitioustheatre.Description:SimilartoPracticalAssessment(CreativePractices)thisassessmentrevolvesaroundagroupperformance.However,thisprojectisofalargerscaleandtheprocessistakenintoconsiderationwhenitcomestomarking.Thepracticalelementisalsosupportedbyonlineblogposts.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofPerformanceandCulturalIndustries,UniversityofLeeds.Whatdoesitassess?
• leadershp• abilitytocontributetoateamandtakeondifferentrolesasrequiredbythetask• adaptability• abilitytocollaborate• abilitytocommunicateanddealwithconflict.• abilitytomakesomethinghappen/enterprise• abilitytoworkoutpracticalitiesandseethemthroughtocompletion.• creativity• abilitytounderstandhumaninteractionthroughartisticwork.• applicationoftheories/ideastopractice• preparationandplanning• problemsolving• practicalskillsandtechniques
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Post-performancediscussionsallowthetutortoaskquestionsaboutthestudent’sintentionsandgaininsightintotheirwork.Unlikethemajorityofcreativepracticeassignments,inacollaborativemodulethereisonlyonepieceoftheatrecreated,meaningthatthetutorcanfocustheirtimeandhaveaclearersenseoftheprocess.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Itishardforthetutortogetatruesenseofhowthecollaborationhasgone,astheworkingrelationshipbetween20orsostudentsmaybemorenuancedthanthesuccessorfailureofthefinalpiecemightsuggest.Again,theyhavetoassessthefinalpiece,whichisturningasubjectiveopinionintosomethingquantifiable.However,moreemphasisisputontheprocessinthismodule,whichalleviatessomeofthispressure.
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Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentscanchoosearolewithinthe‘company’thatisnotperformancerelated(e.g.marketing,costumedesign,producer),meaningthatalternativeskillscanbeaccreditedjustasmuchasperformanceability.Groupworkcantakeawayexampressure,especiallyinthistypeofassessmentwherethereareoftenaround20studentsworkingononeproject.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Whilethesuccessofthefinalperformance(whichisagainrathersubjectiveaconcept)isnotasheavilyweightedasitisincreativepracticeassessments,itstillmeansthatalotofthestudents’gradewillrideonsomethingthatispartiallyoutoftheircontrol.Groupworkcanbedifficult,whilethisdoesteachvaluableskillstothestudents,itcanstillbefrustratingifothersinthegrouparenotcommittedandthepiecesuffersasaresult.Thegroupsizeisratherlarge,whilethisallowsthegrouptocreatealarge-scalepieceoftheatreandhelpstheschoolmanagethestudentsmoreeasily,itcanmeanthatanindividualmightfeeltheylackcontroloverthewholeproject.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Itisgoodtohaveanassessmentwhichfocusessomuchonpractice.Furthermorethisassessment,moresothancreativepracticepracticalassignments,takesintoaccounttheprocess.whichIthinkisreallyimportantforcreativesubjects.Thestructureoftheassessment,workinginateamofover15individuals,whilefrustratingattimesmeansthatthemodulesimulatesprofessionaltheatreworkingmethodsandequipsitsgraduateswiththeskillsandexperiencetoworkwithinaprofessionalenvironment.
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PracticalAssessment(CreativePractice)InPerformanceandCulturalIndustries,everystudentwillhaveatleastonecreativepracticeModuleperprogrammeyear.Inthissenseitismoresynopticaseachmodulebuildsonanypreviousmodules.Studentscanchoosewhethertheywouldlikeamoreeclecticmixofpractice.Description:Theseassessmentstaketheformofaperformancedevisedbyagroupofstudents(althoughthereisopportunityatlevelthreetodothisindependently).Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofPerformanceandCulturalIndustries,UniversityofLeeds.Whatdoesitassess?
• howastudentcanworkoutpracticalitiesandseethemthroughtocompletion• thestudent’sabilitytocollaborate• creativity• theabilitytounderstandhumaninteractionthroughartisticwork• theapplicationoftheories/ideastopractice• iIndependentcompositionaljudgement• practicalskillsandtechniques• theabilitytobeareflectivepractitioner
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Oftenthereisapost-performancediscussionwhichgivesthetutoropportunitytoaskquestionsandgaininsightintostudents’intentionswiththework.Thetutorcanassesshowwellthetaughtmaterialhasbeentranslatedintopractice.Some(butnotall)ofthesetypesofassessmentstakeintoaccounttheprocessaswellasthefinalperformance,meaningstudentswhosetutorsfeltworkedwellintheprocess,butdidn’tnecessarilyperformtheirbestonthefinalperformance,canstillberewarded.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Thetutorhastoassesstheaestheticqualityofthestudent’sart.Theproblemwiththisisthatartissubjectiveandtheirmarkwillonlybeanopinion.Someoftheseassessmentshingecompletelyonthefinalperformance,meaningevenifastudentworkedwellthroughouttheprocess,theirgradecouldsufferiftheydonotdeliverinthefinalperformance.Creativityisdifficulttoquantifynumerically–butthisiswhattutorswillhavetodointhisinstance.
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Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Canarticulateunderstandingthroughperformance(whilethismightbeanegativeaspectforsomestudentswhosestrengthsarenotinperformance,onecanassumethisisaminorityonaperformanceBA).Mostlydoneingroups,whichcantakethepressureawayfromtheindividual.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentscanbelefttofeelasifthetutordidnot‘get’theirpiece.Again,thislinkstotheideathatartiscompletelysubjective.Wheneverythinghingesonthefinalperformanceitcancreatealotofpressure,especiallywhenfactorsareoutoftheindividual’scontrol.Groupwork,whilepositiveinsomesenses,canleadtofrustrationsifunequalamountsofeffortandcommitmentareputinbyindividualsinthegroup.Howeveritisnotjustagroupmarkandtheindividualdoesgetaccreditedfortheirowncontribution.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Itisimportantthatthesetypesofassessmentsexist–theyarecrucialforstudentsdoingmorepracticaldegreesasthereisnowaytheseskillscouldbeassessedeffectivelythroughwrittenwork.However,thereareafewproblems,themostfundamentalbeingthatatutor’smarkisjustonesubjectiveviewonthestudents’pieceand,whilemoderationcaneliminatesomeofthis,youoftenasastudentseeworkwhichgetsalowmarkbuttoyouisdeservingofmore.Thisiswherethemarksforprocessareappreciatedasthisisamoreobjectivethingtoassess(e.g.commitment,research,etc.).
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PracticalEssayThisisamoresynopticassessmentmethodasitcomesattheendofthedegreeprogrammeandisweightedat40credits.Furthermore,itisthefinalamalgamationofcriticalandpracticalskillslearntoverthecourseoftheprogramme.Description:Afinal-yearassessmentmethodthattakesmoreofapractice-basedapproachtotheindependentresearchproject.Studentspickatopicanddeviseaquestiontoexplorethroughpractice-basedresearch,culminatinginafinalassessedperformance.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?DramaDepartment,UniversityofExeterBAEnglishLiteratureandTheatre,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• culturalawarenessandabilitytointerpretatextorasituation.• whetheronecanquestionsocialconditioning,• criticalthinking• abilitytodemonstratepoliticalawarenessandshowthisunderstandingthrough
artisticwork• creativity• abilitytomakesomethinghappen• independenceandtheabilitytobeaself-starter
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Tutorscanworkcloselywiththestudentthroughoutthewholemodule,meaningtheydon’tjustseethefinaloutcomebutcanappreciatetheprocessaswell.Getasenseofstudents’individualresearchinterestsandguidethemratherthanlecturing.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Highpressuresonthedepartment’spracticalresources,especiallywhenassignmentsaredoneindividually.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Canexploreanareaofresearchthatisofpersonalinterest.Cancreateapieceofworkthatcangoonaprofessionalportfolio.Studentsgettoundergopractice-basedresearch,whichseemslikeamorerelevantwaytoresearchonapracticaldegreecourse.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Theperformanceitselfisheavilyweightedinthemarking.Thisputsalotofpressureonstudentstodeliveronthefinalshowdate.Somestudent’sresearchinterestsmightbebetterexploredandpresentedinwrittenform.
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Itisgoodtoseepractice-ledresearchbeingusedatanundergraduatelevel,itisanimportantpartoftheatreandperformanceresearchassomethingsarebetterunderstoodbydoing.Ithinkthepressurewouldbehighandthismightbedifficulttodealwith,howeveroverallIthinkitmakesforarewardingexperience.
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PresentationInthiscasemodulespecificbutcanbesynoptic.Description:Aspeechortalkinwhichinformationisconveyedto(an)otherindividual(s),oftenusingvisualaids,suchasaPowerPointpresentation.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolsofChemistry,BiologyandEducation,UniversityofLeeds.Whatdoesitassess?
• knowledgeandunderstandingofaparticularsubject• verbalcommunication• confidence• abilitytodoindependentwork• researchskills• criticalandlateralthinking• appreciationofdifferentpointsofview• persuasiveskills(dependingonthenatureofthepresentation)
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Interestingtoparticipatein.Thereoftenanopportunitytoaskquestionstogetinmorein-depthideaoftheknowledgeandunderstandingthestudenthas.Hasthepotentialforteacherstoassessmanyskills.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Potentiallytimeconsuming.Timetakenforthemtochoosenatureofpresentation.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Presentationalskillsareusuallyessentialforgoingintoachemistryprofessionandsogivesgoodexperience.Getthechancetoconveypointsacrosstoacademics,moreimpactfulthanwriting.Enjoyable.Opportunitytoconveypointsofviewandunderstanding.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Perhapsalotofpressureonthosewhoareshyhoweverafterafewpresentationsthisshouldimprove.Canbestressfulaspressuretoperform.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Givesyougreatexperienceforindustrywork.Ensuresthorough,in-depthknowledgeandunderstandingofatopicduetotheopportunityfortheprofessortoaskanyquestions.
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Perhapsneedstobeintroducedmore,especiallyinChemistry,asmostwillgettothirdyearhavingnotdoneasingleindividualorgrouppresentation,andconsideringthepresentationisworth15%ofa35-creditmoduleweneedmoreexperience.
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Problem-BasedLearningCanbeeithermodulespecificorsynopticasawidevarietyofskillsaretestedusingknowledgedrawnfromdifferentareas.Description:Problem-basedlearning(PBL)involvesagroupofstudentslearningcollaborativelytosolveaparticularproblem.Undertheguidanceofanacademicmemberofstaffactingasafacilitator,studentsworkthroughthefivestagesofPBL:
1. Introduction:studentsareintroducedtotheproblem.2. Inquiry:Thefacilitatorguidesstudentstousetheirexistingknowledgetodevelop
hypotheses.3. Self-directedstudy:eachstudentresearchesaparticularhypothesis.4. Revisitingthehypothesis:studentssharetheirworkwiththegroupandevaluatethe
resourcesused,thenattempttosolvetheproblem.5. Self-evaluation:studentsevaluatetheirowneffortsandtheeffortsofothergroup
members.Studentsareassessedontheirwrittenwork,groupcontribution,selfandpeerassessments,andfeedbackfromthefacilitator.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?DepartmentofChemistry,EmoryUniversity,Atlanta,Georgia.Whatdoesitassess?
• researchandproblemsolvingskills• abilitytothinkcriticallyandreflectively,bothinagroupandindividually• organisationalandself-motivationalability• writtencommunicationskills• oralcommunicationskills• subjectknowledgeandunderstanding
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:PBLassessesstudentsonawidevarietyofessentialgraduateskills,whilstenhancingtheirsubjectknowledgeandunderstandingbyputtingthisinformationincontext.Students’independentlearningisguidedbyanacademicmemberofstaffsoitismaintainedatanappropriatelevel,andtheirstrengthsandweaknesses,asindividualsandasagroup,canbeidentifiedandteachingadjustedaccordingly.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Despiteguidancefromthefacilitator,studentlearningishighlydependentontheresearcheffortsandabilitiesoftheirpeers,whichcouldbeproblematicifallmembersofagrouparenotworkingatthesamelevel.SupervisingPBLsessionsistimeconsumingandrequiresahighvolumeofstaff.
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Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentsgettheopportunitytoputtheirknowledgeintocontext,seeinghowitcanbeusedtosolverealproblems.Self-directedresearchcanbechallenging,butunderstandingtheendgoalwillmotivatestudentstoworkindependentlyandtocontributetoagroupproject.Meanwhile,theypracticetheirorganisationalandcommunicationskills.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentsmaystruggleinitiallytofindadequateresources,andmayfeelpressuretoperformastheyknowtheirworkwillaffectothersintheirgroup.Theymayfeeldisadvantagedifsomebodyintheirgroupisnotpullingtheirweight.PBLrequiresahighlevelofself-disciplineandcanbeverytimeconsuming.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:IthinkPBLcouldbeareallyinterestingmethodoflearning,becauseitwouldputsubjectknowledgeintocontext,whilstprovidinganopportunitytopracticelotsofkeyskills.Workingwithagroupcouldbesupportive,butitcouldfeelveryunfairifnotallmemberspulltheirweight,asbothgradesandlearningwouldbeaffected.Thereforetheroleofthesupervisorwouldbecrucial.
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ProfessionalSimulationsThisisamodule-specificassessmentmethod.Description:Thisisthesimulationofascenarioastudentmightfindthemselvesinoncetheyleaveuniversity.Studentsmusttreatthescenarioasiftheywereinaprofessionalsituation.Thiscaninclude,butisnotlimitedto,pitches,businessplansandapplicationforms.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?Theatre/DramaDepartment,UniversityofExeterTheatre/DramaDepartment,Queen’sUniversityBelfastWhatdoesitassess?
• abilitytobebothcreativeandpragmatic• abilitytocollaborateanddealwithconflict• abilitytobeenterprising/entrepreneurial• oralcommunication• writtencommunication
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Tutorscanequippedstudentswithvocationalandentrepreneurialskillsaswellasacademic.Cangivefeedbackthatwillnotonlyhelpthemimproveasintellectuals,butalsoprofessionals.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Assubjectivitydoesplayintothemarking,whiletheeffectivenessoftheproposalismoreobjective,thevalueoftheproposedideaitselfisasubjectivething.Itisalessacademicapproachtoassessment.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentsgainvaluableexperienceinpersuasionandthemarketingoftheirideas.Simulatesaprofessionalsituationwhichhasmassivebenefitswhenitcomestovocation.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentsdonotgettheopportunitytofollowupontheiridea,itispurelyhypothetical.Creatingapitch,businessplanorapplicationformasagroupcouldleadtoconflict–ultimatelyonekeyideaneedstobepickedoverothersuggestionsStudents’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Forcoursesthatleadtomoreentrepreneurialcareerpaths,thisisavaluableassessmentmethod.Itgivesstudentstheopportunitytofailinalow-stakesenvironmentandlearn
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valuablelessonsfromthefeedbacktheyreceive,meaningtheyarepreparedwhenthesimulationbecomesaprofessionalreality.
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ProjectProposalInthiscasemodulespecificbutcanbesynoptic.Description:Inthiscase,intheformofanabstractandintroductiontoshowplansofthefinal-yearlaboratoryproject.Reviewed,gradedandpossiblyadaptedbysupervisor.Supervisorsgiveguidancethroughouttheworkdone.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofChemistry,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• writtencommunication• researchskills• persuasiveskills• reportwritingskills• independentlearning• abilitytodevelopahypothesis• subjectunderstandingandknowledge• creativity• criticalthinking
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Seeaninsightintohowdeepknowledgeandunderstandingis.Abletoassessmanydifferentskills.Notmuchteachingrequired,abriefgiven,thenasupervisorjusttheretoguidethework.Ashortread.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Timetakentopreparetheprojectsummaries.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Topicusuallyischosenbythestudent,sointerestingtoreaduponandwriteabout.Flexibilityonwhereyouwouldliketotaketheresearch.Studenthasagoodopportunitytoshowtheirinterestinaparticulartopicandthiscanhelpcareerdevelopment.Noneedtomemoriselotsoffacts.Communicationthroughoutprojectwithsupervisorprovidesawaytoattainahighermark.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Timeconsuming.Thesupervisioncanbeinconsistent.Somesupervisorsarewillingtohelpstudentsalotmorethanothers,whichcouldmakeitfeelunfair.Someprojectsummariesmaybeeasiertotacklethenothers.
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Goodthatstudentsgettochoosetheirowntopic.Itwouldbeniceifitcouldbearrangedtospeaktostudentsinpreviousyearsabouthowtheyfoundcertainsupervisorsastheycanbeinconsistentwithhowmuchtheyassistyou.
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PythonQuizInthiscasemodulespecific.Description: Usuallyinvolvesasetofquestionsundersilentconditionstotestknowledgeandunderstandingofthemostcommonprogramminglanguages.AidsITskills.Pythonexamscancontainmultiplechoicequestions.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofBiology,UniversityofExeter.Whatdoesitassess?
• knowledgeandunderstandingofausefulprogramminglanguage• abilitytoreproduceinformationgiveninlecturesandbeabletoapplythe
knowledgeinunseensituations• abilitytouselogictosolveproblems,seenandunseen
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Relativelyquicktomarkquestionsandgivefeedbacktostudents,usuallymarkedoncomputer.Examsmarkedfairlyandconsistently.Teacherscantellthelevelofunderstandingofacertaintopicfairlyeasilythisway.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Timetakentoproducethequestionsfortheexam.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Eachstudentismarkedaccordingtoaschemeandsoallaremarkedfairlyandconsistently.Noplagiarismandlittlecheatingoccuring.Examquestionscreateacompetitiveenvironmentbetweenstudentswhichmaycausethemtoperformbetter.Studentscanhelpeachotherlearnandunderstanduptotheexamitself,whichhelpsbuildgoodrelationships.Ifstudentsperformwellinexams,thiscanbeabigconfidenceboost.Ensuresstudenthasmaximumlearning.Pressureofexamscanpushastudenttoexcel.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Verystressful,reliesonafewhours’excellentperformance,whichcanputpressureonstudentscausingthemtounderperformeveniftheyhavethecapabilitytoachieveahighgrade.Thepressureoftheexamalsomaycauseemotionalturmoilintheindividual,havinganeffectontheirmentalhealth.Sometimesnotallsubjectsfromlecturesarecovered,andsotherecanbeasenseofunfairness,forexampleitis‘luck’whatcomesupontheexamascertainstudentsprefercertaintopicsandothersmaypreferdifferentones.Studentsmaythinkthattheyarenotintelligentiftheycannotperformwellinexams,especiallyinasubjectwherethemarkisheavilydependentuponexamalone.
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Pythonexamsareaneffectivewaytogaugeastudentsknowledgeandunderstandingofthisparticulartopic.GoodlifeskilltoknowITterms.
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ReferencingModulespecificinthiscase,butskillsthatareessentialacrosstheboard.Description:Thestudentreferencesvariousdifferenttypessuchasbooks,websitesjournalsandarticlestoshowthattheycanreferencecorrectly.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofChemistry,UniversityofLeeds.SchoolofBiologicalSciences,UniversityofSouthampton.Whatdoesitassess?
• abilitytoreferenceusinginaspecificreferencingstyle• attentiontodetail
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Relativelyquicktomarkquestionsandgivefeedbacktostudents.Markedfairlyandconsistently.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Timetakentomark,whichshouldbefairlyquickanyway.Requireshighattentiontodetail.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Eachstudentismarkedaccordingtoaschemeandsomarkedfairlyandconsistently.Noplagiarismandlittlecheatingoccuring.Referencingskillsusedthroughoutuniversityandpossiblybeyond.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Timeconsumingandcanbeboring.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Boringbutessentialwork.
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ReflectiveLog/ContentSummaryCurrentlymodulespecific,butcouldbeusedasasynopticmethodofassessment,forexamplepresentingsummariesoflecturenotesoversemesteroryear-longperiods.Description:Presentationofsummariesoflecturenotes,withcommentsinformedbyfurtherreadingandreflectionWhereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofEducation,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• understandingofandengagementwithtaughtmaterial• criticalthinking• selfawareness• researchskills• writtencommunicationskills• abilitytobeself-reflective
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Teacherscanensurestudentsareengagingwiththetaughtmaterial,insteadofpassivelyacceptingwhattheyarebeingtold.Students’progressandunderstandingcanberegularlymonitored,andtheyareencouragedtoattendlecturessotheycankeepup.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Studentsmaytendtoreproducelecturenotesratherthansummarisingandaddingtheirownresearch;thisisnotparticularlyhelpfultotheircriticalthinkingdevelopment.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Beingassessedonsummariesoflecturesnotesencouragesstudentstogetintothehabitofsummarisingthematerialtheyhavebeentaught,whichisusefulforrevisionpurposes,andensurestheinformationisreallyunderstood.Studentsvaluetheopportunitytogivetheirownopinionsandcommentsonthematerialtaught.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Summarisinglecturenotesmaynotbethemosteffectivelearningstyleforanindividual,sosomemayfeeltheyarewastingtheirtime.Studentsmaystruggletofindrelevantfurtherreadingatalevelappropriateforthematerialbeingtaught.
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Thisseemslikeagoodoptiontoensureunderstandingofthetaughtmaterialasitforcesyoutoengagewiththelecturenotes.However,youcouldeasilyspendtoomuchtimeresearchingappropriatefurtherreadings,forlittlecredit.Ithinkthisisagoodwaytoearnpartialcreditforamoduleandtoencourageattendancetolectures.
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ResearchProposalThismethodismodulespecific.Description:Thisisassignmentwherethestudentwillcompletethefirststepsofresearchproject–creatingaquestionandanabstract,completingaliteraturereviewandoutliningmethods.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofEducation,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• interdisciplinaryawareness• baseknowledgeofconceptsandissuesineducation• understandingofknowledge• criticalityabouteducationpolicyandpractice• awarenessabouttheirownlearningandthelearningofothers• abilitytoengagewithissuesandconstructarguments• abilitytoreferenceproperly• abilitytosearchforliteratureproperly• criticalengagementwiththeliterature• abilitytoarticulateideasorallyandinwritinginaconvincingway
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Cangetasenseofhowwellstudentsunderstandacademicprocess,thiscanallowtutorstogiveguidanceandadvisebeforeaheavierweightedresearchassignmentsuchasafinal-yearprojectorcapstoneexperience.Thetutorcanalsogetasenseofthestudentsresearchinterests.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Students’researchmightstretchbeyondthebreadthofthetutorsknowledge,makingtheaccuracyoftheworkmoredifficulttodetermine.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentshavetheopportunitytohoneacademicskillspriortoalargerassignmentsuchasanindependentresearchproject.Studentscanfindanareaofspecialismwhichintereststhem.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Onlygettoproposetheresearchasopposedtoactuallyconductingit.Mightstruggletodoaliteraturereviewifthetopicistooniche.(Editor’snote:Theproposalcouldbedevelopedintothestudent’sfinal-yearprojectinasubsequentyear).
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ithinkitisagoodideatobeabletopracticetheseacademicskillsbeforelargerassignments.Ithinkformanystudentsthethird-yeardissertationcomesbytoosoonandmanyhaven’tdoneresearchassignmentpreviously.Thiswayyoufeelmoreequippedtodealwithresearchanditsstructure.
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SelfAssessmentInthiscase,modulespecificbutcanbeboth.Description:Studentgradingtheirownpieceofwork,orreportingonhowwelltheythinktheyhaveperformed.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofBiology,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• abilitytoreflectonanexperience• writtenorverbalcommunication• abilitytoacknowledgepersonalstrengthsandweaknessesandrecogniseown
limitations• abilitytolearnfromfailures
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Seedevelopmentofindividualandreallygetaninsightintohoweffectivethemoduleisforlearning,growthanddevelopment.Itcanhighlightpotentialproblemswithinthemodulethatasaresultarefixedquicker.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Takestimetodevotetoreadingstudent’sresponses.Noopportunitytoaskfurtherquestions.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Goodpracticetoreflectonyourownabilitiesandhowyoucanimprove.Helpsdevelopmentofindividualandmakesthemawareofwhattheyhavedonewellandwhattheymustdotoimprove.Helpfulforcareerdevelopment.Relativelysimpletasktoundertakewhichcanhavepositiveconsequences.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Itmaynotbeaccurateasyouarejudgingyourself.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ausefulexercise.Encouragesstudentstothinkabouthowwelltheyperformedandcanhighlightareasofimprovement.
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Self-ReflectiveEssayInthiscase,modulespecificbutcouldbesynoptic.Description:Apieceofwritingreviewingyourexperienceofsomething.SometopicsmayincludequestionssuchaswhatdidIlearnmost,howwouldIhavedoneitdifferentlyifIcoulddoitagain,howdidIfindworkinginagroup,etc.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofChemistry,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• abilitytoreflectonanexperience• writtencommunication• understandingandappreciationofothers’views• independentworking• originality• persuasiveskills
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Interestingread.Seedevelopmentofindividualandreallygetaninsightintohoweffectivethemoduleisforlearning,growthanddevelopment.Itcanhighlightpotentialproblemswithinthemoduleandasaresulttheycanbefixedmorequickly.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Takestimetodevotetoreadingstudents’responses.Noopportunitytoaskfurtherquestions.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Goodpracticetoreflectonyourownabilitiesandhowyoucanimprove.Helpsdevelopmentofindividual.Helpfulforcareerdevelopmentasinterviewersoftenaskforexperienceswhereyoulearntaparticularskill,oraskedaboutatimewhenyoufoundyourselfinadifficultpositionandhowyouovercameit.Goodtorecognisestrengthsandweaknessesinoneself,interviewersalsooftenaskaboutthat.Relativelysimpletasktoundertakewhichhasmanypositiveoutcomes.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Itcanbealittleboring!Inadditionifyoudon’twriteexperiencesdownasyougoalong,whentheendofthemodulecomesandyouhavetowriteaself-reflectionessay,itcanbedifficulttoremembereverythingthathappened.
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ifoundittobegreatforpersonaldevelopment,veryusefulforapplyingforjobsinthefuture.Itmayseempointlesstostudentsatthetime,buttheysoondiscoverit’sanimportantexercisetogetintothehabitofdoing.
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SiteInvestigationGenerallymodulespecific.Description:Asiteinvestigationinvolvesresearchingthegeotechnicalandenvironmentalconditionsofanareatodetermineitssuitabilityasasiteforanewbuildingproject.Inachemicalengineeringcontext,itisperformedonpotentialsitesfornewengineeringplants.Theresultsareorganisedinareport,ordisplayedvisuallyonanannotatedmap.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofEnvironmentalandChemicalEngineering,UniversityofNottinghamWhatdoesitassess?
• abilitytothinkcritically• creativity• abilitytosolveproblems• researchskills• writtencommunicationskills
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Studentsareencouragedtothinkoutsidetheiracademicdiscipline,byconsideringhowtheirlearningwillbeapplicableinindustryaftergraduation.Studentslearntoworkindependently,andpracticedemonstratingtheirfindingsinaformatthatcanbeunderstoodbythoseoutsideoftheacademicworld.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Whilstperformingresearchandwritingreportsareessentialacademicskills,producinganannotatedmapisnotacoreskill,soteachingtimemayhavetobededicatedtopreparingstudentsforthisassessment.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentsaregivenaninsightintothevarietyofrolesachemicalengineermayperformaftergraduationoutsidetheacademicenvironment.Theyhavetheopportunitytodevelopkeyresearchskills,andunderstandtheimportanceofclearcommunicationbetweendisciplines.Studentsmayfindcreatinganannotatedmaptobeamoreenjoyablemethodofassessmentcomparedtoanextendedessayorexamination.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Somestudentsmaystruggletoseetherelevanceofasiteinvestigationtotheirdegree,andmayfindtheproductionofanannotatedmapdifficultduetoalackoffamiliaritywiththeprocedure.
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ithinkperformingasiteinvestigationwouldbeinterestingasitgivesstudentsachancetoexperiencetheroleofachemicalengineer–aroletheymaynothaveconsideredpreviously.Producinganannotatedmapcouldbedifficultifyouhavenothadsufficienttrainingintheexercise,asyouwouldhavetofindabalancebetweenincludingenoughinformationandmakingitvisuallyclear.
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SourceAnalysisModulespecificbecausethesourceanalysedlikelycontainsinformationrelevanttoacertaintopic.Description:Astudentanalysesatext,oftenaprimarysource,toexplainhowandwhyitwaswritten.Theprocessofteninvolvessummarisingthecontentandcontext,recordingobservations,identifyingtheintendedmeaningsandposinganyquestionsthatremainafterreading.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofBiology,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• understandingofsubjectmaterial• creativity• criticalthinking• researchskills• abilitytoengagewithissuesandconstructarguments• abilitytothinkreflectively• writtencommunicationskills
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Studentsareencouragedtothinkcriticallyaboutthesourcethroughanalysisofitsdifferentcomponents,whichaidstheirunderstandingofthepieceasawhole.Teacherscansetapieceforanalysis,orgivestudentsanopportunitytodeveloptheirresearchskillsbyfindinganappropriatesource.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Teachingstaffmayhavetoidentifysourcessuitableforstudentstoanalyse,whichcouldbetimeconsuming.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Breakingdownasourceintocomponentscanhelpstudentstounderstandbettermoreadvancedconcepts.Importantly,theygainexperienceincriticalthinking,whichisanessentialgraduateattribute.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Thefullanalysisprocesscanbetimeconsuming,andstudentsmayfailtoseethepointoftheexerciseifthepiecehasalreadybeenestablishedasareputablesourceofinformation.
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Sourceanalysiscouldbeinterestingifyouhaveaparticularinterestinthetopiccovered,butotherwisecouldbeboringasitcouldbeverytimeconsuming.Itisagoodwaytopractiseimportantcriticalthinkingskills.
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StructuredChemicalExaminationsModulespecific,butcouldbesynopticasskillsratherthanknowledgearetested.Description:TheStructuredChemicalExaminations(SChemEs)methodisdesignedtoassessstudents’generic,practicalandlaboratory-basedskillsinthefinallaboratorysessionofamodule.Studentsspendfiveminutesateachoffivestations,eachofwhichisdesignedtoassessakeyskillarea:BasicTechniques,Numeracy,ApparatusAssemblyandHandling,InterpretiveExercise,andInformationManagement.Marksaregivenoutoffiveforperformanceateachstation,withanadditionalfivemarksawardedforpreparednessintermsofequipmentanddressstandardaccordingtoinstructionsprovidedbeforehand.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?DepartmentofPharmacy,UniversityofHertfordshireWhatdoesitassess?
• understandingofchemicalterminologyandprocedures• safehandlingofchemicals• experimentalplanninganddesign• interpretationofexperimentaldata• numericalandcomputationalskills• informationretrieval• problemsolving• timemanagementandorganisation• oralcommunicationskills• creativethinking
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Studentsarebetterequippedforgraduateroles,asmorefocusisplacedontheprocessesinvolvedinaswellastheendresultsofpracticalwork.Assessmentofstudentsisrelativelystraightforward,withmarksgivenoutoffiveforeachstation,andeachstationcanbecarefullymonitored.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Studentsareonlygivenashortamountoftimetodemonstratetheirpracticalabilities,andmaystruggleunderthetimepressure.Theactivityateachstationmustbecarefullydesignedtoassessthespecifiedskillatanappropriatelevel,andmarkingguidelinesmustbecarefullyestablishedtoensureeachstudentisplacedcorrectlyonthe0-5scale.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentsdonothavetoworryaboutbeingcontinuouslyassessedthroughouttheirearlierlabsessionsinthemodule,socanfocusondevelopingtheirskillsandunderstandingof
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procedures.Ultimately,thismeanstheyarebetterpreparedforgrauduateroles,wheretheendresultisoftennotknown.Also,studentsmayfeelmoreconfidentintheirabilitiesiftheyknowwhichparticularskillsarebeingassessedateachstation.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Itcanbeincrediblystressfulforstudentstoperformanunseentaskinfiveminutes,especiallyknowingtheyarebeingassessedontheirperformanceandhaveseveraltaskstoperform.Studentsmaystruggleunderthetimepressure,sotheirfinalgradeisnotanaccuraterepresentationoftheiractualskillset.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ilikehowthisassessmentmethodfocusesonunderstandingofprocedures,problemsolvingandtimemanagement,astheseareimportantskillsforgraduatejobsbothinsideandoutsidethelaboratoryenvironment.However,theassessmentcouldbequiteastressfulexperiencegiventheveryshorttimerestraints,soIdon’tthinkitisfairforthistobetheonlymethodofassessingpracticalabilityinchemistry.
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SupervisorReportModulespecific,butcouldbesynopticifthesupervisorworkswithaparticulargroupofstudentsforanextendedperiodoftime.Description:Thesupervisorforastudentworkingonaresearchprojectorplacementwillkeeparecordofthestudent’sperformance,typicallycoveringtheirpunctuality,attitudetowork,competencyand,ifapplicable,rolewithinthegroup.Thisinformationisusedtoassessthestudenteitherasadirectrecordorintheformofawrittenreport.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?DepartmentofChemistry,DurhamUniversityWhatdoesitassess?
• knowledgeandunderstandingoftheirsubject• abilitytosolveproblemsbythinkingcreatively• abilitytoworkinagroup• abilitytocommunicateclearlywiththeirpeersandsupervisorinbothoraland
writtenformsBenefitsfromateachingperspective:Theknowledge,practicalcapabilitiesandeffortsofeachstudentarerecordedastheprojectistakingplacesotherecordsgiveanaccuratereflectionoftheirprogressovertime.Adetailedreportprovidesproofofastudent’sabilitytodemonstrateaparticularskill(Editor’snote:thereportwillbeusefulifwritingreferencesforthestudentinthefuture).Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Writinganaccurate,personalreportforeachstudentcanbetimeconsumingandrequiresanumberofstaffactingassupervisors.Asupervisor’sreportmaybebiaseddependingontheirlevelofinvolvementwiththestudentsandtheirwork.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentswillreceivecreditwithouthavingtoproduceapieceofcourseworkorsittinganexam,whichsavesbothtimeandstress.Asthereportiswrittenovertime,itcangiveamoreaccuraterepresentationoftheirskillsandabilities.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentsmayfeeltheyhavenothadanadequateopportunitytodemonstratealloftheirskillsorabilitiesduetoanyvariationincontacttimeeachstudentmayhavewiththeirsupervisor.Theymayalsofeelthattheirsupervisor’sreportcouldbenegativelybiased.
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Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Beingpartiallyassessedfromasupervisor’sreportwouldrelievesomepressureofhavingtowriteaperfectessayorscorehighlyinanexamasitwouldgiveanaccuraterepresentationofyourindividualworkingstyleovertime–but,asyoucanneverbesureofwhatyoursupervisorwillwrite,yourfinalgradeisoutofyourcontrol.
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Take-HomeExaminationCanbeeithermodulespecificorsynopticasthestudentisnotrequiredtomemoriseinformationtaughtoverextendedperiodsoftime,onlytounderstandit.Description:Atake-homeexaminationhasasimilarquestionformattoatraditionalexamination.However,unlikeatraditionalexamstudentscantaketheexamwherevertheylike,andusinganyreferencematerialstheywish.Theonlyconstraintistime:usuallythequestionsarereleasedandtobecompletedwithina24-hourtimeperiod.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofPerformanceandCulturalIndustries,UniversityofLeedsSchoolofChemistryandChemicalEngineering,Queen’sUniversityBelfastWhatdoesitassess?
• subjectunderstanding• writtencommunicationskills• problemsolvingskills• criticalandcreativethinking• researchskills• timemanagement• organisationalskillsinpreparingfortheexam
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Asstudentsarenotrequiredtomemoriseinformation,allquestionscancallforhigherlevelthinkingandencouragestudentstoworkontheirproblem-solvingskills.Logistically,theexaminationprocessissimpler:thereisnoneedtosetupanexaminationhallorhireinvigilators.Studentsarefreetomakeuseofreferencematerials,astheywouldintherealworld,butmustplanhowtodosointhetimelimitgiven.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Givingthestudentsfreedomtocompleteanexamwherevertheywantandwithanyresourcesmeansitisnearlyimpossibletopreventplagiarismorcollusionbetweenstudents.Theexampapermaybemoredifficulttowrite:allquestionsmustbesufficientlychallengingforstudentswithaccesstoreferencematerials,sotherecannotbemarksavailableforsimpleknowledgerecall.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentsfeellesspressuredtomemorisefactssocanfocusonunderstandingthetaughtmaterial.Sittingtheexaminafamiliarenvironment,andtherelaxationofintensetimeconstraints,willmakestudentsfeelmorecomfortable–asaresulttheyarelikelyto
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performbetterthantheywouldinatraditionalexam.Thisflexibilitycouldbeofparticularhelpduringbusyexaminationperiods.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Examinationscantakemuchlongertocomplete,andthiscanbeverydisruptiveifquestionsmustbecompletedinonesittingorinarelativelyshorttimeframe,suchas24hours.Studentsmustpreparerelevantreferencematerialsbeforetheexaminationsotheycanbeusedeffectivelywithinthesettimeperiod.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Iliketheideaofatake-homeexamasitseemstoalleviatethemajorstressesassociatedwithtraditionalexams:youcansittheexaminafamiliarlocation,withlessintensetimerestrictions,andyoudonothavetoworryaboutmemorisingeverythingyouhavelearnt.However,Ithinkitwouldbetemptingtofallintothetrapofspendingtoomuchtimeontheexamthanintended,tryingtogetaperfectscore.
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Visual/IllustratedEssayThisisamodule-specificassessmentmethod,usedintheschool’sperformancedesignmodule.Onecouldsuggestthat,asthereisamoduleofthisnatureinbothsecondandthirdyear,itissomewhatsynoptic.Overall,itdoeshelpstudentswiththeirability.Description:Thisisreflectiveessaywhichreliesheavilyonananalysisofvisualaspects,theseaspectsusuallytakestheformofphotoswhichhavedocumentedthestudentspracticebutcanalsoincludevideo/audiomaterial.Thisisusedtoassesstheperformancedesignmodule.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofPerformanceandCulturalIndustries,UniversityofLeeds.Whatdoesitassess?
• creativityandunderstandingofhumaninteractionthroughartisticwork• criticalthinking• independenceandabilitytobeaself-starter• abilitytobeadeepthinker• abilitytocommunicatethoughtsorallyandinwrittenforms• abilitytobeareflectivepractitioners• abilitytoworkcriticallywithknowledge
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Canhaveaclearpointofreferenceforthestudent’sanalysisoftheirownpractice,thismakesitmucheasiertomarktheirwork.Canallowtotutortohaveaclearideaofhowtheworkofthestudenthasprogressedoverthecourseofthemodule.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Thisismarkedusingthemixed-modemarkingcriteria,whichisseparatefromthecriteriaforwrittenassignments,itmightbedifficulttodistinguishaneffectiveessayandaneffectivemixed-modeassignment.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Canmakeanalysiseasierandmorefocused,studentsdon’thavetowastewordsdescribingwhattheycreatedastheycanjustshowit.Givesthestudentopportunitytoexplaintheirprocess,eveniftheirfinalcreativeproductdidn’tdeliverinthepracticalassessment,thisessayallowsthemtogainmarksforexplainingtheirmethods.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Ifthestudentforgetstocapturetheprocessasit’songoing,theycanfindthemselvesleftwithlittlematerialwithwhichtowritetheessay.Sometimescertainprocessescannotbe
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capturedeffectivelythroughvisual/audiomeansandstillhavetobedescribed,whichcanbefrustratingasitdefeatsthepurposeofavisualessay.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Itdoesmakeiteasiertoreflectondesignpracticewhenthereisanemphasisputontovisualmaterial.However,Idothinkthataportfoliomightbeabetterwaytoorganisevisualmaterialratherthanembeddingitwithinanessay,thenagainorganisingitthiswaydoesreduceworkloadwhichisanimportantconsideration.
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VivaVoceSynopticregardingthestudent’sthesis.Description:Avivavoceisanoralexamination,generallyfocussedaroundastudent’sthesis.Thestudentisquestionedbytwoexaminers:aninternalexaminerwhoisamemberofacademicstaffattheuniversitybutnotthestudent’ssupervisor,andanexternalexaminerwhoisusuallyamemberofacademicstafffromadifferentuniversity.Achairpersonmayalsobepresent,oftenamemberofacademicstafffromthestudent’sschool,toensuretheexaminationisconductedinaccordancewithuniversityprocedures.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?DepartmentofChemistry,King’sCollegeLondonWhatdoesitassess?
• knowledgeandunderstandingoftheirsubject• oralcommunicationskills• researchskills• problemsolvingability• engagementwithrelevantcurrentissues• abilitytothinkcritically• abilitytothinkreflectivelyabouttheirwork
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Thisin-depthoralexaminationencouragesthestudenttothinkdeeplyabouttheirownworkanditsplacewithinresearcharoundtheirsubject.Thispreparesstudentsforgraduaterolesinwhichtheymustbeabletocommunicateideasandexplanationsclearly.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Thepersonalnatureofeachstudent’svivarequireslotsofstaffpreparation,andcanbeverytimeconsumingduetovariationinlength.Gradingstudentsfairlycanbedifficultduetovariationintopicandexaminationstyleofindividualexaminers.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentshavetheopportunitytodiscussideasandconceptsofpersonalinterestwithacademicsinvolvedinthefield.Itisaperfectopportunitytopractiseoralcommunicationskillsandcreativethinkingwhenansweringquestions,whichareessentialforgraduateroles.Inpreparationfortheirvivastudentsresearchandrevisetheirtopicthoroughly;duringthisprocesstheyimprovetheirsubjectknowledgeandresearchskills.
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Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Beingquestionedbyexpertsonthevalidityandimpactoftheirownworkcanbeintimidatingforstudents.Asaresultofstress,theymaystruggletocommunicatetheirideasclearly,eveniftheyhavepreparedfortheexamination.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Ifindtheideaofavivaintimidating,butunderstanditisimportanttopractisecommunicationskills,andtoacknowledgetheweaknessesaswellasstrengthsofyourwork.Ithinkitwouldultimatelybebeneficialtodiscussyourworkwithexperts,astheywillhelpyoutoimprove.
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WrittenCourseworkModulespecific.Description:Piecesofcoursework,suchasshortessaysorexam-styleproblems,aresubmittedatspecifiedintervalsthroughoutthemodule.Theworkisassessed,thenwrittenandoralfeedbackgiventostudentsinsmallgroupsduringanhour-longtutorialsession.Thistypeofassessmentoftencontributesasmallamounttoamodulepredominantlyassessedbyanexam(forexampleamodulemaybeassessedby90%unseenexamand10%coursework,consistingoftwotutorialsheets).Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolofChemistry,UniversityofLeedsWhatdoesitassess?
• knowledgeandunderstandingoftaughtmaterial• problemsolving• criticalthinking• researchskills• timemanagement• writtenandoralcommunicationskills• abilitytoengagewithissuesandconstructarguments
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Submissionofcourseworkprovidesachanceforstudentstodemonstratetheirunderstandingofthetaughtmaterialandtheirprogresstobemonitored.Thisallowsforidentificationofcommonmistakesandareasofunderstandingamongststudentssothatfutureteachingcanbeimproved.Intutorialsessions,studentscangiveverbalfeedbackaboutthemodule/teaching.Smallgrouptutorialsmeanthatmarkingisdistributedbetweenmembersofstaff.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Exam-stylequestionsmustbepreparedinadvanceoftheexaminationsforreleasetostudents.Organisationisrequiredbetweenmodulesrunningsimultaneouslytoavoiddeadlineclashes.Courseworkmustbemarkedandfeedbackgiventostudentsinatutorialsessionpromptlyformaximumbenefit.Studentsmaynotattendorganisedtutorialsessions,whichcanbefrustratingforthosedeliveringthesessions.Asthequestionsarenotansweredunderexaminationconditions,thereisahigherchanceofstudentscolluding.Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Studentsgetanopportunitytoapproachexam-stylequestionsbeforetheexamination,whichcanhelpthemprepareforanexamastheywillbetterunderstandthetypeofanswer
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required.Writtenfeedbackisgivenonsubmittedworkforfuturereference,anddiscussionsintutorialsprovideadifferentoutlookonconceptstogaindeeperunderstanding.Thesealsoprovideanidealopportunitytoaskquestions.Itisreassuringtohavemarksgoingtowardsafinalgradebeforesittingtheexaminationforthemodule.Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Workmustbesubmittedbeforethedeadline,andifthismethodofassessmentisusedinlotsofmodulessimultaneously,itcouldfeellikelotsofworkthroughoutthesemester.Therecanbelotsofpressuretogetahighscorebecausethemarkcontributestotheoverallmodulegrade.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Iappreciatedtheopportunitytogainmarkstowardsmyoverallgradebeforetheexam,butknowingtherewascourseworktosubmitonaweeklybasis(acrossseveralmodules)feltlikealargeamountofwork.Tutorialquestionsaretypicallymorecomplexthanexamquestionsandtakemuchlongertocomplete,butfindingthesequestionsdifficultmademeworrythatIwouldfindtheexamdifficulttoo.
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WrittenExamination(Unseen)Intheseexamplesmodulespecific,butcouldbesynoptic.Description:Usuallyinvolvesasetofquestionsundersilentconditionswithafixedtimeperiodtotestknowledgeandunderstandingofcertaintopics.Questionsvaryinlengthandstyle,forexample,shortermathematicalproblemstolongeressay-stylequestions.Whereisthisassessmentmethodcurrentlyused?SchoolsofChemistry,BiologyandEducation,UniversityofLeeds.Whatdoesitassess?
• knowledgeandunderstandingofcertaintopics• writtencommunication• abilitytoreproduceinformationgiveninlectures• abilitytoapplytheknowledgeinunseensituations• problemsolvingskills• abiitytouselogicandmathsskillstosolveproblems,seenandunseen• independence(inexampreparationandduringtheexamination)• possiblycriticalthinking
Benefitsfromateachingperspective:Oftenrelativelyquicktomarkquestionsandgivefeedbacktostudents.Examsmarkedfairlyandconsistentlywithamarkscheme.Academicstaffcantellthelevelofunderstandingofacertaintopicfairlyeasilythisway.Disadvantagesfromateachingperspective:Timetakentomarkexaminations,toproducethequestionsfortheexamandtoteachthestudentsspecificknowledge.(Editor’snote:Timetakentomarktheexaminations,oftenduringashorttimewindow.Onlygetaninsightintostudents’understandingafterteachinghasfinished.Examinationquestionsoftenneedtobewrittenbeforeteachingiscompleted.)Positiveaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Eachstudentismarkedaccordingtoaschemeandsomarkedfairlyandconsistently.Noplagiarismandlittlecheatingoccuring.Itcreatesacompetitiveenvironmentbetweenstudents,whichmaycausethemtoperformbetter.Studentscanhelpeachotherlearnandunderstanduptotheexamitself,buildinggoodrelationships.Ifstudentsperformwellinexams,thiscanbeabigconfidenceboost.Ensuresstudenthasmaximumlearning.Pressureofexamscanpushastudenttoexcel.
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Negativeaspectsfromastudent’sperspective:Verystressful,reliesonafewhours’excellentperformancewhichcanputpressureonstudentscausingthemtounderperformeveniftheyhavethecapabilitytoachieveahighgrade.Thepressureoftheexamalsomaycauseemotionalturmoilintheindividual,havinganeffectontheirmentalhealth.Sometimesnotallsubjectsfromlecturesarecoveredandstudentscanperceivethisasunfair.Forexample,perhapsonestudentknowsthoroughlyaboutmagnetismandnotsomuchaboutconductionandanotherstudentunderstandsconductionandnotmagnetism,andthenitis‘luck’whichofthetwocomesupontheexampaper.Takesnoaccountofstudents’preferredareasofstudywithinthedisciplinecurriculum.Studentsmaythinkthattheyarenotintelligentiftheycannotperformwellinexams,especiallyinasubjectwherethemarkisheavilydependentuponexamalone.Ifastudentperformsbadly,itmayhavealong-termeffectontheirfuture.Preparationextremelytimeconsuming–youcanalwaysdomorerevision.Focusesonmemorisation.Students’opinionsonthischoiceofassessmenttechnique:Examsareaneffectivewaytogaugeastudentsknowledgeandunderstandingofaparticulartopic.However,consideringthedisadvantagestostudents,examsarefartoocommon,andusedasalargechunkofassessment.Inchemistry,modulesaremostlyatleast80%exambased,someareeven100%writtenexamination.
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PATRICKSON | Mobilising the curriculum
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