Track A1 - Learning About Assessment Literacy: A Case Study from the Assessment Literacy Project

 Nicky Spawls and Clare O'Donoghue, Middlesex University, School of Health and Education

How do you go about reviewing assessment literary in programmes that have diverse cohorts, widely different prior experiences of assessment and diverging expectations? This was the opening of the presentation by Nicky Spawls and Clare O’Donoghue from the School of Health and Education.

Nicky and Clare decided to review their programmes’ assessment practice and use this as an opportunity, taking a broader programme level approach of assessment. Nicky and Clare discussed how they questioned consistency of practice across modules, or they identified the need to clarify standards with students and went on to look at ways to explain the purpose of formative assessment to students.

Their review went back to basics: reminding ourselves of how daunting assessment can be; asking ourselves why an essay is indeed the best way to assess certain modules; or how to personalise assessment in large cohorts of 150-200 students. But also interesting questions addressed the need to discuss assessment amongst staff, recognising that assessment is not only about students.

Report by Pascale Colonna, Senior Academic Developer, Centre for Academic Practice Enhancement (CAPE)