Enhancing student learning through assessment: a school-wide approach

Christine O'Leary, Centre for Promoting Learner Autonomy

Sheffield Business School

Outline of this session

• Context• Rationale• Approach• Impact• Conclusion and discussion

• Assessment identified as a most pressing area for development – low NSS scores on feedback

• Emphasis on active engagement of learners in assessment process, employability and learner autonomy – University CETL work

• Integrating assessment in the learning process: assessment for and as learning, as well as of learning

• Maximising the opportunities offered by digital technologies.

The need for change

Rationale

• Three conditions for excellence in student learning (Cross, 1996):– High expectations– Student engagement– Assessment and feedback

• “Every act of assessment gives a message to students about what they should be learning and how they should go about it” (Boud, 1995:37)

• One possible way of achieving it is to align the assessment methods to the teaching and learning outcomes…(Biggs, 2003)

• Assessment for learning is any assessment for which the first priority in its design and practice is to serve the purpose of promoting students’ learning.

The Project

• Embed the Assessment for Learning agenda into all courses at module level

• Strategic Aims– Change the assessment culture from focus on simply measuring

performance to assessment as an integral part of the learning process.

– Ensure students are actively engaged in the process of assessment.

– Develop use of self, peer and negotiated assessment– Modernise assessment practices by encouraging use of new

technologies

Change agents

• New University assessment regulations

• Programme Revalidation

• Assessment processes and technologies

The Method

Collect data:• Types used• What is tested• How they

contribute to learning

• Impact on staff• Diet across

level

Findings:• Pockets of

‘good practice’/ innovation

• Predominance of certain traditional methods e.g. essays, exams.

Phase One: Developing School-wide assessment principles (as part of revalidation)Emphasis on process as well as content, a balanced diet and strategies encouraging self, peer and timely tutor feedback.

Phase Two: Creation of a School-wide implementation teamcomprising of relevant senior managers, administrative and academic leads.

Phase Three: Raise awareness and engagementthrough workshops to actively engage staff in the process, share 'good practice' , encourage dialogue and iron out any barriers, including admin procedures.

Phase Four: Collect data on assessment practice for each moduleThe assessment methods, relative weightings and feedback strategy.

Phase Five: Conduct ‘mapping’ of modules across level to ensure balance of assessment dietInformation stored on a database. Consult module leaders and influence change in line with principles.

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Faculty Roll-OutThe Pilot

SBS Assessment Principles

• All module assessment to engage and motivate students through relevant formative and supportive activities, supported by appropriate feedback.

• All module assessment strategies to encourage deep learning.

• A balanced and varied diet of assessment approaches to cater for individual needs and preferences.

• Peer feedback and personal reflection as part of the design wherever possible.

SBS Assessment Principles

• Peer and self-assessment to be introduced as appropriate.

• Summative assessment to reflect individual student achievement.

• Assessment to consider the strength and weaknesses in a student profile holistically.

• Assessment programme, including summative assessment schedules to be coordinated across the level, with cross modular assessment where appropriate

Evaluation of impact

Changes in practice: 1st and 2nd Years• All templates included some formative assessment

e.g. portfolio-based assessment, online self- assessment, in- module retrieval and so on.

• The feedback strategy of all modules was clearly articulated and included peer/ self as well as tutor feedback where appropriate.

• Still limited innovation in some areas e.g. finance still keen on phase tests and exams but increased variety.

Evaluation of impact– Student learning and assessment experience• Early indication of improvement of the student experience from

module surveys/ reviews but remaining issues with group assessment and/or detailed feedback in some modules.

• Concerns expressed at Subject Boards that students may be tactical and may choose not to take some assessment tasks (not corroborated by specific evidence).

• Survey questionnaires of all modules and detailed / qualitative evaluation to be carried out in some modules at the end of 09/10 academic year.

Evaluation of impact– Student achievement especially in ‘killer’ modules • 51% of level 4 modules (33/64) showed an improvement in the

first time pass rate, with a shift of 10% or above in 28% of cases between 07/08 and 08/09.

• 18% (17/86) of level 5 modules showed an improvement with only 0.04% indicating a shift of more than 10% in the same period.

• A particularly problematic statistical module at level 4 saw its pass rate increase by 47.45% (HND- 40 students) and 16.28% (BA-800 students).

• At level 4, 4 of the 5 highest levels of improvement in the first time pass rates were in financial and/or accounting modules.

Conclusion• The increase in the pass rate at level 4 suggests that

assessment for learning may help students in the transition to HE, with the opportunity for a range of feedback throughout the course.

• There is still a lot of work to do in the School around feedback, particularly in relation to students' expectations and engagement with a wide range of feedback mechanisms.

• The School-wide project has facilitated a more holistic approach to tackling assessment and feedback, with some early gains.

• It lays the ground for further development in this area, building on existing 'good' practice recorded in the form of case studies.

References

• Biggs, J. (2003). Teaching for Quality Learning in Higher Education. Buckingham: Open University Press.

• Boud, D. (1995). Assessment and learning: Contradictory or complementary? In Knight, P. (ed) Assessment for Learning in Higher education. London: Kogan Page, pp 35-48.

• Boud, D. (2000) Assessment for the Learning Society.

Studies in Continuing Education, 22 (2), pp 151-167.• Cross, P. (1996) What do we know about students'

learning and how do we know it? Innovative Education, 23 (4), pp 255-270.

Discussion