Assessment, Marking & Feedback Dr Jenny Marie With thanks for: Karen Fraser Ros Duhs

Session Overview Purposes of assessment How to mark How to give good feedback How to use assessment to improve your teaching 2 mins

What is the purpose of assessment? In small groups discuss the different purposes you think assessment has. (5 mins) 12 mins

Possible purposes of assessment To award degrees To provide feedback To learn the standards expected To learn from doing the assessment task (or revising) To assess how the teaching is going To judge the level at which to pitch teaching

Formative & Summative assessment Summative assessment counts towards final results in relation to learning outcomes Formative assessment does not count towards final course grades, but measures progress and provides students with valuable feedback 16 mins

Your experience of assessment Being assessed as a learner Any assessment you have done as a teacher What worked well? What perhaps didn’t work so well? (5 mins) 25 mins – Link between slides is fairness…

To award degrees… Summative assessment MUST be: Valid Reliable 28 mins

Marking Use a marking scheme: criteria/descriptors should be public Anchoring – re-mark the first ones again! Moderation / standardisation? Dealing with disagreement Note criteria-based not norm-based marking Even for problems where right answer – how many marks for correct working to a certain point but wrong end answer??? 31 mins

? X To provide feedback…  7/10 How useful is this feedback? 64% Good This is not analysis Illogical. Interesting Not relevant ? X  Very good 64% 7/10 33 mins

In small groups discuss what you think makes for good feedback. (5 mins) 43 mins

7 principles of good feedback 1. Facilitates the development of self assessment (reflection) in learning. 2. Encourages teacher and peer dialogue around learning. 3. Helps clarify what good performance is (goals, criteria, expected standards). 4. Provides opportunities to close the gap between current and desired performance. 5. Delivers high quality information to students about their learning. 6. Encourages positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem. 7. Provides information to teachers that can be used to help shape teaching. (Nicol & Macfarlane-Dick, 2007) 46 mins

How to give good feedback Write a brief summary of your view of the assignment Balance negative with positive comments Use constructive criticism to provide positive suggestions for improvement Ask questions which encourage reflection about the work Explain all your comments

How to give good feedback Suggest follow-up work and references Suggest specific ways to improve the assignment Explain the mark or the grade and why it is not better or worse Offer help with specific problems Offer the opportunity to discuss the assignment and your comments. 50 mins

To judge the level at which to pitch teaching Ask them what they need help with (self-assessment) Quiz Pre-session work – in VLE or a minute paper And these can also be used at the end of a session to: Assess how the teaching is going Perhaps use post-it notes so don’t have to embarrass themselves or feel like they’re holding everyone else back. Or in pairs discuss a problem – if partner can’t solve ask you.. Quiz with clickers (personal response systems) – can do with mobile technology these days Pre-session work on moodle (quiz or minute paper) 55 mins

What part of the session did you find most useful? Text a CODE to 020 3322 5822 Submit responses at PollEv.com Purposes of assessment - 10236 Marking - 10301 Feedback - 10305 Improving teaching through assessment - 10310 60 mins http://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/PSBukiTyOc0TyLc

Summary Bear in mind why you are assessing Make sure your marking is valid & reliable Make feedback motivational & useful (how to improve, further reading…) Use assessment to improve your teaching 57 mins

The HEA Resource Centre http://www.heacademy.ac.uk