1. What Works at Wolves? A roll out in the Institute of Sport
Dr Mark Groves
University of Wolverhampton
11th April 2017

2. Unpacking Assessment Briefs in Class
What we Did?
Unpacking Assessment Briefs in Class

3. Students report that…..
They spend more time interpreting the brief than doing the assignment (Cousin & Cureton, 2012).
They turn to their peers for advice (Cousin & Cureton, 2012).
Struggle with assignment anxiety (Dhillon & Oldham, 2012)
In my new role I wonder if this contributes to academic misconduct. We are doing some research in order to find out about this.

4. Howell-Richardson (2012)
Students believe that there are hidden questions/ requirements in assignments that are set.
Assessment points create a ‘pedagogic battlefield’ between students & lecturers.
A disparity between:-
What students want to hear
What Lecturers think students want to hear – Will return to this later.

5. Unpacking the Assessment brief
Three key principles for unpacking the assessment brief with students in-class:
Students should discuss and share their understanding of the brief
Students should ask questions about what they do not understand
Lecturers discuss what is not understood and rectify misunderstandings
A student led process.
The really important point is that this process makes the sessions student led.
It is not us telling the students what we think they want to know.
It is then telling us what they actually want to know.
Before getting involved in this project I was probably guilty of the first of these.

6. Pilot

7. Case study 4SR013 – Sport in Society
Year long module
Assessment 1 – Presentation (50% of overall mark)
Assessment 2 – Interview Research Paper (50% of overall mark)
Small class – Approx. 30 students

8. What I did…. Assessment Brief Set
An unpacking session for each assessment (Week 6)
How did I use the ‘What Works’ Principles:
Using ‘post its’ outline what they understand about the assessment brief
Using ‘post its’ ask questions about what they don’t understand.
‘Post its’ allowed all students to contribute
Additional Activities
Marked an example using their knowledge of the assignment and the grading criteria
Lecture Capture

9. Observations Only one student did not hit the 40% pass grade
One student who did not submit for other modules submitted for this module.
Quality of the presentations were pleasing
Understood the process of research
Grades better than previous year (more A-C/ 50%+)

10. Impact – just one story!
‘I was going to jack it all in, but now I’m going to stay’ Male student, white.
It’s early days but during one of the evaluation sessions one student disclosed this
He did stay, submitted and gained 55% over all for the module
For me, just this one student staying has made the programme worth while.

11. The Roll Out

12. Institute of Sport Roll Out (2014/15)
BA (Hons) Sports Studies
BA (Hons) Physical Education
BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science
BSc (Hons) Physical Activity Exercise and Health*
BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching Practice*
= part of the NSS Action Plans for this course.
Using informal mentoring sessions I discussed with course leaders the possibility that the What works principles might be included in their assessment unpacking sessions. On the whole the take up was good.
A good number of modules used but not all. This was at the Course Leaders discretion. I felt that they new which of their modules this would be best suited to.

13. Did it impact on Students?

14. Quantitative Analysis
A comparison of post intervention module performance to performance in previous years.
A comparison of modules that did and did not use the What Works principles.
I knew that I was presenting here today and so I asked Debra Cureton if she had any data that could show if this had an impact on module attainment.
You will have to forgive me if I am a little vague in terms of this. It has not really been by remit within the project but I did want to be able to show you some of this data.
My understanding is that this data predominantly relates to modules used in the Institute of Sport.

15. Quantitative Analysis
A significant increase in the numbers of students who gained 50% or more.
A marked difference to those students who gained 70% and above. 
There was also a significant reduction in the number of students who did not submit. 

16. Quantitative Analysis
There are other factors that could be at play here:
Percentage marking
Cohort difference
But…..
If the What Works principles were not used in a module studied by the same cohort this increase in attainment was not seen.
In other words if the What Works principles were not used this increase in attainment was not seen.

17. Qualitative feedback from students
‘I felt that I could do it ’
‘It was good, it made me feel more confident’
Lots of comments about confidence and belonging. Links back to previous comments about assessment anxiety
‘we don’t want spoon feeding; but from this we know we’re on the right track’

18. Did it impact on Staff?

19. Qualitative Feedback from Staff
I found that the ‘What Works?’ principles helped to encourage dialogue between students and myself. This dialogue helped to highlight the disparity between what I think I have said in the assessment brief and what the students have understood. By the end of the process I felt more confident that the students and I had reached an agreement in terms of what they had to do.” (Senior Lecturer, Institute of Sport)
Thinking back to the comments by Howell-Richardson (2012) that assessment points are a pedagogical minefield I though that these comments were really interesting.
This lecturer is saying that from taking part in this process he has learnt that what he thinks he has said in his assessment brief and what the students have understood may be totally different things. It is the student led nature of the unpacking sessions that helped to highlight this disparity so that agreement could be reached.
Would this have been possible without What Works.

20. How easy was the rollout?

21. Finally - How easy was the roll out?
Within the Institute of Sport
Surprisingly Easy
Across the wider faculty
Less so!!
University support is required to ensure the successful disseminated of such initiatives.

22. Thanks for Listening