1. Students as Partners in Assessment and Feedback:
A Sectoral Approach to Change
Dr Geraldine O’Neill, 14th March 2017, AHEAD.
National Forum for the Enhancement of
Teaching and Learning

2. Principle III: Provide Multiple Means of Engagement (Cast, 2011)
Universal Design
Self-regulating their learning, becoming more empowered, in partnership with staff
Assessment AS
and
FOR Learning
Enhancement
Theme
...to support the engagement of students in their assessment and adopt a partnership approach with students in key aspects of assessment (National Forum, 2017)
National Forum
Students As
Partners
Student
Engagement
Learner
variability
Principle III: Provide Multiple Means of Engagement (Cast, 2011)
UDL is a framework for designing flexible instructional environments and proactively integrating supports that address learner variability (Rao & Meo, 2016)

3. National Forum Assessment Enhancement Theme (2016-2018)
Key Aim
To support the shift from Assessment OF Learning (For Achievement; Graded) to
Assessment FOR (Feedback) and
Assessment AS Learning (Student Self–Regulating),
in order to support the engagement of students in their assessment and adopt a partnership approach with students in key aspects of assessment

4. Why Students As Partners in Assessment? Some Challenges
Some Staff Views
Some Student Views
I don't have time to give good feedback
Students don’t collect feedback
I don’t understand the feedback
Students wont do it if I don’t assess it
Is it on the exam?
I have no choice in how I am assessed

5. Project’s Framework, Activities & Target Groups
75 Seminars
(Staff and wider stakeholders group)
Students As Partners Insight (with USI)
(Students, staff, and wider stakeholders group)
Professional Development Framework
(for all who teach in the sector)
Approaches to Programme Assessment
(Senior academic and administrative staff)
Sectoral Definition of Assessment
(for the whole sector)
Authentic & Work-Based Assessment
(Disciplines, employers, and wider stakeholders)

6. Key Messages for Change from this Sectoral-Level Project
Need for a better understanding of assessment and feedback
Ideas for developing students as partners
The impact of assessment overload on student engagement and need for ‘slow time’
The need for integrative, diverse and authentic assessments to engage students

7. Message 1 Need for a better understanding of assessment and feedback
National Forum, 2016a

8. To Demonstrate Achievement To Self-Regulate and Critically Evaluate
A Draft Sectoral Working Definition
SUMMATIVE
Teacher
Assessment
Is responsible,
Is decision-maker
High stakes
To Demonstrate Achievement OF AS
Learning
FOR
To Give Feedback on Learning and Teaching
Assessment
Assessment
To Self-Regulate and Critically Evaluate
Student
Is responsible,
Is decision-maker
Low stakes
FORMATIVE

9. To Self-Regulate and Critically Evaluate To Demonstrate Achievement
Examples
Students self-assess and receive a grade for this judgement
Student self-review and/or peer review to make a judgment (critical evaluation) on their work
Students judge their work based on holistic or analytic criteria, or by comparing exemplars
Students collaborate to develop their own shared assessment criteria
Examples
‘High stakes’ graded end-of-semester exam, project, essay
‘Low stakes’ graded
in-class participation, MCQs online for feedback purposes
Written/oral feedback to students; Staff-student dialogue; Actions to improve;
Early feedback to staff to improve teaching
Students request feedback based on their self-monitoring
SUMMATIVE
Teacher
FOR
To Give Feedback on Learning and Teaching AS
To Self-Regulate and Critically Evaluate
To Demonstrate Achievement OF
Learning
Assessment
Is responsible,
Is decision-maker
High stakes
Student
Is responsible,
Is decision-maker
Low stakes
FORMATIVE

10. The importance of the role of peers in students self-regulating (assessing)

11. Self-Regulating: Developing Student Capability in Complex Appraisal
Sadler (2010)
See also UD Guideline 9
(Cast, 2011)

12. Message 2: Ideas for developing students as partners
Students As Partners ‘Insight’ with
Union of Students in Ireland (USI)
National Forum (2016b)

13. What can staff do? What can students do?
Facilitate students’ involvement in assessment-related institutional committees
Partner with students to negotiate their assessment methods and/or timing, where possible
Give students some choice of the methods used to assess them from a prescribed range  
Give students opportunities to self- and/or peer-assess their work in a module
Allow some choice over the method of feedback (online/written/oral)
What can students do?
Input into institutional assessment protocols, when possible
Stay informed on your role, and the role of staff, in assessment and feedback regulations
Take responsibility for your learning and assessment activities
Propose methods of assessment that you have found useful to you or other students
Plan your assessment workload

14. Message 3 The impact of assessment overload on student engagement and need for ‘slow time’

15. Two 5-ECTS single-semester modules
Typical Student A
Typical Student B
Two 5-ECTS single-semester modules
(Total 10 ECTS credits)
One 10-ECTS full-year
module
5.2
assessments
2.8
National Forum (2016c)

16. A Case for Slow Scholarship: Implications for Programme Assessment Design
“Students were so busy with assessment requirements that they had little space and time for thinking or doing any study outside of assessed course requirements. The need to grade had led to the fragmentation of experiences and the miniaturisation of knowledge as learning happened in micro-modules. Neither students nor lecturers were entirely happy with this situation … ’
Professor Tony Harland, New Zealand, in
National Forum Programme Assessment Resource (In Press 2017)

17. Programme Assessment Resource A catalyst for further discussions
Themes
Context
Institutional Leadership
Student as Partners in Assessment
Using Evidence to inform change
Curriculum Mapping for Diversity and Load
Building in Diversity in the Programme
Students Experience of Assessment
Integrative Assessment, e.g. Capstone Assessments
(National Forum, In Press 2017)
N=22 Short National Case Studies and Commentaries
N= 5 International Commentaries

18. Message 4 The need for integrative, diverse and authentic assessments to engage students

19. Integrative and Structured Programme Assessment
Assessment does not contribute to Institutional Grade
Assessment Contributes to Institutional Grade
1. Capstone Assessment
6. Capstone linked to portfolio
Final Year
2. Progressive Assessment
8. Module size 3.
Integrative Assessment
4. Student Portfolio align to programme or institutional outcomes
5. Student Portfolio align to programme or institutional outcomes
7. Work, community, volunteering and other learning
experiences
Year 1
Structure
Low Structure
Programme:
High level of module choices
Extra and Co-Curricular Curriculum
Highly Structured Programme

20. Diversity Across the Sector (n=487 modules) National Forum (2016c)

21. More Authentic Assessment Needed (November 2016 discussion and literature*)
*(Ashford-Rowe et al, 2014; Swaffield, 2011;
Mueller, 2006; Gulikers et al. 2004)

22. Example from Health Care ‘Creating a Patient Information Leaflet’
Authentic Assessment
Example from Health Care
‘Creating a Patient Information Leaflet’

23. Key Messages for Change from this Sectoral-Level Project
Need for a better understanding of assessment and feedback
Ideas for developing students as partners
The impact of assessment overload on student engagement and need for ‘slow time’
The need for integrative, diverse and authentic assessments to engage students

24. Final Question to You
Knowing these are National assessment and feedback challenges and directions for the sector:
How can you make sustainable changes in your institution for your students?
How can you also become a partner in this change?

25. Contact geraldine.oneill@teachingandlearning.ie
National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning,
19 Dawson Street, Dublin, 2, Ireland.
Website:

26. References
Ashford-Rowe, Kevin, Herrington, Janice & Christine Brown (2014) Establishing the critical elements that determine authentic assessment, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 39:2, , DOI: /
Burgstahler, S. (2015) Universal Design of Instruction (UDI): Definition, Principles, Guidelines, and Examples, University of Washington
Carless, D. (2015) Excellence in University Assessment, Routledge, Oxon. UK.
CAST (2011). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.0. Wakefield, MA: Author.
Cook-Sather, A., Bovill, C., & Felten, P. (2014). Engaging students as partners in learning and teaching: A guide for faculty. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.
Earl, L.M, Katz (2006) Rethinking classroom assessment with purpose in mind: Assessment FOR, as and of Learning, Manitoba Education, ISBN , accessed at
Gulikers, J., Bastiaens, T., & Kirschner, P. (2004). A five-dimensional framework for authentic assessment. Educational Technology Research and Development, 52 (3),
Harland, Tony, Angela McLean, Rob Wass, Ellen Miller & Kwong Nui Sim (2015) An assessment arms race and its fallout: high-stakes grading and the case for slow scholarship, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 40:4, , DOI: /

27. Kauffman, J., & Schunn, C. (2011). Students’ perceptions about peer assessment for writing: Their origin and impact on revision work. Instructional Science, 39, 387–406. doi: /s 

Mueller. J (2006) Authentic Assessment Toolbox.
National Forum, (2016a) Assessment OF, FOR and AS Learning: Continuing the Debate and Creating a Focus, National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, Assessment Enhancement Theme Insight No 1.
National Forum, (2016b) Assessment OF, FOR and AS Learning: Students as Partners in Assessment, National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, Assessment Enhancement Theme Insight No 2. DOI: /m9.figshare
National Forum (2016c) Profile of Assessment Practices Irish Higher Education. National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning. DOI: /m9.figshare v1
National Forum (2017) Enhancement Theme 2016/18 Assessment OF/FOR/AS Learning webpage
Nicol, D (2010) From monologue to dialogue: Improving written feedback in mass higher education. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education. 35(5),
Rao, K., Meo, G. (2016) Using Universal Design for Learning to Design Standards-Based Lessons. SAGE OPEN, Special Issue - Student DiversityDOI: /
Sadler, D. R. (2010) Beyond feedback: Developing student capability in complex appraisal, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 35, (5), 535–550.
Swaffield , Sue (2011) Getting to the heart of authentic Assessment for Learning, Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 18:4, , DOI: / X