1. Key Issues in Assessment and Feedback: The only feedback I received was two ticks and a question mark! University of Surrey Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences 14 January 2011 Professor Brenda Smith

2. Key aims are to... Help students to LEARN through assessment Help students to LEARN through assessment EMBED FEEDBACK as an integral part of the learning & teaching process EMBED FEEDBACK as an integral part of the learning & teaching process Encourage THE ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT OF STUDENTS in the whole process of assessment and feedback to enhance their learning Encourage THE ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT OF STUDENTS in the whole process of assessment and feedback to enhance their learning

3. 1.Certification 3. Learning 4. Sustainability 2.Quality Assurance Why do we assess?

4. Key Issues with assessment? Students are often not given the Big Picture - students want an e-bay or Amazon experience Students are often not given the Big Picture - students want an e-bay or Amazon experience Students are not actively involved in the whole process Students are not actively involved in the whole process Insufficient feedback that comes too late - & not integral to the learning process Insufficient feedback that comes too late - & not integral to the learning process Limited assessment methods that may not be aligned to LOs Limited assessment methods that may not be aligned to LOs Assessed work bunched towards the end of a semester Assessed work bunched towards the end of a semester Unclear or no specific criteria Unclear or no specific criteria Feedback rather than feed-forward Feedback rather than feed-forward Little value placed on self or peer assessment as a graduate skill Little value placed on self or peer assessment as a graduate skill Too much emphasis on marks at the expense of assessment for learning Too much emphasis on marks at the expense of assessment for learning

5. Skills & Knowledge – Learning Outcomes Timing Clear Criteria Feedback/forward Methods CONSTRUCTIVE ALIGNMENT

6. Skills Audit SkillTaught? Practiced?Assessed?Action Communication - oral and written Team working and interpersonal skills Analysing and solving problems

7. Methods of Assessment Assignments and the learning opportunity they offer Methods of Assessment Assignments and the learning opportunity they offer Communicate information & ideas in other than the written word Become more adept at writing in different forms, formats & genres To understand the benefits & challenges of working collaboratively

8. Methods of Assessment Assignments and the learning opportunity they offer Communicate information & ideas in other than the written word Become more adept at writing in different forms, formats & genres To understand the benefits & challenges of working collaboratively Seminar, poster, video, video conferencing, pod or vodcasts or other multimedia Designs; proposals; book reviews; case reports; web pages; journal articles Group problem solving; joint book reviews; team presentations; role plays; group exhibition

9. Methods of Assessment Essay, essay plan, journal article, book review, exhibition, poster, video, case study, In-tray exercise, dissertation, podcast, vodcast, radio broadcast, lab report, fieldwork report Essay, essay plan, journal article, book review, exhibition, poster, video, case study, In-tray exercise, dissertation, podcast, vodcast, radio broadcast, lab report, fieldwork report Exam – unseen, seen, open, take home Exam – unseen, seen, open, take home Portfolio, reflective journal, individual or group presentation, web design, MCQs, Spreadsheets, project plan, case report, questionnaire, draft and review Portfolio, reflective journal, individual or group presentation, web design, MCQs, Spreadsheets, project plan, case report, questionnaire, draft and review Do you give students a choice of assignments – i.e. say a choice of essay titles to choice from? Or, could they choose to give a presentation or produce a report that would still fulfill the LOs?

10. Being Inclusive Do you ensure your assessment modes, content and delivery allow for cultural and learning differences that enable all your students to contribute to society effectively and inclusively?

11. Providing learning opportunities Do you give your students opportunities to practise a skill or write a draft with feedback (this feedback could come from their peers) (this feedback could come from their peers) before being summatively assessed?

12. Student Diaries What could go in them ? Is the schedule of assignments and the feedback on these assignments made clear to students across the year? Do you provide multiple opportunities for small low stake assessments with feedback? University Of Surrey Timing of Assessments Are they spread throughout the semester? 2009 2010 2011

13. Are your students always clear about your criteria? How can we help to ensure a common understanding? Criteria

14. Do you check that students really understand your criteria?

15. Key issues in feedback Students cant read our writing Students cant read our writing Students only think it is feedback when it is written down Students only think it is feedback when it is written down The feedback given is often not very useful & comes too late The feedback given is often not very useful & comes too late Little or no use is made of peer/self assessment and feedback Little or no use is made of peer/self assessment and feedback Students have little opportunity to collate feedback over time and act upon it Students have little opportunity to collate feedback over time and act upon it Very little use is made of feedback as a normal part of the learning & teaching process Very little use is made of feedback as a normal part of the learning & teaching process Different ways of giving feedback are limited Different ways of giving feedback are limited

16. All I get is a grade next to my matriculation number without any indication on how I am actually doing

17. I got an essay back where the only comment was use a bigger text size, there was nothing on how to improve my grade

18. For a rather lengthy scientific report, the feedback I received consisted of a mere two ticks and a question mark

19. I have never received feedback for any of my exams and this means I dont know how to improve for the third year when the marks really count

20. Dont use bullet points!

21. Students want more useful feedback. The also want more verbal and face-to-face feedback. What can we stop doing to enable this to happen? PODCAST/VODCAST lectures? Why did I get 37% ?

23. When I get to sit down with my tutor and discuss my work – thats probably the best form of feedback I can get

24. We need to explore students expectations of assessment and feedback

25. Inducting students Get students confident with assessing Give students in groups a selection of essays - Excellent, Good, Average & Fail Give students in groups a selection of essays - Excellent, Good, Average & Fail Students decide individually which essay fits into which category and then compares notes in small groups Students decide individually which essay fits into which category and then compares notes in small groups Then get students to tease out the differences & express these differences as criteria Then get students to tease out the differences & express these differences as criteria Students then provide feedback on each piece of work in their groups Students then provide feedback on each piece of work in their groups Students then provide guidelines for effective essay writing Students then provide guidelines for effective essay writing What has each student/group learned? What has each student/group learned?

26. Get students actively involved Use feedback as an integral part of the curriculum In small groups get students to exchange an assessed piece of their work and compare the feedback comments with group members In small groups get students to exchange an assessed piece of their work and compare the feedback comments with group members Do they understand the comments? Do they understand the comments? How would they respond to the comments? How would they respond to the comments? What would they do differently next time if: What would they do differently next time if: a) They re-did the same assignment b) Applied the learning to a new and different piece of work?

27. Quick ways of giving feedback Generic feedback within 24 hours on the VLE Generic feedback within 24 hours on the VLE Face-to-face feedback with the whole group or small groups Face-to-face feedback with the whole group or small groups Peer feedback in groups Peer feedback in groups Use technology - Audacity, Dragon, Statement Banks Use technology - Audacity, Dragon, Statement Banks Self-feedback - help students develop the skills of self reflection Self-feedback - help students develop the skills of self reflection Students want more face-to-face feedback – what can we stop doing to enable this to happen?

28. Understanding...? This report is not logically structured This report is not logically structured This essay is not sufficiently analytical This essay is not sufficiently analytical We need to develop the skills of self- assessment & encourage students to be active in this process We need to develop the skills of self- assessment & encourage students to be active in this process Should we stress self and peer assessment as a graduate skill?

29. Involve the students StudentStaff These are areas of my work which I think are good Please comment on the following areas What I want to improve or do differently next time The mark I think it deserves is

30. USING FEEDBACK TO LEARN LEARNING Most significant feedback comments What did you understand these to mean? ANALYZISING Things that I did that attracted positive comments Things that I did that attracted critical comments Any recurring trends or comments? PLANNING AND FEEDING FORWARD Things I can do to build on the positive feedback Things I can do to address the critical feedback Ref: P Race (2007). How to get a Good Degree

31. A Way Forward The single most important thing for me to keep doing in the future is.. The single most important thing for me to improve in my future work on the basis of this feedback is…

32. Getting students to reflect on their learning Dialogue Starters... How did this essay make you think differently? How did this essay make you think differently? Which part of the assignment do you feel less confident about? Which part of the assignment do you feel less confident about? What was the most challenging part of this assignment? What was the most challenging part of this assignment? Jot down 2 things you have learnt doing this assignment that you did not expect to learn? Jot down 2 things you have learnt doing this assignment that you did not expect to learn? What advice would you give to students doing this assignment? What advice would you give to students doing this assignment? If you were to do this assignment again, what one change would you make? If you were to do this assignment again, what one change would you make? Ref: P Race 2009

33. Hot Ten Tips Help students to want feedback, not just the mark Help students to want feedback, not just the mark Give some feedback quickly Give some feedback quickly Think of a variety of ways of giving feedback + actively involve the students Think of a variety of ways of giving feedback + actively involve the students Have an appropriate balance of formative and summative assessment Have an appropriate balance of formative and summative assessment Link feedback to learning outcomes and criteria Link feedback to learning outcomes and criteria

34. Hot Ten Tips Use feedback as an integral part of your lectures Use feedback as an integral part of your lectures Ensure your feedback includes feed-forward Ensure your feedback includes feed-forward Use self & peer assessment and feedback Use self & peer assessment and feedback Give students practice in understanding and using feedback Give students practice in understanding and using feedback Make feedback interesting and motivational Make feedback interesting and motivational

35. Quality Enhancement? Do you…. review your assessment and feedback practices on an annual basis? review your assessment and feedback practices on an annual basis? seek the views of students on their assessment and feedback practices to ensure continuous improvement by engaging in a dialogue? seek the views of students on their assessment and feedback practices to ensure continuous improvement by engaging in a dialogue? ensure that when changes are made as a result of dialogue that the outcomes are fed back to the students? ensure that when changes are made as a result of dialogue that the outcomes are fed back to the students? engage as a course team in peer observation and in reviewing the feedback that students receive? engage as a course team in peer observation and in reviewing the feedback that students receive? critique your own feedback practices to ensure that it enhances student learning? critique your own feedback practices to ensure that it enhances student learning?

36. Any Questions? Involve your students as active partners in the learning process