1. Enhancing assessment and feedback: an evidence-based response
Chris Rust
Deputy Director
ASKe Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
(Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange)
Head, Oxford Centre for Staff & Learning Development
Oxford Brookes University
ASKe Directorate:
Margaret Price, Jude Carroll, Berry O’Donovan and Chris Rust

2. Programme 1.15 Coffee 1.30 Welcome and introduction 1.35 Activity
1.50 Tacit knowledge & the social-constructivist assessment
process model
2.10 Student engagement with criteria
2.30 Feedback - the issues
2.45 Activity - 7 conditions
2.55 Improving feedback - preparing students
3.05 Activity
3.20 Improving feedback - making it fit for purpose
3.40 Activity
4.10 The rest of the cycle
4.20 Summation & evaluation
4.30 End
Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange

3. Three main points from the literature
Assessment and feedback are key drivers of student learning
Current assessment and feedback processes are often not effective
There is lots of useful and evidence-based meta-level advice in the literature plus a plethora of articles on successful practice.
Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange

4. Focus of ASKe
Communicating and engaging students with assessment requirements: standards, criteria and feedback
A key issue in assessment is that students often do not understand what is a better piece of work and do not understand what is being asked of them particularly in terms of standards and criteria (O’Donovan et al., 2001)
Feedback is also often not understood (Lea and Street, 1998), often considered too vague (Higgins, 2000) and the language complex and subject to interpretation (Lea and Street, 1998; Ridsdale 2003)
Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange

5. Activity
Two students are given the same written assessment task (e.g. an essay in your discipline). In the tutor feedback on the task both students are congratulated on producing a ‘highly analytical’ piece of work. One student is a postgraduate, the other a first year undergrad.
Does the term ‘highly analytical’ mean something different at these two levels? And, if so, what is the difference? How do you explain to students the standard of work expected?
Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange

6. Making meaning requires explicit and tacit knowledge
Meaningful understanding of standards requires both tacit and explicit knowledge (O’Donovan, B., Price, M., & Rust, C., 2004)
“we can know more than we can tell” (Polanyi, reprinted 1998, p.136).
Verbal level descriptors are inevitably ‘fuzzy’ (Sadler 1987)
There is a cost (in terms of time and resources) to codifying knowledge which increases the more diverse an audience’s experience and language (Snowdon, 2002).
Tacit knowledge is experience-based and can only be revealed through the sharing of experience – socialisation processes involving observation, imitation and practice (Nonaka, 1991)
‘making sense of the world’ is seen as a social and collaborative activity (Vygotsky, 1978).
Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange

7. Social-constructivist view of assessment
So what are we bringing to the party?
Social-constructivist view of assessment
the social-constructivist view of learning argues that knowledge is shaped and evolves through increasing participation within different communities of practice
the social-constructivist process model of assessment argues that students should be actively engaged with every stage of the assessment process in order that they truly understand the requirements of the process, and the criteria and standards being applied, and should subsequently produce better work
(Rust C., O’Donovan, B., & Price, M., 2005)
Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange

8. Students Explicit Criteria Active Active engagement with feedback
with criteria
Active
engagement with feedback
Students
Completion and
submission of work
Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange

9. Students Explicit Criteria Active Active engagement with feedback
with criteria
Students
Completion and
submission of work
Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange

10. Marking exercise Cohort 1 (99/00) 59.78 54.12
Immediate results participants av. mk non participants av. mk.
Cohort 1 (99/00)
Cohort 2 (00/01)
Cohort 3 (01/
Results 1 year later
Cohort
Cohort
Rust, C., Price, M & O’Donovan, B.(2003) "Improving students’ learning by
developing their understanding of assessment criteria and processes”
Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, Vol. 28, No. 2
Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange

11. Students Explicit Criteria Active Active engagement with feedback
with criteria
Active
engagement with feedback
Students
Completion and
submission of work
Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange

12. Potential of feedback
Feedback is the most powerful single influence that makes a difference to student achievement
Hattie (1987) - in a comprehensive review of 87 meta-analyses of studies
Feedback has extraordinarily large and consistently positive effects on learning compared with other aspects of teaching or other interventions designed to improve learning
Black and Wiliam (1998) - in a comprehensive review of formative assessment
Students are hungry for feedback to develop their learning
(Higgins et al, 2002)
Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange

13. Retention and feedback
The number of opportunities available for feedback is an important variable in non-completion of students in the early years of study
(Yorke, 1999)
Where students are uncertain about their ability to succeed, formative feedback is of particular importance
(Yorke & Longden, 2004)
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14. Unhelpful feedback (Maclellan, 2001) Too vague (Higgins, 2000)
Feedback problems
Unhelpful feedback (Maclellan, 2001)
Too vague (Higgins, 2000)
Subject to interpretation (Ridsdale, 2003)
Not understood (e.g. Lea and Street, 1998)
Don’t read it (Hounsell, 1987)
Damage self-efficacy (Wotjas, 1998)
Has no effect (Fritz et al, 2000)
Seen to be too subjective (Holmes & Smith, 2003)
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15. 11 conditions under which assessment supports learning 1 (Gibbs and Simpson, 2002)
Sufficient assessed tasks are provided for students to capture sufficient study time (motivation)
These tasks are engaged with by students, orienting them to allocate appropriate amounts of time and effort to the most important aspects of the course (motivation)
Tackling the assessed task engages students in productive learning activity of an appropriate kind (learning activity)
Assessment communicates clear and high expectations (motivation)
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16. 11 conditions under which assessment supports learning 2 (Gibbs and Simpson, 2002)
5 Sufficient feedback is provided, both often enough and in enough detail
6 The feedback focuses on students’ performance, on their learning and on actions under the students’ control, rather than on the students themselves and on their characteristics
7 The feedback is timely in that it is received by students while it still matters to them and in time for them to pay attention to further learning or receive further assistance
8 Feedback is appropriate to the purpose of the assignment and to its criteria for success.
9 Feedback is appropriate, in relation to students’ understanding of what they are supposed to be doing.
10 Feedback is received and attended to.
11 Feedback is acted upon by the student
Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange

17. Improving feedback - prepare students (in Yr 1 esp.)
Aligning expectations (of staff & students, & between teams of markers)
- often a mismatch of expectations e.g correcting errors, advice for the future, diagnosis of general problems, comments specific only to that piece of work. These mismatches occur frequently with no particular pattern about who holds which view/perspective but problems arise when the the two don't coincide. Purpose of feedback may vary from assignment to assignment so would need to be clarified each time. (Freeman & Lewis, 1998)
Identifying all feedback available
Model the application of feedback
- e.g. using previously-marked assignments to show how feedback was used to improve later assignments
Encourage the application of feedback
- e.g. in a subsequent piece of work the student is required to show how they have used prior feedback to try to improve their work and some marks allocated for this.
Require and develop self-assessment
it is the interaction between both believing in self-responsibility and using assessment formatively that leads to greater educational achievements
(Brown & Hirschfeld, 2008)
Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange

18. Which of these ideas could you introduce, or develop further, and how?
Activity
In 3’s, discuss:
How do you currently prepare students to understand and engage with feedback?
Which of these ideas could you introduce, or develop further, and how?
Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange

19. Improving feedback - ensure it is fit for purpose
Ensure students have MOM - Motive, Opportunity, Means (Angelo, 2007)
Draft-plus-rework - feedback effort (for markers and students) is located at the draft stage, and possibly only a summative grade is given for the final submission
Improve the linkage of assessment strategies across programmes and between modules/units
Increase student engagement and understanding through dialogue - in-class discussion of exemplars, peer-review discussions supported by tutors, learning-sets, etc.
Identify what is feasible in a given assessment context - written feedback can often do little more than ‘diagnose’ development issues and then direct students to other resources for help and support
Ensure it is timely - ‘quick and dirty’ generic feedback, feedback on a draft, MCQs & quizzes, etc. (using technology may help)
Consider the role of marks - they obscure feedback
Reduce over-emphasis on written feedback - oral can be more effective (McCune, 2004). But individual F2F can be resource intensive
Review resource allocations (N.B. OU 60%)
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20. Activity Individually:
Choose one or more specific ideas to improve feedback that you think you could use. In as much detail as possible, identify how you would put the idea/s into practice.
In pairs:
Take it in turns to explain your plans to your partner. The job for the listener is to be a friendly and constructive critic
Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange

21. 7 principles of good feedback practice (Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick, 2006)
helps clarify what good performance is (goals, criteria, expected standards)
facilitates the development of reflection and self-assessment in learning
delivers high-quality information to students about their learning
encourages teacher and peer dialogue around learning
encourages positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem
provides opportunities to close the gap between current and desired performance
provides information to teachers that can be used to help shape the teaching
Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange

22. Staff Students Tutor discussion of criteria Assessment design
& development of explicit criteria
Staff
Assessment guidance to staff
Marking and moderation
Explicit Criteria
Active
engagement
with criteria
Active
engagement with feedback
Students
Completion and
submission of work
Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange

23. Staff Students Tutor discussion of criteria Assessment design
Rust C.,O’Donovan B & Price., M (2005)
Tutor discussion of
criteria
Assessment design
& development of explicit criteria
Staff
Assessment guidance to staff
Marking and moderation
Explicit Criteria
Active
engagement
with criteria
Active
engagement with feedback
Students
Completion and
submission of work
Assessment Standards Knowledge exchange