1. 6c Solutions Anne Quinney, CEL Theme Leader for Assessment and Feedback Ann Luce CEL Theme Leader Technology Enhanced Learning
October 2018

2. The context
“Assessment practices in most universities have not kept pace with the vast changes in the context, aims and structure of higher education. They can no longer do justice to the outcomes we expect from a university education in relation to wide-ranging knowledge, skills and employability.”
(Ball et al 2012, p7. A Marked Improvement. HEA)
BU focus on assessment for learning rather than assessment of learning
TEF – reaching for gold

3. Key changes No more than 2 elements of summative assessment
per 20 credit unit*
Formative assessment tasks required*
Maximum of 3,000 words per 20 credit unit*
Dissertations and final year projects can have up to 5,000 words per 20 credit unit.*
Greater diversity of assessment types (including exam types)
Promotion of alternatives to handwritten exams*
NB. Exemptions for PSRB requirements – evidence needed.
Good practice: 3-5 ILOs
PSRB – Professional, Statutory, or Regulatory bodies.

4. Key dates Sept/Oct 2018: Collate changes by Dept. HoD
19th Oct: Teams to provide summary of changes needed to AcQ (programmes with options) HoD and AcQ
Nov: Extraordinary FASECs. DDEs
14th Dec: Deadline for all programmes with options to submit changes to AcQ
Dec/Jan: Documentation checking by AcQ
Feb/March 2019: Extraordinary FASECs. DDEs. 29th March 2019: Deadline for all programmes without options.
April 2019: Documentation checking by AcQ
2019/20 IMP data will be used to review alignment. (in addition to usual programme monitoring procedures)

5. Resources to support Faculties
Revised policy document
Briefing document
Z-leaflet on Assessment &Feedback
CEL Workshops on 6c
LEAP Workshops
*Masterclasses
Assessment & Feedback Toolkit
CEL Blog
50 ways to assess your students
Video resources
Case study resources
Glossary
*Ask Line Manager to request a place.
Learning Excellence Acceleration Programme

6. Supported Activity
Using the resources available in the Assessment & Feedback Toolkit explore alternative assessments to develop alignment with new 6c policy.
The CEL Theme Leaders can help with your plans, as can colleagues in the session today who may have ideas to share.
We strongly recommend that decisions are made at programme level to ensure a balance of assessment types.
Reviewing assessment may lead you to a decision to undertake a more extensive curriculum rewrite.
CEL can offer support for this eg in the form of LEAP workshops.

7. Q and A
Q: I have a lot of ILOs in my unit so need to assess them with more than 2 summative assignments A: They may need to be expressed differently eg more concisely. Best decided by programme teams to ensure unit outcomes align with programme outcomes. Q: The Professional Body requires assessment of a wide range of competencies so we need more than 2 summative assignments. A: Formative assessment could be used or a portfolio of evidence of meeting the competencies – check whether the PSRB requires summative assessment with a mark that contributes to degree classification. Q: The PSRB requires students to be examined in every unit. How many exams can we have? A: BU promotes alternatives to handwritten exams and does not specify how many within a programme. Do check the PSRB wording – other forms of assessment may meet their requirements.

8. Technology-Enhanced Learning
TEL Theme Leader:-
Ann Luce
Learning Developers:- David Biggins and Liz Falconer
Team of Learning Technologists

9. Immediate action/decisions
Programme Teams to review assessment & Feedback and make changes to align with 6c
What could you change…and
how might you go about it?
What would like to find out more
about or try?

10. CEL blog

12. Messages from a major research project
Evidence from 75 undergraduate programmes at 14 UK universities about students’ experiences of assessment and feedback. Using programme audits and student focus groups. Findings: “prevalence of high summative and low formative diets, and disconnected feedback which students find difficult to use”. (Jessop 2017 p49)
Disconnected feedback – that is “episodic and haphazard” p53

13. Her suggestions for change…
Rebalancing the number of formative and summative tasks with greater connections between them
Devising formative assessment tasks valued by staff and students
Designing feedback that feeds-forward
Along with institutional mechanisms “that support principles, evidence-based and programme-focused assessment” (Jessop 2017 p49)

14. Recap: External drivers for assessment and feedback
NSS Scores – Assessment has been the lowest scoring dimension nationally
NSS Questions for Assessment and feedback
The criteria used in marking have been clear in advance.
Assessment arrangements and marking have been fair.
Feedback on my work has been prompt.
I have received detailed comments on my work.
Feedback on my work has helped me clarify things I did not understand.