1. Welcome

2. First Year Assessment ReDesign – A Programme Approach Galvin, Á, O’Neill, G, Noonan, E, Jennings, D. University College Dublin

3. Introduction Evaluation of a programme approach to the review and re-design of first year assessment to achieve effective learning and students engagement, while still being efficient to staff. Central strand of a wider strategic initiative – Focus on First Year –… “to foster early and lasting student engagement”. (UCD Education Strategy, 2009-2014)

4. Literature Review Curriculum Design & Programme Mapping …importance of addressing assessment from a strategic perspective (Knight, 2000) …efficiency of the programme approach & importance of alignment of assessment with programme philosophy, outcomes & GAs, i.e. curriculum mapping (Fink, 2003; Ornstein & Hunkins, 2009; Wiggins & McTighe, 2005) Curriculum change processes …clear sense of purpose, strong leadership & local ownership – all important factors in successful curriculum change initiatives (Blackmore & Kandiko, 2012; Dempster et al, 2012) …“discipline-based department teams rather than individuals can be strategic targets for effective change” (Healy et al, 2013: p.42)

5. The UCD 1 st Year Module and Programme Design Principles

6. Project Personnel: Dean, Programme Lead, Stage Coordinators Project Personnel: Prog. Leaders, Stage & Module Coordinators Workshop A: Articulation of Programme & Stage Outcomes Workshop A: Articulation of Programme & Stage Outcomes Workshop B: Mapping Programme Outcomes to assessment activities and identifying opportunities and issues Workshop B: Mapping Programme Outcomes to assessment activities and identifying opportunities and issues Workshop C: 1 st Assessment Redesign against UCD Assessment Principles Workshop C: 1 st Assessment Redesign against UCD Assessment Principles Equivalence document Specific Assessment ReDesign workshops Project Methodology

7. 7 Develop a coherent approach to use of assessment – mapping assessment to programme outcomes at each Stage

8. Research Methodology (I) Face-to-face interviews with individual Programme Leaders (n=7) – a representative from each of five participating programmes was interviewed Focus: – Reflections on the project process – Extent to which project objectives were achieved – Analysis of changes to assessment

9. Research Methodology (II) Online survey circulated to First Year Module Coordinators (n=35) 22 MCs completed survey (62% response rate), representing 31 (76%) of modules in the project Focus: Extent & nature of planned changes to assessment, aligned with first year design principles

10. Research Results: Programme Leaders’ Perspective Motivation for getting involved Existing interest/concern/need Programme Dean was the main driver Strengths of the project process Flexible & adaptable approach – customised to local needs The workshops – well structured/outcomes orientated/efficient The role of T&L facilitators – ‘outside’ perspective & new ideas Measuring the success of the project Examples of changes to 1 st Year assessment cited, e.g. Assessment FOR learning; some revision to weighting, timing & quantity BUT query around the extent of changes implemented – radical revision of Stage 1 had not occurred (yet) Articulation of programme & stage outcomes – highly valued New stage 1 ‘concept’ module introduced

11. I think the fact that they were adaptable was very important, a real strength The mapping exercise was very useful…it highlighted the kinds of demands on students & ‘bunching’ of assessments So if there is someone watching from outside it’s always interesting, because first of all they tidy up what you’re doing and make sense of it, and second of all they point out to you things that are invisible to you because you are ‘native’. We knew already there were a couple of modules that we weren’t completely happy with the mode of assessment, and we have restructured those as a result of going through assessment redesign. Change takes time – at least two-three years. The more we zoned in on the first year modules and what we would do differently it felt like the law of diminishing returns. The ‘big picture’ programme stuff was great, but when it came to ‘just change that bit in that module’, it was like ‘so what’. Research Results: Programme Leaders’ Perspective

12. Research Results: Module Coordinators’ Perspective Assessment Design PrinciplesW*N **% Consider the demands of other parallel modules in the stage when planning my assessments 341464% Reduce assessment work-load for staff, i.e. attention to word-count, reducing number of submissions 331150% Design a more efficient & effective sequencing of the learning & assessment activities 301045% Reduce assessment workload for students, i.e. reduce number & size of assessment tasks 30836% Allow more assessment FOR learning opportunities, i.e. in/out of class activities where the primary focus is to allow students get feedback on their progress 301256% Introduce more authentic assessment28941% Develop multiple opportunities for collaborative learning25732% Create more time for introducing learners to key challenging discipline or subject concepts 24732% W* = Weighting to include the amount (a little, a lot); N** = Number of MCs who applied this principle to their module(s)

13. Research Results: Module Coordinators’ Perspective Strong focus on ‘efficiency’ of assessment – 14 MCs (64%) planned to ‘considering the demands of other parallel modules when planning their assessments’. Assessment FOR learning opportunities planned by 12 MCs (56%) – In-class quizzes, in-class discussion groups, in-class group work (despite large class sizes) – Online formative MCQs & problem-solving activities

14. Discussion & Conclusions Some areas of consistency, as well different emphasis, emerged from the two data sets Positive feedback on curriculum mapping tool Key success factors of project: – Macro approach to curriculum change involving wider community of colleagues in collaborative process – Flexible & adaptable approach – Workshop format was both effective & efficient

15. Key Recommendations Programme review process is transferrable to other strategic projects Striking the balance between the long-term impacts of a more strategic approach versus the achievement of immediate module-level changes - local priorities will be key driver Further research on the curriculum mapping tool needs to be carried-out & disseminated

16. …..“learner centred, evidence informed design, developed in the peer-supported environment, is fundamental to successfully embedding new modes of delivery to pedagogic innovations.” (Dempster et al, 2012, p.135)