1. Assessment, Marking & Feedback
Dr Jenny Marie
With thanks for:
Karen Fraser
Ros Duhs

2. Session Overview
Purposes of assessment How to mark How to give good feedback How to use assessment to improve your teaching
2 mins

3. What is the purpose of assessment?
In small groups discuss the different purposes you think assessment has.
(5 mins)
12 mins

4. Possible purposes of assessment
To award degrees
To provide feedback
To learn the standards expected
To learn from doing the assessment task (or revising)
To assess how the teaching is going
To judge the level at which to pitch teaching

5. Formative & Summative assessment
Summative assessment counts towards final results in relation to learning outcomes Formative assessment does not count towards final course grades, but measures progress and provides students with valuable feedback
16 mins

6. Your experience of assessment
Being assessed as a learner
Any assessment you have done as a teacher
What worked well?
What perhaps didn’t work so well?
(5 mins)
25 mins – Link between slides is fairness…

7. To award degrees…
Summative assessment MUST be:
Valid
Reliable
28 mins

8. Marking Use a marking scheme:
criteria/descriptors should be public
Anchoring – re-mark the first ones again!
Moderation / standardisation?
Dealing with disagreement
Note criteria-based not norm-based marking
Even for problems where right answer – how many marks for correct working to a certain point but wrong end answer???
31 mins

9. ? X To provide feedback…  7/10 How useful is this feedback? 64% Good
This is not analysis
Illogical.
Interesting
Not relevant ? X 
Very good
64%
7/10
33 mins

10. In small groups discuss what you think makes for good feedback.
(5 mins)
43 mins

11. 7 principles of good feedback
1. Facilitates the development of self assessment (reflection) in learning. 2. Encourages teacher and peer dialogue around learning. 3. Helps clarify what good performance is (goals, criteria, expected standards). 4. Provides opportunities to close the gap between current and desired performance. 5. Delivers high quality information to students about their learning. 6. Encourages positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem. 7. Provides information to teachers that can be used to help shape teaching. (Nicol & Macfarlane-Dick, 2007)
46 mins

12. How to give good feedback
Write a brief summary of your view of the assignment Balance negative with positive comments Use constructive criticism to provide positive suggestions for improvement Ask questions which encourage reflection about the work Explain all your comments

13. How to give good feedback
Suggest follow-up work and references Suggest specific ways to improve the assignment Explain the mark or the grade and why it is not better or worse Offer help with specific problems Offer the opportunity to discuss the assignment and your comments.
50 mins

14. To judge the level at which to pitch teaching
Ask them what they need help with (self-assessment)
Quiz
Pre-session work – in VLE or a minute paper
And these can also be used at the end of a session to:
Assess how the teaching is going
Perhaps use post-it notes so don’t have to embarrass themselves or feel like they’re holding everyone else back.
Or in pairs discuss a problem – if partner can’t solve ask you..
Quiz with clickers (personal response systems) – can do with mobile technology these days
Pre-session work on moodle (quiz or minute paper)
55 mins

15. What part of the session did you find most useful?
Text a CODE to Submit responses at PollEv.com Purposes of assessment Marking Feedback Improving teaching through assessment
60 mins

16. Summary Bear in mind why you are assessing
Make sure your marking is valid & reliable
Make feedback motivational & useful (how to improve, further reading…)
Use assessment to improve your teaching
57 mins

17. The HEA Resource Centre