Developing Effective Assessment in Higher Education : A Practical Guide

by Bloxham, Sue; Boyd, Pete

• ISBN13: 9780335221080
• ISBN10: 0335221084
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-10-01
• Publisher: Open University Press

Summary

Research, personal experience and student feedback all tell us very forcefully about the significance of assessment in higher education. It shapes the experience of students and influences their learning more than the teaching they receive. Developing effective assessment provides a key best route to improving student achievement. The purpose of this book is to stimulate and support lecturers and other university staff to evaluate and improve their assessment practices. It is distinguished from other assessment texts by attempting to capture and support all elements of the assessment process from planning assignments to final examination board. The book provides concise summaries of relevant research and policy which readers may wish to consider in developing assessment. In particular, it considers how the different purposes of assessment create conflicting demands for staff; often characterised by the tension between attempting to support student learning whilst meeting imperatives for quality assurance and demonstrable maintenance of standards. It debates such issues using concrete examples and offers staff workable solutions.The theoretical debates in early chapters are followed by a central section providing realistic advice for dealing with the day-to-day practice of assessment. These chapters address all elements of the assessment cycle including assessment design, guidance to students, marking, and providing feedback. This section also considers how assessment can be designed and managed to support the achievement of a more diverse student body. Finally, it provides advice on the broader development of assessment including design of programme assessment strategies, diversifying assessment, and use of computer-aided assessment. The book is designed to support busy lecturers, other teaching staff, programme leaders, and academic developers in their efforts to use assessment to improve students' learning as well as to grade them fairly, reliably and efficiently.Educational contexts are too complex to offer specific solutions that will apply in every context; on the other hand holding back from offering practical advice may seem unhelpful to busy academics. This book aims to find a middle way which combines advice with clear summaries of the relevant evidence so that readers can determine the implications for themselves. The advice offered is based on the authors' interpretation of the evidence base, and their extensive experience of teaching, and supporting the professional development of colleagues across a range of subject disciplines.

Author Biography

Sue Bloxham is Professor of Academic Practice and Head of the Centre for Development of Learning and Teaching at the University of Cumbria, England.

Pete Boyd is a Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Development of Learning and Teaching at the University of Cumbria.

Sarah Chesney is Senior Lecturer in E-learning in the Centre for Development of Learning and Teaching at the University of Cumbria.

Andrew Ginty is a Senior Lecturer in Learning & Teaching Development at the University of Cumbria.

Marion Nuttall is the Academic Enhancement Manager at the University of Cumbria.

Table of Contents

Contributors	p. ix
Acknowledgements	p. x
Introduction and Context	p. 1
Introduction	p. 3
The primacy of assessment	p. 3
Assessment pressures and influences	p. 3
Policy	p. 4
Research evidence	p. 5
Why another assessment book?	p. 6
Situated practice	p. 7
Audience	p. 8
Plan of the book	p. 8
How to use this book	p. 10
A note about terminology	p. 13
Conclusion	p. 14
The evidence base for assessment practice in higher education	p. 15
The relationship between assessment and learning	p. 16
The relationship between feedback and learning	p. 20
The validity of assessment tasks	p. 24
Constructive alignment	p. 27
Conclusion	p. 29
The conflicting purposes of assessment	p. 31
Validity	p. 34
Reliability	p. 38
Effectiveness	p. 40
Comparability and consistency	p. 40
Equity	p. 41
Practicability	p. 42
Transparency	p. 42
Attribution	p. 44
Conclusion and possible ways forward	p. 44
Dealing with Assessment	p. 47
Teaching a module: maximising the potential of assessment	p. 49
Assessment basics	p. 49
Assessment and learning	p. 52
Writing assessment tasks	p. 54
Writing examination papers	p. 54
Designing and setting up group assignments	p. 56
Writing assessment criteria and standards	p. 59
Peer and self-assessment	p. 62
Designing tasks to reduce plagiarism	p. 63
When problems crop up	p. 64
Conclusion	p. 65
Preparing students for assessment	p. 66
Introduction	p. 66
What is involved in becoming academically literate?	p. 66
A framework for preparing students for assessment: integrating guidance and feedback	p. 71
Giving explicit information to students	p. 72
Telling what cannot be told: tacit information transfer	p. 74
Conclusion	p. 79
Marking	p. 81
Introduction	p. 81
Marking and marking practices	p. 82
Assessment criteria, grade descriptors and marking schemes	p. 87
Other approaches to improving accuracy of marking	p. 93
Managing your marking	p. 95
Issues in marking	p. 95
Peer marking	p. 97
Marking group assignments	p. 97
Conclusion	p. 102
Providing effective feedback	p. 103
Introduction	p. 103
Timely feedback	p. 104
Written feedback	p. 104
Formative feedback	p. 111
Engaging students with feedback	p. 114
Evaluating the student perspective	p. 116
Conclusion	p. 116
Moderation: towards greater consistency in marking	p. 117
Setting the context	p. 117
Moderation	p. 118
Internal moderation	p. 120
External moderation	p. 123
Conclusion	p. 128
Managing assessment in different roles	p. 129
Introduction	p. 129
Promoting equity	p. 130
Tutor level	p. 130
Module leader level	p. 131
Programme leader level	p. 132
Head of department level	p. 133
Chairs of assessment boards	p. 134
Institutional leadership	p. 135
A note on data protection	p. 137
Conclusion	p. 138
Supporting widening participation through assessment	p. 139
Introduction	p. 139
Widening participation, retention and achievement	p. 140
Using assessment to support retention and achievement	p. 141
Equal opportunities in assessment practice	p. 143
Assessing disabled students and those with specific learning difficulties	p. 146
Assessment and promoting race equality	p. 151
Conclusion	p. 154
Developing Assessment	p. 155
Planning a programme assessment strategy	p. 157
The importance of a programme approach	p. 157
Validation	p. 158
Six steps to an effective programme approach	p. 159
Conclusion: an iterative approach	p. 175
Planning the assessment for a module	p. 176
Introduction	p. 176
Reference points	p. 178
Deciding on the assessment plan	p. 181
Module descriptor template	p. 187
Building in flexibility	p. 188
Conclusion	p. 188
Diversifying assessment methods	p. 189
Introduction	p. 189
Why diversify?	p. 189
Caution	p. 191
Assessment methods	p. 203
Sources of information	p. 204
Conclusion	p. 206
Computer-aided assessment	p. 207
Introduction	p. 207
Benefits of computer aided assessment	p. 209
Challenges of computer aided assessment	p. 210
Online testing	p. 211
Assessing online discussion	p. 213
Group peer assessment software	p. 215
Supporting diverse learners	p. 218
Cheating and plagiarism detection	p. 218
Sources of further information	p. 219
Conclusion	p. 220
Professional development and assessment	p. 221
Introduction	p. 221
Workplace learning	p. 221
Areas for review	p. 226
Conclusion	p. 230
Glossary	p. 232
References	p. 237
Index	p. 257
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