Principles of Assessment and
Assessment Policy
Author
Equality Impact
Assessed by
Approved by
Approval date
Review date
Version
Document type
Activity/Task
Document location
Linked documents or
legislation
Director of Teaching and Learning Enhancement
Pending
Senate
30 April 2014
30 April 2016
v2.0
Policy and guidance
Assessment
NetTLE intranet pages
QAA Quality Code Chapter B 6 (2013), SCQF Level Descriptors (2012), Internal
Moderation Practice Guidance
Purpose
The purpose of this document is to ensure that the university’s assessment policies, practices and
procedures for all taught programmes (undergraduate and postgraduate) align with a common set
of principles, agreed standards and expectations.
Assessment definitions
The QAA Quality Code Chapter B6 on the “Assessment of students and the recognition of prior
learning” sets out the purposes of assessment being two fold; to aid student learning and to
measure student performance of learning outcomes leading to grades towards academic credit
and award.
Formative assessment is defined as assessment for learning. It has a developmental purpose
and is designed to help learners learn more effectively by giving them feedback on their
performance and on how they can improve. Formative assessment does not contribute to a
module mark or programme’s final award.
Summative assessment is defined as “assessment of learning” although it may have a
subsidiary formative purpose. It is used to measure the extent of learner’s success in meeting
the intended learning outcomes of a module or a programme. Units of summative assessment
contribute to the final marks or grades of a module or a programme’s final award. It is important
to recognise that not all learning at University can, or even needs to be summatively assessed.
Abertay University Principles of Assessment
The principles below should guide our assessment practices across the University. The
development of these principles has been informed by the QAA Quality Code Chapter B 6
(2013)[1] and the revised SCQF Level Descriptors (2012)[2] and they align with the principles of the
University’s timetabling policy. These principles of assessments are reference points rather than
prescriptions. That is, assessment and feedback practices, policies and procedures should not
contradict the spirit of the ten principles.
Assessment and feedback practices, policies and procedures across the university
should:
1. Improve student learning.
2. Motivate students towards higher achievement.
3. Recognise and reward achievement.
4. Reflect Abertay’s Graduate Attributes.
5. Be inclusive, equitable, consistent and appropriate.
6. Be fair to students and staff in terms of workload.
7. Be clearly understood by students and assessors.
8. Be progressive in terms of level.
9. Help to prepare students for life.
10. Reflect breadth and totality of student learning.
[1]
Available at http://www.qaa.ac.uk/publications/informationandguidance/pages/quality-code-b6.aspx
http://www.scqf.org.uk/content/files/SCQF%20Revised%20Level%20Descriptors%20-%20Aug%202012%20%20FINAL%20-%20web%20version.pdf
[2]
Guidelines for practice must take into account the following (in no particular order of importance):
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Congruence, fit and synergy with the principles above
Compatibility with the academic calendar
Exposure of students to different modes of assessment
Avoidance of bottlenecks and bunching
Progressive, as dictated by the appropriate SCQF level.
Structure, function and purpose of the mid-term feedback week
Timeliness and quality of feedback (and feedforward) to students
Consideration of overall assessment load for students and staff; we are aiming for a
reduction. Schools should issue guidance on load per assessment unit.
Team assessment, taking into account marking schedules and moderation
Match between module and programme assessment strategies.
Assessment Policies
Feedback turnaround
1) Feedback1 to students for all assessments (summative or formative) submitted up to
week 13 of a term is to be given within 10 working days2, without compromising the
quality of feedback. For assessments to be submitted within weeks 14 and 15 of each
term, feedback to students is to be given within 15 working days3.
2) Module and programme assessments should be planned well in advance to enable these
deadlines to be met, bearing in mind items 3-7 (see below) and issues such as workload
planning, team assessment etc. In rare cases (e.g. staff illness), where a module leader
has determined that the feedback deadline cannot be met, he or she must seek approval
for a short extension from both the head of School and the Vice Principal (Academic). If
such approval is granted, students must be informed about the revised deadline.
3) The mid term Feedback week in each term (week 7) activities must be self-contained
within week 7 and formative feedback to students ought to be given within week 7.
Number and types of Assessments per module
4) There should be a maximum of two units of summative assessment per 15 and 20 credit
module and three per 30 credit module.
5) There is no limit to the number of formative assessments for any module and it is
essential that students receive formative feedback and feedforward throughout the
academic year, not just during the Structured Feedback week (week 7).
6) Summative assessments within modules should be sufficiently spaced (normally at least
three weeks apart - see also point 13 below).
7) Programme teams must produce an assessment matrix that demonstrates minimisation
of bunching and use of a variety of assessments which encourage active, deeper student
learning.
8) All assessments must be completed by the end of week 15 of each term.
1
Defined as written or recorded AV feedback plus provisional grade.
As defined by the Academic Calendar.
3
The longer deadline for end of term assessments is in recognition that feedback on completed modules is less
time-critical.
2
Mid term Feedback weeks
9) Mid term week 7 activities are to be designed to provide students with an opportunity to
make sense of their learning in their modules to that point in the term in a holistic way.
To that end, students will be required to undertake a short activity where their
performance will be used as a basis for feedback and feedforward.
10) All module leaders must design activities for their students in week 7 and inform
students at the beginning of each term.
11) The emphasis of feedback week activities is feedback and feedforward, however, a
summative component of assessment is permitted, if appropriate.
12) Staff will be provided with more detailed guidance and examples of “what works”.
13) A targeted programme of supplementary School and university-wide activities to aid
students’ engagement with feedback more generally, reflection and personal
development will be offered in partnership with the Student Association.
14) It should also be borne in mind that although week 7 will operate throughout the
university and operate for all students, it will be important for students to be given
feedback and feed forward as part of normal term time teaching, not just in week 7 of
each term. Seeking opportunities for embedding similar such activities in normal term
time outwith week 7 is encouraged (link with point 1) above).
15) Module activities should be scheduled to coincide with student timetables, in line with
the principles of the University’s timetabling policy. It is recognised, however, that some
changes to scheduling may be inevitable due to the nature of an activity and these will be
detailed in the finalised University timetable.
Revision weeks
16) There should be no teaching of new material during the Revision week (week 14) of each
term, however, module leaders should maintain students’ learning workload. Lectures
and tutorials should be used to facilitate revision/ learning for students and students’
independent learning is also expected.
Moderation
17) Internal moderation (see accompanying Internal Moderation Practice Guidance for
definitions and practice) will be carried out on all assessments at levels 9 and above.
Internal moderation must be documented to enable the External Examiner(s),
Assessment Boards, Heads of School, Heads of Division and any other external audiences
to feel assured that internal moderation takes place and is consistent.
18) All examination papers and class tests at levels 9 and above must be pre-moderated, as
must all coursework instruments of assessment at levels 9 and above.
19) All examination scripts at levels 9 or above must be moderated by sample moderation.
All coursework submissions at levels 9 and above must be moderated by sample
moderation. The exception to this is dissertations/final year projects which should be
double blind marked and/or assessments/examinations with Professional, Statutory and
Regulatory Body (PSRB) requirements which may be second marked or double-blind
marked depending on the PSRB requirements.
20) Internal moderation of student work is not normally required for resits.
Electronic Management of Assessment (EMA)
21) All students’ courseworks are to be submitted electronically only.
22) Feedback by staff to students must be provided electronically rather than handwritten.
Electronic feedback may be text or a voice recording.
23) Student coursework submissions and staff feedback will be available to External
Examiners who have access to Blackboard modules and e-portfolio workspaces.
24) All text based coursework from all students within a cohort must be checked using text
matching software e.g. Turnitin or Blackboard Safe Assign.
25) Students should be able to view their originality report and be able to re-submit up to
the due date.
26) Staff should make every effort should to verify the originality of coursework supplied in
alternative formats, for example, video.
Version Control Table
Version
number
v1.0
Purpose / Changes
Author
Date
Revised Policy approved by Senate 30 April,
prepared to publish on intranet
Director of
Teaching &
Learning
Enhancement
Director of
Teaching &
Learning
Enhancement
Director of
Teaching &
Learning
Enhancement
6 August
2014
v1.1
Addition of EMA paragraph
v2.0
Policy updated for 2015/16
17 Sept
2014
5 Aug
2015