UCL Arena Exchange Seminar
Improving assessment and feedback scores
Improving assessment and feedback scores
Andrew Gardner,
Senior Lecturer in the Archaeology of the Roman Empire
Departmental Tutor, UCL Institute of Archaeology
Rachel Rees,
Programme Tutor for BSc Speech Sciences 2009-13 (followed by Christina Smith)
Programme Tutor for MSc Speech and Language Sciences 2013-present
Division of Psychology and Language Sciences
Assessment and feedback scores, UCL and
the sector 2015
Assessment and feedback
5. The criteria used in marking have been clear in
advance.
6. Assessment arrangements and marking have
been fair.
7. Feedback on my work has been prompt.
8. I have received detailed comments on my work.
9. Feedback on my work has helped me clarify
things I did not understand.
UCL
Sector
avg
RG avg
61
73
69
63
77
72
74
78
77
58
70
67
55
73
65
56
68
63
Archaeology and the sector
5. The criteria used in marking have been
clear in advance.
Archaeology Sector
avg
79
77
6. Assessment arrangements and marking
have been fair.
7. Feedback on my work has been prompt.
92
78
65
70
8. I have received detailed comments on my
work.
73
73
9. Feedback on my work has helped me
clarify things I did not understand.
73
68
Speech Sciences and the sector
Speech
Sciences
92
Sector
avg
77
6. Assessment arrangements and marking
have been fair.
7. Feedback on my work has been prompt.
81
78
75
70
8. I have received detailed comments on my
work.
92
73
9. Feedback on my work has helped me
clarify things I did not understand.
64
68
5. The criteria used in marking have been
clear in advance.
Andrew Gardner
Departmental Tutor
Senior Lecturer in the Archaeology of the Roman
Empire
UCL Institute of Archaeology
Assessment & Feedback in context
Assessment & Feedback in context
5. The criteria used
in marking have
been clear in
advance.
6. Assessment
arrangements and
marking have been
fair.
7. Feedback on my
work has been
prompt.
8. I have received
detailed comments
on my work.
9. Feedback on my
work has helped me
clarify things I did
not understand.
BSc Arch
BA Arch
BA Arch & Anth
80
84
70
90
95
80
80
68
60
90
84
70
90
74
80
ARCLG_SHS response rate = 77%
BSc Arch response rate = 83%
BA Arch response rate = 83%
BA Arch & Anth response rate = 71%
Assessment &
Feedback mechanisms
Assessment &
Feedback mechanisms
Assessment &
Feedback mechanisms
Student Progress
“I would also like to comment on the outstanding system of monitoring
student progress […]. This system of student progress monitoring is
relevant for all of the taught programmes in the Institute of Archaeology. I
was also provided with the template used to monitor student progress,
the UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT PROGRESS FORM. This system is a
model of excellent practice that should be flagged to UCL. The activities
and methods of monitoring have been meticulously planned and provide
fantastic opportunities for students to engage in critical self-reflection,
discuss performance with a member of staff and for year tutors to
carefully monitor progression of students through the degree programme.
I have no doubt that it is these kinds of activities that not only nurture
student progression but are reflected in the attainment levels on modules
and in the NSS results.”
External Examiner 2015
These mechanisms support feedback
which is:
• Timely
• Detailed
• Constructive
• Contextualised
Rachel Rees
Programme Tutor for BSc Speech Sciences 200913 (followed by Christina Smith)
Programme Tutor for MSc Speech and Language
Sciences 2013-present
Division of Psychology and Language Sciences
BSc Speech Sciences
Number
Statement
% Agreeing
5
The criteria used in marking have been clear in
advance.
92
8
I have received detailed comments on my work.
92
9
Feedback on my work has helped me clarify things I
did not understand.
64
BSc Speech Sciences: OPINIO surveys for
individual modules for SAME cohort Yrs 2-4
“I received constructive feedback on my coursework.”
Rated on a 5 point scale:
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neither Agree nor Disagree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
How did responses vary ACROSS modules in
terms of the %s students that agreed?
“I received constructive feedback on my
coursework.”
Year of Module
% Strongly Agree
or Agree
4
94
4
93
3
92
2
81
3
62
2
35
2
32
3
29
2
24
3
14
What is surprising about
these figures?
What could explain it?
What have students said?
What have we
learnt?
• Feedback is “too vague”, “too
broad”.
• Be specific
• “It’s a huge boost to just to be told
‘the way you did X was really
good’. ”
• Be positive and
be specific
about those
remarks too
5
What have students said?
“okay, you didn’t do blah, you didn’t consider
whatever,” and we get told, ‘this is what you
didn’t do,’ but not what to do to fix the problem.
‘So, this is the problem with your coursework,’ but
there’s no kind of action plan or suggestions.”
“ As opposed to saying, ‘oh, you didn’t do enough
with this,’ more kind of,…. ‘in order to do it next
time, you could think about X, Y and Z.”
“I want to know how to get a better grade!”
“I also think that one of the major skills that was
taught us in the course is self-reflection, so, to
give ourselves feedback.”
What have we
learnt?
Provide specific
suggestions for
how to improve
Provide feedback
that can be turned
into an internal
checklist
Hattie and Timperley (2007):
Effective learners have self-regulation strategies.
These are cognitive routines that they can draw on
while preparing work.
If feedback (from others) could more easily be
converted into self-regulation strategies there should
be more carryover to future coursework.
Examples of feedback that ticks the boxes
Rather than:
“Good answer to first viva question”
“Q1: You considered how factors for
prioritisation (e.g. severity, type of
communication difficulty, practical
resources) can interact and gave a
clear practical example of this
(relating to the need for intensive
therapy for severe speech disorders).
• Positive
remark
• Specific
Examples of feedback that ticks the boxes
Rather than:
“You are clearly confused about the X
speech processing model”
“If you revise the difference between
stored motor programs and motor
execution, you could improve the third
hypotheses, which is currently
inaccurate”
• Specific
• More positive
tone
• Suggestion for
action to take
to improve
Examples of feedback that ticks the boxes
Rather than:
“The explanation of your intervention
programme was patchy”
“You teased out most of the clinical
decisions you made but remember to
provide clear rationale for each one”
• Specific
• Suggestion
that could be
converted to
internal
checklist.
Link between internal checklist and marking
criteria?
A+
• Each clinical decision is explicitly described and
backed up with rationale
Marking Criteria
• Specific
• Tried and tested (if possible, marker completes
the coursework and notes what makes a good
piece of work)
• Can be also use as an “internal checklist”
Any questions?
Useful resources
• Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The Power of
Feedback. Review of Educational Research,
77(1), 81–112.