Assessment Design - Briefing Paper
Introduction
Assessment of student learning is probably the
most important thing we do as academics: ‘Get
assessment wrong and you get everything
wrong… Assessment is the most important
single component in student learning’ (Biggs,
1999). Students need assessment to support
them and focus their learning (assessment for
learning), whilst a range of other stakeholders
require the outcomes of the assessment
process to make judgements and decisions
about students, the course, the department and
the institution (assessment of learning).
These guidelines will deal with both these
aspects of assessment, looking at how current
practice might be evaluated and improved – at
the same time as keeping the burden of
assessment
within
manageable
bounds.
Feedback to students is dealt with in a separate
guideline.
Why do we assess?
For the students:
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To provide feedback on learning
To indicate required standards of work and
set expectations
To motivate and encourage
To engage in dialogue with students about
the discipline
assessed coursework are all examples of
formative assessment.
Summative assessment provides a formal
judgement, invariably with a mark attached.
Exams and coursework which contribute to a
final degree classification are both examples of
summative assessments.
Of course, some assessment may be both
formative and summative: assessed coursework
can provide feedback and inform future learning
for students but at the same time result in a
recorded mark that will count towards a final
grade.
Some potential problems with assessment
The way in which courses and modules come
into being can lead to a number of dangers.
Frequently people may think about their own
module but do not necessarily look at the bigger
picture and how the way they assess articulates
with other assessment experiences students are
having. Typical problems in assessment design
are:
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For ourselves, the institution, employers and
others:
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To check students are benefiting from our
teaching
Measure progress of students against
expectations
Part of the process of gate-keeping to the
next stage of study
As a quality assurance indicator
Setting and maintenance of national
standards
Provide evidence for award of a degree or
diploma
Formative assessment is a vital part of the
learning process whereby students can have
feedback and dialogue about their learning
which will feed into later work. Self-assessment
(formal and informal), non-assessed tasks,
Over-assessment leading to an excessive
burden for students and staff
Using a limited range of assessment so that
some skills are repeatedly assessed (e.g.
essay-writing) whereas others (working in
groups, problem-solving) are assessed only
rarely.
Not matching assessment tasks to the
desired learning (e.g. assessing groupwork
skills by essay)
Assessment
which
favours particular
characteristics or approaches to learning
(e.g. assessment only by timed, end-ofmodule tests may put non-native English
speakers at a disadvantage)
Evaluating your current approaches
A well-designed assessment strategy will have
the following characteristics:


Be designed in such a way that the total
assessment experience of students is
coherent, timely, meaningful, realistic, and
stimulates, motivates and contributes to
learning
Provide meaningful feedback to staff on
students’ achievements and development
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Match assessment tasks to desired learning
outcomes
Be balanced between the need for
assessment of and for learning
Demonstrate progression so that students
are challenged at increasingly sophisticated
levels as they progress through their studies
Recognise the range of student abilities and
preferences by providing a rich mixture of
assessment experiences and choices of
method where appropriate
From the staff perspective, recognise
constraints of time, issues of plagiarism, and
accountability within and outwith the
institution (eg to employers, professional
bodies etc)
Although we regularly formally evaluate our
teaching, we rarely do the same with our
assessment approaches.
Indeed, course
evaluation is often undertaken before students
can comment on the full range of the
assessment they are required to do: how often
do we ask about experience of exams, for
example?
So how can you evaluate how assessment
strategies are impacting on students? Here are
some suggestions taken from the Integrative
Assessment project (QAA 2007):
1. Plug gaps in monitoring students'
experiences
eg ask students about their experiences of
exams and tests, the consistency of
feedback and marking, the weighting of
different kinds of assessment, how different
types of assessment compare with one
another.
2. Tap into their wider assessment
experiences
eg ask questions about their experiences
across
modules/course
units,
across
different years/levels of study, or different
subject areas.
3. Combine questionnaires with other
methods like focus groups or Blackboard
discussion sites.
4. Focus in on changes in assessment
practices or procedures
eg ask students to comment on how they are
affected by changes in procedures or
methods.
5. Ask different kinds of questions
eg what one thing would really improve how
your work as a student is assessed?
6. Rethink when to ask students for their
views
eg carry out a brief survey mid-term or midsemester, while there is still time to address
major concerns.
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Review what background information you
ask of students
eg have they studied the subject before, and
how well they did; are they likely to take
further courses in the future; do they live
on/off campus; do they have a job in termtime; do they come from an Englishspeaking background?
8. Focus in on areas of known student
concern
eg where past evaluations have indicated
student discontent with the provision of
guidance and feedback.
9. Survey staff as well as student
experiences
and
perceptions
of
assessment particularly where teaching and
assessment responsibilities are spread
across a large and diverse course team.
You might also use existing data to draw
conclusions about the effects of assessment
approaches or what the results of summative
assessment can tell you about your teaching.
Using a range of valid, reliable
stimulating assessment: Examples
and
Assessment methods need to align with
intended learning outcomes and fit well with
teaching approaches – what Biggs refers to as
‘constructive alignment’ (Biggs, 1999). Methods
must also be fair and make sense to students –
e.g. it is not helpful if the first time a student has
to be assessed on a particular topic is in the
exam.
Although most people have clear
assessment criteria for pieces of work, it is
important to remember that students need help
in interpreting what these mean.
Essays: try a three-stage process where
students submit a draft, a bibliography and then
a full essay. (McCreery, 2005).
Portfolio:
students following a course in
Translation and Interpretation at the University
of Hong Kong submit a portfolio, consisting of
seven types of documents which touch on the
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main issues covered in the module, as evidence
of their learning on the course. (Mak, 2006)
Independent
research:
Final
year
undergraduates in science and technology at
University College London carry out an
independent research project, then submit an
essay and their research methods and materials
before sitting an exam which tests their
understanding of one another’s work. (Chang,
2005)
Web pages: At the University of Strathclyde
postgraduate students on the Energy Systems
and Environment programme present a group
project as a web page in the form of a logbook.
(Stefani, 2002)
At Lancaster University
undergraduate history students produce web
pages as part of the assessment for their
degree.
The section about the history of
Lancaster University on its home page is an
example of this:
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/unihistory/
(Winstanley, last accessed Feb 2007)
Peer assessment: sports studies students at St
Martin’s College were involved in an exercise
where they used tutor-generated assessment
criteria to evaluate their peers’ work, but were
also assessed by their tutors on the marking and
feedback comments they proposed for their
fellow students. (Bloxham & West, 2004)
Blending a range of assessments to promote
deep learning: on the MSc in Interprofessional
Studies at the University of Wales Institute
Cardiff assessment is via a group task
comprising a group portfolio, a joint
presentation, an individual essay and peer
review. (Connor, 2005)
Links
Most of the above examples are taken from the
four guides produced by the Integrative
Assessment enhancement theme project:
www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk
Other sources
Knight, P. (2001) Skills plus: employability and
assessment
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/documents/paper4
.rtf
Higher Education Academy case
resources database:
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/4908.htm
study
What to do now?
1. Using the Planning Tool, work out what
currently goes on in your assessment on
your course.
2. Decide which other approaches and
methods would work in your subject area.
3. Plan how they will map across the course,
developing graduate attributes at each level.
4. Make sure that the approach is explicit and
understood by students and colleagues:
they are more likely to engage with tasks if
they can see the point of them.
Computer-aided assessment: students on the
Labour Economics and Education Economics
course at Lancaster University can monitor their
own progress by using interactive quizzes:
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/people/ecagj/quizzes1.ht
ml (Johnes, last accessed Feb. 2007)
E-feedback: A book publisher’s system,
Mastering Physics (MP) was implemented in the
School of Physics at the University of Sydney to
deliver
assignment/tutorial
questions
to
students. The MP offers immediate feedback ad
marking to students, and reduces copying of
assignment since all students must complete the
assignment under their own login. (O’Byrne,
2006)
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