Assessment and Feedback Programme
(Strand B – Evidence and evaluation)
The Evaluation of Assessment Diaries and GradeMark at the University of
Glamorgan
Aim:
Objectives:
This project will evaluate two assessment and feedback
related innovations currently being used at the
University of Glamorgan, aimed at addressing the issue
of assessment bunching and the issue of poor feedback
to students.
1. Identify baseline data on the assessment and
feedback context before the introduction of the
assessment diaries and GradeMark.
2. Evaluate the impact of Assessment Diaries and
GradeMark on the student experience from the
student perspective.
3. Evaluate the perceived benefits of Assessment
Diaries and GradeMark on the experience of
staff undertaking assessment and feedback.
The two innovations are:
1) Assessment Diaries and 2) GradeMark
Assessment Diaries – what it is?
•The assessment diary is essentially a simple list of module
codes and titles, dates for assessment submission and return.
•This information is posted on the institutions VLE, Blackboard.
In a parallel process, an electronic task list of all hand-back dates
was posted into staff Outlook calendars to alert staff to
impending deadlines.
•The diary uses an in house web-based front end which is
provided within Blackboard.
•The diary can be personalised by selecting modules from a
drop-down menu, giving students and tutors clear, easily
accessible information about when assignments are to be
submitted and returned.
GradeMark – what it is?
GradeMark is an online assessment service developed by Turnitin
that is integrated with Blackboard. Within GradeMark digital
assessment you are able to add comments & provide feedback; read
the Originality report; evaluate the assignment against rubrics; or
pre-set QuickMark comments.
The use of GradeMark is more than simply improving the quality of
feedback, it is seen as a tool that could significantly improve staff
assessment experience by better managing the feedback process
and maintaining a meaningful dialogue with students.
Deliverables:
The main deliverables of this study will be an evaluation in the form of case studies and videos and a written report
from staff and students on the experience and perception of assessment diaries and GradeMark
Project Team: Karen Fitzgibbon, Alice Lau, Cath Jones and Sue Stocking
Contact email: Karen: kfitzgib@glam.ac.uk and Alice : amlau@glam.ac.uk