Assessment and feedback practices are highly interconnected. Assessment tasks need to be designed so that students have opportunities to engage in formative (developmental) and summative (linked to a final grade) tasks, along with feedback that will help them to progress in future.
To support students in this regard, Assistant Lecturers (Teaching) require an understanding of how assessment and feedback are integral to learning, and how they can be made relevant, practical, and appropriate for all student, plus an awareness of related quality assurance procedures. Feedback and assessment are often sources of high emotion and anxiety for students; inclusive and thoughtful assessment and feedback practices can help support student learning and enable them to pass first time, on time.
Essential Background
- Activities of particular relevance to the Assistant Lecturer (Teaching) role include:
- Marking and giving feedback.
- Submission and upload of student marks (within Aula, and in accordance with the stipulated turnaround periods).
- Supporting colleagues in presenting data at meetings and committees, as required.
- Supporting moderation and quality assurance of appropriate module assessment (see Policy on the internal moderation of assessments).
- The Assessment and feedback section of the Academic Enhancement and Professional Development (AEPD) website include a wealth of resources on this topic, all of which are worth browsing.
- Get to know Inspera, the institution’s computer based assessment platform. The collection of Inspera articles on the Teaching Knowledge Base provide support and guidance. Regular workshops are available on using Inspera; register via the course booking system.
- The undergraduate Curriculum Transformation Project has introduced more emphasis on diversifying assessment types, including core and course-based assessment. See here for more guidance and support, or watch this video from the Curriculum Development Team
Getting Started
- Discuss the diagram and the toolkit with your line manager to get a greater understanding of how these processes relate to your own course/module(s), and the activities that you will be undertaking in your role.
- The University is committed to practices that enable students to Pass First Time, on Time. Review the guidance here, particularly the practices and examples. Could you apply any of the ideas to your own teaching?
Take it Further
- Several Academic Development workshops focus on assessment and feedback practice including Pass First Time and Developing Assessment Literacy workshops. You can look for upcoming dates, and sign up, via the course booking system.
- Academic misconduct is unfortunately a major issue for the Higher Education sector. Take a look at this resource on Plagiarism and Contract Cheating or this resource on AI and Academic Misconduct to get a feel for some of the key concerns and debates.
- Be aware of the implications of AI for assessment. This is a vast and complex topic, but the materials collated in AI in Learning, Teaching and Assessment at Coventry University Group are a good place to start when considering how AI may impact on your assessment practice.
- Contact details for Academic Conduct Officers, who investigate suspected instances of academic misconduct, can be found on the Academic Integrity Unit page.
Try it Out!
- Think about feedback that you have given, or feedback you have received. How did students use their feedback? How did feedback you received affect your learning?
Finished here?