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, 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 and academic integrity 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 Lecturer (Teaching) role include:
- Marking and giving feedback including submission and upload of student marks (within Aula, and in accordance with the stipulated turnaround periods).
- Coordination of marking teams.
- Presentation of data at meeting and committees.
- Supporting moderation and quality assurance of appropriate module assessment (see Policy on the internal moderation of assessments).
- Developing and supporting students’ assessment literacy.
- 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.
- Apprenticeships require a specific assessment approach. The learner’s knowledge, skills and behaviours are reviewed in a Gateway process before they can progress to take the End Point Assessment. Apprenticeship assessments are linked to a standard assessment plan. See support resources from Better Futures if your course involves apprentices. If they are co-taught with non-apprentices you will need two different assessment approaches.
- 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.
- As part of the University Group Assessment Regulations learning and assessment credits are separated which allows for a more innovative approach to assessment. Core Component Assessment (CCA) allows for assessment on a pass/fail basis, and Applied Core Assessment (ACA) tasks are graded. See the introduction here for more details and support or watch the video below
Getting Started
- Discuss the Asssessment Journey Diagram and the Assessment Design 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. This is likely to involve giving general and specific feedback as well as designing and adapting both core and applied core assessments. For apprenticeships you should consult the apprenticeship assessment brief and Registry guidance on End Point Assessment
- Ensure you understand the difference between core and applied core assessments if they are used in your course.
- 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 our Pass First Time and workshops on assessment literacy. 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, or book onto one of our Designing out Misconduct workshops,
- Contact details for Academic conduct officers, who investigate instances of academic misconduct, can be found on the Academic Integrity Unit page.
- 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.
- If your course includes apprenticeships, connect with employers to ensure you understand how the End Point Assessment connects to workplace skills. Identify your workplace learning advisor- what support do they offer apprentices to enable successful completion of their assessments?
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?
- What opportunities do students have for formative assessment in your modules? How can you help students use this feedback to improve their learning?
- For learners on an apprenticeship course, think about how you could provide feedback on the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours the assessment links to.