Using REAP Principles and a Student Timeline to help Ulster staff reflect on their Assessment & Feedback Strategy Enhancing the Student Experience: Project findings Fiona Doherty, Instructional Technologist [email protected]Viewpoints Project, JISC Curriculum Design Programme 1 st May 2009
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Using REAP Principles and a Student Timeline to help Ulster staff reflect on
their Assessment & Feedback Strategy
Enhancing the Student Experience: Project findings
Assessment handbook (Academic Office website) Assessment resources (Staff Dev website) T&L Strategy, STAR & 1st Year Teaching Guidelines
Constructive alignment (Biggs, 1999) Assessment for learning rather than of learning Formative v summative assessment Feedback v feed-forward Assessment & feedback methods Who assess – self, peer, tutor? Discipline specific, level specific
Defining the Student Timeline
Break down and define the student lifecycle based on a typical 3 year undergraduate course at the University of Ulster.
Looking at the Ulster’s Academic Calendar for 09/10 – 11/12. Identifying important points in the student lifecycle, e.g. the first few weeks with regard
to retention. Use generic phases that should map to a majority of courses from a variety of faculties. Semester by semester approach.
0 Wk 1 Wks 2-3 Wks 4-7 Wks 8-12
Exam PeriodInduction Orientation First few weeks Mid-semester Final phase
How to prompt A&F Reflection?
Use of principles/guidelines, such as:
National University of Ulster
Re-Engineering Assessment Practices (REAP) Principles of good formative assessment and feedback.
12 formative assessment principles developed by the University of Strateclyde by the Assessment Working Group. These principles are based on recent research on assessment (Yorke, 1987: Nicol & Macfarlane-Dick 2004, 2006, in press: Boud, 2000: Knight, 2002: Knight and Yorke, 2003), the QAA guidelines on assessment of student learning (2006) and published studies of University policies and practices that are associated with high levels of student success (Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh and Whitt, 2003: Tinto, 1991).
Ulster’s Assessment Handbook (May 2007)
160 page doc – practical guide – intended to promote best practice. Covers many aspects of assessment practice – offers an intro to topics and acts as a key reference doc for policies relating to assessment.
Ulster’s Guidelines for First Year Undergraduate Teaching
Developed alongside the T&L strategy. Section 4 has 4 guidelines relating to Assessment & Feedback.
Chickering & Gamson’s Good Practice in Undergraduate Education
7 principles proposed in the US by Chickering and Gamson (1991) based on their review of good undergraduate education. These principles are a starting point in trying to understand the relationship between the theory and practice of assessment.
Ulster’s STAR Guidelines for the Management of Student Transition
Guidelines for the Management of Student Transition – The STAR Project (Student Transition and Retention), Cook, Rushton, McCormick, Southall (2005).
About the REAP Project & Principles
Re-engineering Assessment Practices (REAP)
REAP Partners include University of Strathclyde, University of Glasgow and Glasgow Caledonian University
Draws on current educational research (Gibb’s & Simpson’s 11 Conditions, Knight & Yorke, Boud)
Emphasis on student responsibility with goal to develop in students the ability to monitor, manage and self-direct their own learning.
11 Principles of good assessment design (7 empower, 4 engage students) 12 Principles for effective assessment and feedback with questions &
implementation techniques (David Nicols, published by QAA)
Principles of Good Assessment Design
"empower" 1. Engage students actively in identifying or formulating criteria 2. Facilitate opportunities for self-assessment and reflection 3. Deliver feedback that helps students self-correct 4. Provide opportunities for feedback dialogue (peer and tutor-
student) 5. Encourage positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem 6. Provide opportunities to apply what is learned in new tasks 7. Yield information that teachers can use to help shape teaching
Principles of Good Assessment Design (cont.)
"engage" 8. Capture sufficient study time and effort in and out of class 9. Distribute students’ effort evenly across topics and weeks. 10. Engage students in deep not just shallow learning activity 11. Communicates clear and high expectations to students.
Adapted from Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick (2006) and Gibbs and Simpson (2004)
Good Practice in Undergraduate Education4. Gives prompt feedback
Ulster’sFirst yearGuidelines
Assessment and feedback Section The assessment strategy needs to be co-ordinated across modules. There should be greater emphasis on formative feedback early in the semester. Marking criteria should be made explicit to students. Feedback should be timely and designed to enhance student progress; feedback
should be forward looking rather than dwelling on past mistakes.
STARGuidelines
Curriculum Development Section Students should receive regular, formative evaluations of their work early in their
course or course component.
How to reuse the REAP Principles?
1. Clarify good performance 7. Develop self-assessment and reflection
2. Encourage time and effort on tasks 8. Provide students with choice
3. Deliver high quality feedback 9. Involve students when developing criteria
4. Provide opportunities to act on feedback 10. Develop learning communities
5. Have a positive impact on learning 11. Motivate students
6. Encourage interaction and dialogue 12. Inform and shape your teaching
A&F Mapping to a Student Timeline
Wks 0 1 2-3 4-7 8-12 13-16
Induction Orientation First few weeks Coursework Exams
Constructively align to the teachingAllow for feedback
discussionFacilitate
reflection and self-assessment
Activate motivation in
students
Clarify expectations
Constructively align to the teaching
Activate motivation in
students
Provide students with choice
Support learning communities
Allow for feedback discussion
Provide students with choice
Involve students in process
Allow for feedback discussion
Support learning communities
Provide students with choice
Involve students in process
Activate motivation in students
Provide students with choice
Involve students in processAllow for feedback
discussion
Provide students with
choiceAllow for feedback
discussionAllow feedback to feed-forward
Criteria
Essential
Desired
Initial concept of a reflective A&F Tool
Initial Feedback on Tool Concept – Ulster Staff
A&F Reflective Task & Questionnaire
Sent to 21 academic staff from a variety of disciplines on 23 April 09
Feedback so far (based on 5 responses) – Found task quite easy and useful Found the principles easy to
understand and comprehensive Helped them reflect on their A&F
strategy
Initial Feedback on Tool Concept – Ulster staff (cont.)
“Allowed me time to think through the assessment processes and my expectations at each stage.”
“It allowed me to consider the student experience of assessment and what assessment should be achieved in the development of the
student.”
“It was very useful reflecting on what the student will be exposed to from initiation to the module right through to assessment.”
“It helped me consider how reflection on assessment could be configured in various stages throughout the module.”
Development Partners/ Stakeholders
Ulster T&L PVC CHEP/Staff Development Quality Management and Audit Unit Co-ordinators of Student Learning Access & Distributed Learning
External REAP Project – David Nicols Other JISC Curriculum projects JISC Cluster – Open University, University of Strathclyde Project Critical Friend – Peter Bullen HE Academy
Development of the A&F Tool
Deliver focus groups & workshops with Ulster staff
Develop from concept to working tool (based on feedback)
Consider – Usability, Outputs, Purpose & Audience
Identify benefits for: Users Learners Institution
Resources
Viewpoints project blog - viewpointsproject.blogspot.com/JISC Curriculum Design Programme
Ulster Assessment Resources - staffdev.ulster.ac.uk/index.php?page=assessmentSTAR Guidelines - ulster.ac.uk/star/resources/star_guidelines.pdfGuidelines for 1st Year Undergraduate Teaching - ulster.ac.uk/star/STARfellows/s0743guidelines.pdfUlster Academic Calendar - ulster.ac.uk/academicservices/student/common/attendance.pdf
Biggs, J. (1999) Teaching for Quality Learning at University. Buckingham: Open University Press/SRHE.
Brown, S. & Knight P. (1994) Assessing Learners in Higher Education. Kogan Page. Ramsden, P. (1992) Learning to teach in higher education London Routledge.