Assessment
This section is about assessment, both formative and summative and is closely linked to the section on Delivery.
The university has clear generic grade descriptors which form the foundation for the assessment of all students in the undergraduate regulatory framework. Each discipline then applies their own specific requirements, and modules will, in turn, provide more explicit information. Generic grades are banded, for examples Grades A+, A, A- (first class honours degree. There are further bands for B, C and D grades, which represent passes. There are also grades for failing work; these are E, F, G, H, NS. E is awarded for a narrow fail and H is awarded when there is no evidence of an attempt to tackle the task(s) set.
The university also provides guidelines for word count which are related to length of examinations and also to the percentage of a module assessment. For each module the assessments can represent up to 4000 words. Therefore an assessment which is 50 percent of the module grade would be 2000 words in length. A module's assessment is also classified as 3 hours. Therefore an examination which will represent 50 percent of a module grade would be for 1.5 hours.
Is that clear? 2000 words = 50% = 1.5 hour exam.
We are encouraged to be innovative in our assessment processes and therefore have a mix of individual and group based work, reports, examinations, presentations, demonstrations and in-module tests. In-house reflection on these processes elicited the responses below:
| Lecturers reported that the following were important for assessment: |
|---|
| self assessment and independence |
| active involvement |
| user centred / profiling |
| peer assessment / group working |
| reflection / evaluation / engagement |
| visual planning / design / documentation |
| knowledge of principles |
| participation |
| implementation |
| theory and application |
| quality |
| formative and summative |
| testing of knowledge /performance / engagement / comprehension |
| feedback |
| Students reported that the following were important for assessment: |
|---|
| Clear instructions |
| Who to ask for further clarification |
| Knowledge of expectations |
| Marking criteria |
| Discussion with other students |
| Tutorial session (personal rather than group) |
| The final grade |
| Feedback report |
There appears to be quite a mismatch. Perhaps this is an area for further research?
