L&T Conference Programme 2010

Enhancing Learning and Teaching Through Assessment and Feedback

Swap Shop University of Chichester 25 May 2010

www.chiuni.ac.uk/swapshop

Welcome While integral elements of the student experience in Higher Education, assessment and feedback are consistently highlighted as areas of improvement in the National Student Satisfaction Survey. The aim of this ‘swap-shop’ is to showcase examples of current practice in assessment and feedback to enhance learning and teaching from across a wide range of subject disciplines.

Key Note Speakers Professor Brenda Smith Brenda is Senior Associate at the Higher Education Academy and a freelance Higher Education Consultant. Prior to this she was Assistant Director at the Higher Education Academy. Brenda is the initiator and leader of the successful Change Academy programme that is now in its sixth year.

Brenda has been actively involved in assessment, feedback and the Burgess agenda, the Scottish Quality Enhancement agenda, the Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning initiative, student engagement and the analysis of the Welsh institutional Learning and Teaching Strategies.

She has run conferences, given keynote presentations and 24 hour events for HEIs that have included both staff and students, knowing that students can act as key change agents in helping staff to reflect on and enhance their practice. Brenda is a member of the international committee for the journal Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education and a past Executive member of the Professional and Organisational Development Association (POD) in America.

Brenda has acted as a consultant in many different countries including Sweden, South Africa, Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Azerbaijan, America, Lithuania, Colombia, the West Indies, Ethiopia and Malaysia. Brenda has written widely on learning, teaching and assessment.

Session Abstract The presentation will emphasise assessment for learning rather than of learning. It will explore how to embed feedback as an integral part of the learning & teaching process by encouraging the active engagement of students in the whole process of assessment and feedback to enhance their learning.

Professor Jenny Anderson Professor Jenny Anderson was Director of a three year project about innovative assessment. She has worked and taught in the areas of sport, leisure and tourism, and is now Dean of Business, Sport and Enterprise at Southampton Solent University.

Session Abstract The presentation outlines some key findings from a 3 year FDTL5 funded project at three Southern universities. The aim of the project was to enhance the student experience by developing creative and inclusive forms of assessment which do not rely soly on the written word. The presentation will include an overview of research into student and staff views of assessment, an audit of assessment in sport, leisure and tourism and lessons learnt about encouraging change.

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University of Chichester

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Key Note Speakers Aaron Porter Aaron Porter was re-elected as the Vice-President (Higher Education) for the National Union of Students to serve a second term which is due to end in June 2010. In this post, Aaron is responsible for leading representation and campaigns for students in UK higher education. Alongside this role, Aaron is also a Non-Executive Board Director for the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA), the European Students’ Union (ESU) and observer to the Board for the United Kingdom Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA). He is also on the Academic Council of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), the National Student Survey Steering Group, the Burgess Implementation Steering Group and the HEFCE Online Learning Taskforce.

Prior to this, Aaron graduated with a BA English from the University of Leicester in 2006, and then spent 2 years as a sabbatical officer and trustee of the Students’ Union. During this time he was the Deputy Chair and a member of the Board for NUS Services Ltd, the commercial arm of NUS. He also founded and was elected as the first Chair of Unions94 (the Student Unions of the 1994 Group of Universities) and chaired the Student Loans Company Student Consultative Group. As a student, Aaron was editor of ‘The Ripple’ the student newspaper for the University of Leicester.

Session Abstract The presentation wil provide a student view on feedback on assessment in 21st UK Higher Education. and outline the 10 principles of good feedback as devised by NUS. The presentation will also reflect on research which has been conducted into student perspectives and opinions on the current provision of feedback, and what students would like to receive.

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University of Chichester

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Programme Outline 9.15am

Coffee and Registration Venue: Cloisters

9.45am

Welcome and Introduction Venue: Mitre Lecture Theatre

10.00am

Key Note Speaker

Professor Brenda Smith, Senior Associate Higher Education Academy

‘Key Issues in Assessment and Feedback: The only feedback I received was two ticks and a question mark!’

10.40am

Key Note Speaker

Assessment - the Perspective from Chichester Students

11.00am

12.15pm

Session 1 Venues: Strand 1 - Mitre Lecture Theatre (MLT) Strand 2 - LO6

1.15pm

Key Note Speaker Venue: Mitre Lecture Theatre

Jenny Anderson, Dean of the Faculty of Business, Sport and Enterprise, Southampton Solent University

‘From Written to Non Written’ Session 2 Venues: Strand 1 - Mitre Lecture Theatre (MLT) Strand 2 - LO6 Strand 3 - E124

2.00pm

3.15pm

3.30pm

Refreshments Venue: Cloisters

Key Note Speaker Venue: Mitre Lecture Theatre

Aaron Porter, Vice President National Union of Students

4.00pm

‘Assessment and Feedback - The Student Perspective’ Summary

4.10pm

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Lunch Venue: Cloisters

Close

University of Chichester

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Session Itinerary Session 1: Time:

11.05 to 11.25am

Strand 1 (MLT):

Electronic Feedback - Pluses and Pitfalls

Strand 2 (LO6):

A Case Study Examining the Use of Formative Peer Assessment to Enhance Team Working Skills

Time:

11.30am to 11.50am

Strand 1 (MLT):

‘But I Thought Formative Assessment was for YOU!’

Strand 2 (LO6):

Audio Assignment Feedback: Methods and Benefits

Time

11.55am to 12.15pm

Strand 1 (MLT):

Reflections on Reflections: The Use of Logs in Student Work Placement to Support Business Learning

Strand 2 (LO6):

The Summative Assessment of Students with Dyslexia at HE

Session 2: Time:

2.00pm to 2.20pm

Strand 1 (MLT):

Putting the Programme First: Paradigm Shifts in Assessment

Strand 2 (LO6):

Reasonable Adjustments to Assessment Processes Set Outside the University

Strand 3 (E124): Use of SMS in Assessment Feedback Time:

2.25pm to 2.45pm

Strand 1 (MLT):

Making Evidence-Informed Changes to Programme Assessment: A Case Study

Strand 2 (LO6):

The Assessment Game: Does Everyone Have the Same Understanding of the Rules?

Strand 3 (E124): ‘The Hardest Experience of My Life so Far’: Using Unassessed Writing Exercises to Hear Student Feedback

Time:

2.50pm to 3.10pm

Strand 1 (MLT):

‘Creativity in Assessment – Assessing Creativity’: A Case Study of a Student-Led Widening Participation Activity for Local Schools

Strand 2 (LO6):

Diversity in Assessment & Feedback - Fighting Fire with Fire

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University of Chichester

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Session 1: Strand 1 Venue:

Mitre Lecture Theatre

Time:

11.05am to 11.25am

Title:

Electronic Feedback - Pluses and Pitfalls

Contributor:

James Derounian, Principal Lecturer in Community Development and Local Governance and National Teaching Fellow

Institution:

University of Gloucestershire

Contact:

jderounian@glos.ac.uk

Swapping experience of electronic receipt and feedback related to assignments. This is of relevance to distance learning and campus-based students and tutors. The session will discuss electronic feedback both on group and individual work. Issues of security, immediacy of feedback and use of ‘track changes’ will be covered.

Experience of group online essay submission, and electronic feedback will be discussed in relation to a level I undergraduate course Action with Communities. Individual assignment delivery and electronic feedback will be discussed in relation to a level II undergraduate course Design in the Community. Examples of marked work, from WebCT/Internet, plus commentary made will be available for viewing.

Time:

11.30am to 11.50am

Title:

‘But I Thought Formative Assessment was for YOU!’

Contributor:

Beverley Hale, Principal Lecturer Learning and Teaching

Institution:

University of Chichester

Contact:

b.hale@chi.ac.uk

Formative assessment should be a mechanism through which students can identify learning strengths and weaknesses. Feedback should enable them to identify potential directions for further work towards improving learning (and summative outcomes).

An interview with two students revealed a perspective on formative assessment that was both surprising and alarming. Sports students’ engagement with formative assessment – more aptly described as disengagement – appears to be affected by their misunderstanding of its purpose. I will suggest some ideas to improve formative assessment for learning, developed from informal dialogue with several groups of students and tutors, reflection on my own practice and some analysis of literature. I would like to share these ideas and, hopefully generate a ‘swap’ of good practice in formative assessment.

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University of Chichester

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Session 1: Strand 1 Venue:

Mitre Lecture Theatre

Time:

11.55am to 12.15pm

Title:

Reflections on Reflections: The Use of Logs in Student Work Placement to Support Business Learning

Contributor:

Tim Friesner, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, School of Enterprise, Management and Leadership

Institution:

University of Chichester

Contact:

t.friesner@chi.ac.uk

This paper addresses the theme of Connecting Business Education with Business Practices through sharing student and employer perspectives on learning derived from a 10-week business placement. The authors share their experiences of supporting Work-Based Learning (WBL) using online learning logs. Therefore the paper will be useful to all business and management teachers and academics wishing to enhance their support of students at work, and to add value to any undergraduate or postgraduate programme. The findings of this paper can be used to structure assessment, may integrate with Personal Development Planning (PDP), can make student handbooks more succinct and assist tutors in providing beneficial feedback to students on their reflective learning in the workplace. As well as demonstrating the potential of learning logs to support business and management learning, the paper also invites consideration of the role of narrative and critical reflection in developing students’ capacity in business.

www.chiuni.ac.uk/swapshop

University of Chichester

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Session 1: Strand 2 Venue:

LO6

Time:

11.05am to 11.25am

Title:

A Case Study Examining the Use of Formative Peer Assessment to Enhance Team Working Skills

Contributor:

Dr Zoe Knowles, RWE Manager Drama and Events, Centre for Employability through the Humanities

Institution:

University of Central Lancashire

Contact:

zcknowles@uclan.ac.uk

During the session I propose to discuss a case study which looks at how formative peer assessment has been used within an employability module in higher education and reflects on the usefulness of this form of assessment as a tool to enhance students’ team working skills. I will then go on to examine how such methods can be employed within generic subject modules in order to enhance team working skills whilst teaching subject matter for that discipline. My finding in this case study is that formative peer assessment can be a useful tool to enhance students’ team working skills, it is however a tool which requires close management in order to avoid conflict between individuals.

Time:

11.30am to 11.50am

Title:

Audio Assignment Feedback: Methods and Benefits

Contributor:

Dr Carol Ekinsmyth, Principal Lecturer, Department of Geography

Institution:

University of Portsmouth

Contact:

carol.ekinsmyth@port.ac.uk

Previous research on the popularity and effectiveness of audio feedback amongst undergraduate students across a range of disciplines has demonstrated the great potential that audio methods have for improving both, students experience of the feedback process, and their abilities to feed forward the advice into subsequent work (Ribchester, France and Wakefield, 2008; France and Wheeler, 2007; Merry and Osmond, 2007). This session reports results from a trial of audio assessment feedback in Human Geography at the University of Portsmouth. The experiment formed part of an initiative to extend the JISC-funded ‘Sounds Good’ project into a broader range of disciplinary contexts via the LTSN Subject Centres.

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As the session will demonstrate, student responses to audio feedback were positive on the whole, in many cases, very keenly so. Staff responses to audio feedback in the trial were more tempered and cautious, though both sets of users reached similar conclusions. The session will explore the benefits of audio feedback methods and begin to explore how best to use this feedback method to enhance student learning.

University of Chichester

www.chiuni.ac.uk/swapshop

Session 1: Strand 2 Venue:

LO6

Time:

11.55am to 12.15pm

Title:

The Summative Assessment of Students with Dyslexia at HE

Contributor:

Sue Goff, Dyslexia Advisor

Institution:

University of Chichester

Contact:

s.goff@chi.ac.uk

In total, 92 dyslexic students were asked if they considered the Differentiated Marking Scheme (DMS) to be a fair and appropriate way of helping them achieve their potential at university. Most students valued the scheme for giving them more appropriate tutor feedback, helping them to improve their grades, and as a way of lessening their stress; many said they would like their tutors to be better informed about the difficulties of dyslexia. Some tutors reported that they still had some uncertainty about the scheme. Non-dyslexic students had all heard about the DMS, and their main concern was that dyslexic students should be assessed on an individual basis and not a ‘one size fits all’ approach.

The dyslexic students were also asked how they perceived the present system of summative assessment, and what they thought their chances were of getting good grades. Over 69% of students said they would benefit from having some choice of assessment method, but only if this applied to all students. Most students preferred open book and multiple-choice examinations. In total, 89% of dyslexic students thought they would get either a first or 2:1 pass, although government statistics show this is unlikely to happen.

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University of Chichester

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Session 2: Strand 1 Venue:

Mitre Lecture Theatre

Time:

2.00pm to 2.20pm

Title:

Putting the Programme First: Paradigm Shifts in Assessment

Contributor:

Dr Tansy Jessop, University Research and Teaching Fellow and Yaz El-hakim, Director of Learning and Teaching

Institution:

University of Winchester

Contact:

tansy.jessop@winchester.ac.uk / yaz.el-hakim@winchester.ac.uk

Research demonstrates the centrality of assessment for learning, with assessment requirements profoundly influencing the study behaviour of students. Across the HE sector, there has been considerable work reflecting the importance of assessment, but largely focussed at module level. Significantly, the HEA has funded two programme-focused NTFS projects on assessment in 2009/10, an implicit recognition that change in assessment needs to be pitched at whole programme-level. This paper draws on findings from the NTFS funded TESTA project: Transforming the experience of students through assessment, in which Chichester and Winchester are partners.

Drawing on findings from TESTA, this paper outlines evidence which shows that across and within institutions, there are differences between programmes in the kinds of assessment students may experience. Research has shown that one institution may have one sixtieth of the formative-only assessment of another, nine times as much summative assessment, and half as much written feedback delivered four times as slowly (Gibbs and Dunbar-Goddet, 2007, 2009). Similarly there may be variance between programmes. The unintended consequences of highly modular programmes with high variety of summative assessment will be explored with an eye on the consequences for learners. The paper will describe findings from the research process, for example variations across programmes in the volume of assessment and feedback, the balance of formative and summative assessment, and approaches to criteria. Finally, the paper will provide a case for disseminating research in progress as a way of sharing questions, outcomes and dilemmas in an open community of researchers on practice.

Time:

2.25pm to 2.45pm

Title:

Making Evidence-Informed Changes to Programme Assessment: A Case Study

Contributor:

Vini Lander, Head of BA Primary Education and Teaching Programme & Primary Co-ordinator and Dr Duncan Reavey, Principal Lecturer Learning and Teaching and National Teaching Fellow

Institution:

University of Chichester

Contact:

v.lander@chi.ac.uk / d.reavey@chi.ac.uk

This paper outlines findings from an HEA funded research project on improving students’ learning through addressing programme-level assessment: TESTA (Transforming the experience of students through assessment). The University of Chichester’s BA (PET) programme is one of seven programmes in four similar small universities undergoing a research process which includes the diagnosis of its assessment environment, and the generation of programme-level interventions to improve student learning. The paper reports on these diagnostic findings, drawing on evidence from audit tools and qualitative methodologies, and painting a rich picture of students’ learning in relation to assessment. Examples of findings include the balance of formative and summative assessment; students’ use of criteria and feedback, and the alignment of assessment tasks with goals and learning outcomes. Finally the paper charts a potential way forward through the generation of interventions, including how change is managed across a large and diverse programme which is professionally regulated, through to consideration of how whole-scale programme changes in assessment interact with QA frameworks. The paper links with a broader conceptual mapping of the TESTA project to provide a grounded case study of work in progress.

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University of Chichester

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Session 2: Strand 1 Venue:

Mitre Lecture Theatre

Time:

2.50pm to 3.10pm

Title:

‘Creativity in Assessment and Assessing Creativity’ - A Case Study of a Student-Led Widening Participation Activity for Local Schools

Contributor:

Dr Andrew Clegg, Programme Co-ordinator for Tourism Management and Principal Lecturer Learning and Teaching

Institution:

University of Chichester

Contact:

a.clegg@chi.ac.uk The aim of this paper is highlight the role and value of creative approaches to assessment through a case study of a non-written assessment that has been integrated into Departmental Widening Participation (WP) activities for local schools. Level 3 Tourism Management students take a module entitled ‘Training, Education and Interpretation’. The aim of this module is to introduce students to a range of tools and techniques central to developing effective education, training and interpretation strategies.

Working in collaboration with the University’s WP Team, students have to design and deliver a ‘Tourism Taster Day’ to specifically targeted WP schools through a workshop lasting 3-5hrs. Students have total autonomy over the final design of the day but it must be based around clear learning outcomes, and reflect the learning processes of the target group as well as the training styles, and related evaluation and assessment tools required to host a Tourism Taster day for Year 10 students.

The degree students work in small groups of four or five, and with each group running an event for a group of approximately 20-30 students. The WP office provides a small amount of funding so that the students can produce high quality activity packs to support the delivery of the day. Themes for the actual event have been varied and have included destination marketing and management, attraction management, sustainability, and customer service. .

The assessment is split into a number of parts. First, tutors assess the overall quality of the workshop in terms of delivery, content, learning outcomes and general organisation.

Students are also assessed via two points of peer assessment. These are used to evaluate (a) individual contributions in the initial preparation and organisation of the task, and (b) individual contributions to the final delivery of the training pack during the workshop. To support the peer assessment process, students have to complete a reflective practitioner log consisting of a goal-setting task sheets through the course of the assessment, and take minutes of group meetings and related action plans.

The paper will conclude by reflecting on the role of creativity in assessment and how the assessment process has been designed to enable recognition of the learning process that has taken place not only on the module but also across the wider degree programme.

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University of Chichester

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Session 2: Strand 2 Venue:

LO6

Time:

2.00pm to 2.20pm

Title:

Contributor:

Reasonable Adjustments to Assessment Processes Set Outside the University

Institution:

University of Chichester

Contact:

r.bradley@chi.ac.uk / j.georgeson@chi.ac.uk / n.thompson@chi.ac.uk

Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) is a national award for early years practitioners with graduate status who demonstrate that they meet 39 standards showing their knowledge, understanding, practice and capacity to lead and support others in working with children from birth to five. The Government aims to have an Early Years Professional in every full day care setting by 2015 and in every children’s centre by 2010 and is funding training and professional development to achieve this. Here at the University of Chichester we offer training towards all four pathways towards EYPS. Although they follow different programmes of professional development, candidates on all pathways eventually go through the same formative and summative assessment processes. While we as training providers have considerable latitude in the design and delivery of the professional development opportunities which we offer EYPS candidates, the preparation sessions and assessment procedures are fixed by external agencies who have been commissioned by the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) to design, monitor and externally moderate the preparation and assessment of candidates for the award of EYPS.

Because EYPS is a national award, overseen by the CWDC, and not a qualification awarded by the university, this creates some tensions, as the EYPS assessment process sits outside of the UoC’s own procedures for supporting students through reasonable adjustments to assessment processes. We have candidates who find aspects of the assessment procedure challenging, notably students with dyslexia and anxiety attacks, but who would make excellent Early Years Professionals. In this presentation we will share the ways in which we have managed to personalise the assessment process to accommodate candidates’ individual needs, whilst still remaining within the requirements of the externally decided assessment process. We argue that, although EYPs are not yet regulated by their own professional body, the issue of how much we can tinker with the details of a nationally agreed assessment process anticipates arguments about fitness to practice and disability discrimination which have been explored in the teaching profession (Weedon & Riddell 2009) and which still lead to people with dyslexia hiding their disability.

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Ruth Bradley, Jan Georgeson and Nathalie Thompson, Early Years Professional Status Team

University of Chichester

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Session 2: Strand 2 Time:

2.25pm to 2.45pm

Title:

The Assessment Game: Does Everyone Have the Same Understanding of the Rules?

Contributor:

Dr Ian Harris, Director of the School of Sport, Tourism and Languages and Debbie Reynolds, Course Leader for Outdoor and Watersports Courses

Institution:

Southampton Solent University

Contact:

ian.harris@solent.ac.uk / debbie.reynolds@solent.ac.uk

The practice of providing students with assessment and grading criteria is now embedded into HE practice as required by the QAA code of practice. However, despite the efforts of academic staff to provide clears tasks and assessment criteria; many students do not seem to play by the assessment game ‘rules’ to produce the sort of work that academics are seeking. As a result of these and other factors assessment is an area that continues to score poorly with regards to student satisfaction within the National Student Survey (NSS).

Previous work at Southampton Solent University demonstrated mixed views of students on the preferred format, understanding of and value of assessment criteria demonstrating the need for further research.

This presentation will outline initial research on the ways in which students use marking criteria and their role in relation to learning, assessment development and feedback. This ongoing study with a group of sport, tourism and outdoor undergraduate students on a unit on service operations management discovers what students think of assessment criteria, their use of the criteria in preparing their assignments, the students’ use of assessment criteria in the process of formative feedback and their expectations in relation to final grades.

Early analysis suggests that students consider assessment criteria essential, and that they use them prior to starting work on their assignments. However there is less clear consensus on the preferred format of assessment criteria and the student’s understanding of the assessment criteria provided by staff. Also the take up of the opportunity to review work against assessment criteria and approach staff for formative feedback in the development of the final assessment task is seen to be mixed.

The presentation will consider how assessment criteria can be effectively embedded in the assessment process for the benefit of staff and students alike.

Venue:

LO6

Time:

2.50pm to 3.10pm

Title:

Diversity in Assessment & Feedback - Fighting Fire with Fire

Contributor:

Tugrul Esendal, Lecturer, Department of Computing Technology

Institution:

De Montfort University, Leicester

Contact:

the@dmu.ac.uk

I would like to offer the swap-shop my experiences in engaging students in a variety of assessment techniques and feedback mechanisms.

The premise is simple: to maximize satisfactory learning outcomes, we have to match the growing diversity in student-body profile with corresponding diversity in assessment and feedback activities. However, while students need focused feedback, as encouragement towards taking ownership of their learning, staff need be able to do this without being overloaded. I would argue that the best way for the twain to meet is to bring students into contact with tools and techniques that they can relate to.

To support my argument, I would like to swap three ideas: (1) a simple but effective technique that I call “additive assessment”, which is summative assessment that incorporates elements of formative assessment, which I apply to phase tests; (2) a round-robin idea, which is an extension of peer assessment but one that I find well-suited to practical work; and, (3) a web-based custom software tool, designed to give students ondemand, pre-assessment feedback on their work.

www.chiuni.ac.uk/swapshop

University of Chichester

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Session 2: Strand 3 Venue:

E124

Time:

2.00pm to 2.20pm

Title:

Use of SMS in Assessment Feedback

Contributor:

Dr Nadia Amin, Principal Lecturer and Mr Clive Vassell, Senior Lecturer

Institution:

Westminster Business School, University of WestmInster

Contact:

amin@wmin.ac.uk / vasselc@gmail.com

The team from WBS will report on the progress of the pilot project currently running at the University of Westminster on use of mobile technology. The project focuses on SMS texting technology, and investigates a new way of communicating feedback to students via their mobile phones through SMS texting. The pilot builds on the previous work carried out by the group on use of SMS texting to support teaching and learning activities.

The project is designed to complement the existing SMS provision available on Blackboard VLE. It will improve the student experience and engagement with feedback for formative or summative assessment.

At present the university’s SMS capabilities are limited to uni-directional communication with students. This project will address the limitation of the existing mode of communication by providing two-way interactive communication with students. It will enable the delivery of feedback to student-owned mobile phones, across all disciplines. Students will also be able to reply to their Module Leader/Tutor. In this way, students are actively engaged in their learning activities and feedback.

The anticipated outcomes of the project are - improved students engagement with assessment feedback; an effective and timely channel for providing students with assessment feedback; evaluation on the effectiveness of SMS technology for the delivery of feedback; investigation of constraints on giving and receiving feedback using SMS.

Time:

2.25pm to 2.45pm

Title:

‘The Hardest Experience of My Life so Far’: Using Unassessed Writing Exercises to Hear Student Feedback

Contributor:

Kate Brooks, Principal Lecturer and Student Experience Co-ordinator, Faculty of Creative Arts

Institution:

University of the West of England

Contact:

kate.brooks@uwe.ac.uk

Session proposal: Whilst students routinely ask for ‘more feedback’ for themselves, they are given limited opportunities to feedback to their tutors other than the usual ‘tick box’ end of year feedback form. This session would discuss a case study of students’ reflective writing exercises, and suggest how such exercises can be used both as a form of student self assessment, and as an opportunity to gain critical and constructive feedback from the students themselves on their learning experiences.

This session will discuss a feedback innovation taking place in the Faculty of Creative Arts , at University of the West of England, as part of the UWE Graduate Development Programme. Students who had not attended sufficient sessions to pass the first year of their GDP were given a second chance to pass by writing a review of their first year experiences at uni. In this review, they were asked how they thought the programme could be improved in order to provide more effective support. Students’ responses were written up as a report.

The significance of this report is that it contains detailed, personal feedback on the learning experiences of persistent ‘non attenders’ at uni, giving us an insight into what does and doesn’t work for students in terms of effective learning.

Drawing on the report’s findings, this session will explore the ways in which we can encourage students to assess themselves, their progress, and the academic culture in which they find themselves, so that the assessment process becomes more creative, constructive and shared.

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University of Chichester

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www.chiuni.ac.uk/swapshop

University of Chichester

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Ranked in the top 10 of all universities for student satisfaction The Times Good University Guide 2010

Tel: 01243 816000 www.chiuni.ac.uk Bishop Otter Campus, College Lane, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 6PE Bognor Regis Campus, Upper Bognor Road, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO21 1HR