ASSESSMENT AND FEEDBACK

Assessment is the way in which you demonstrate your understanding and achievement of the module learning outcomes.

Assessment unpacking

Independent internal verification of the proposed assessment brief

Internal review

Module launch and assessment publication

Anonymous submission

Receipt to student

External review

Independent external verification of the proposed assessment brief by the appointed external examiner (from a different university)

Assessment brief written

According to Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) and Module Learning Outcomes (MLO)

Feedback to students

Unconfirmed grades

Moderation

Independent internal process; sample of 10% or six pieces of work, whichever is greater

Assessment board

Grades are confirmed, process managed by an independent chair

External grade approval

Independent process completed by the appointed external examiner, sample of 10% or six pieces of work, whichever is greater

Marking

Module leader / teaching team mark the work according to published assessment criteria

Over the duration of your studies, you will be assessed in lots of different ways which will be relevant to your subject area.

For an overview of the University’s assessment procedures, visit: wlv.ac.uk/assessment

During your studies, you will encounter two main types of assessment activities:

• Formative – where you receive feedback and a mark that does not contribute towards the module mark and grade. Formative assessment activities are useful to provide you with feedback to let you know how you are doing. • Summative – where the mark you receive will contribute towards completion of your modules. Your courses have been designed to give you a variety of assessment experiences. Over the duration of your course, you will learn and be assessed in different ways. This will mean that the assessment tasks for individual modules will be different to each other.

At the start of each module, we will explain the assessment tasks to you through short assessment briefs. These documents give you the key information you need to complete the assessment (eg. submission date, method of submission, type of assessment, word count, learning outcomes, etc.).

Assessment briefs are written by your module leaders to help you meet the learning outcomes of the course. Their content is also verified internally and externally to ensure they are appropriate and at a similar standard to courses across the country.

Your teaching teams will refer to the briefs throughout your course, and will provide additional information through assessment unpacking events in each module.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR WORK

The most common form of assessment submission is electronically via Canvas, the University’s virtual learning environment; however, there will be occasions where the nature of the assessment task requires an alternative form of submission. This will be clearly explained to you within each individual assessment brief. You will receive a receipt for work that is submitted for an assessment.

HOW WE MARK YOUR WORK

Where possible, your work will then be marked anonymously. You will only be identified by your student number, and not by your name. This is done to avoid any unintentional bias when your work is marked; however, the nature of some assignments means that anonymous marking is not possible (e.g. presentations, practical examination, oral examinations).

Each assessment task will have a set of criteria, which will be used by those marking your work. These criteria will be given to you in the assessment brief. The assessment criteria link directly to the module learning outcomes, so that it is clear when they have been met.

Your work will be graded using a percentage mark scheme. At undergraduate level, the pass mark is 40%; for postgraduate level the pass mark is 50%. Unlike some assessment activities that you may have encountered at school or college, if you have passed an assessment then you are not able to resubmit that piece of work in order to get a higher mark.

We will give your work a grade, based on its qualities and in line with the University’s Performance Descriptors. Your work will be marked promptly (i.e. within 4 weeks), and the date by which you will receive your provisional grade will be shown on the assessment brief.

By the time you receive your provisional grade, the mark will have been checked and verified internally by a different member of the teaching team to ensure that the marking is fair and consistent.

As part of the process to confirm your grades formally, an external examiner will review a sample of work from the module. The grades and any comments are presented to an examination board, where the final grades are agreed and confirmed.

FEEDBACK

You will receive feedback on your assessed work in a variety of ways (eg. written, oral, video, etc.). Your feedback will explain why your piece of work is deserving of the grade it has been given and highlight to you what you did well and areas for development. Your teaching team will support you to learn from this feedback, so that it can be applied to future assessments.

EXAMINATIONS

Some courses contain formal examinations, held under controlled conditions. Examination arrangements, including the timetable and other relevant information, are available at:

wlv.ac.uk/exams

CLASSIFICATION

All your assessments will contribute to the receipt of University credits which, when combined, result in the achievement of an award.

The type of award depends upon the course on which you have enrolled. Some awards use different classifications to recognise the level of achievement, which can be used by employers as a way of selecting applicants for jobs.

Detail about classifications for different awards is available at:

wlv.ac.uk/assessment

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

The University of Wolverhampton is committed to ensuring the academic integrity of the courses we offer. We take pride in the academic honesty of our students but sometimes academic misconduct occurs, and when it does the Conduct and Appeals Unit may take action.

Academic misconduct includes plagiarism, collusion and cheating and may be deliberate or unintentional. Whatever form it takes it will be thoroughly investigated and penalties may be applied if proven.

As a student you will have access to a wide range of support services and resources designed to help you to develop your academic skills and to ensure the academic integrity of your work. In addition to the support available through your course you can also access the Learning for Skills services provided by the libraries, both in person and online.

Find out more now at:

wlv.ac.uk/conductandappeals