Liverpool Hope Student’s Union
What is Assessment? Assessments are the bane of most students’ lives, but they can serve a variety of purposes:
Summative This provides you with a mark which establishes what you have learnt in a subject up until a defined point. This is the most common form of assessment, for example exams and class tests.
Formative The primary purpose of formative assessment is for students to focus on increasing knowledge in a certain subject area. This type of assessment may not contribute to formal grades. It will be used for students to engage with their learning throughout the course. Examples are projects, poster presentations or essays.
Diagnostic Diagnostic assessment is a way for lecturers and tutors to gauge the knowledge and understanding of their class to help them adjust their teaching methods and content to suit the students. Examples are multiple choice questions or short class tests.
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What is Feedback? Academic feedback is simply getting information on your performance and achievements in order for you to better understand your capabilities. It also allows you to have the opportunity to be able to improve your performance in future academic work and become a motivated active learner
Feedback can be: • Your individual assignments • Group work
Good Feedback can: • Help you self-assess your work against assessment criteria
• A draft that you have prepared
• Help you to work out what you have done wrong in an assignment
• Your ideas about your subject
• Help you to improve your future assignments • Help you to understand your subject better • Help you to approach work in new modules • Cheer you up!
Types of Feedback Feedback is much more than getting a mark or grade. A ‘B’ beside your name won’t tell you what you got wrong, or how you can improve. Feedback comes in many different forms • Written comments on your work • Verbal comments about your work • Comments made during class discussions • Comments made in online debates • Model Solutions
Feedback can come from different people • Module leaders • Seminar tutors • Lecturers • Fellow students
Principles of Assessment and feedback for Learning Assessment & Feedback is a two-way process, between you and your lecturers. To make sure it is effective for students at Liverpool Hope University, assessments set, and feedback given, by lecturers should adhere to the following principles:
1. Clarify Good Performance 2. Encourage time and effort on task 3. Deliver timely and high quality feedback 4. Provide opportunities to act on feedback 5. Encourage positive motivational beliefs 6. Develop self-assessment and reflection 7. Encourage interaction and dialogue
Getting Ready for Feedback
Steps to get the Best out of your Feedback
Find out when and where you will be receiving your feedback, and who will be giving it. • Find out what sort of feedback you will be getting throughout a module: will it be written, verbal or online-combination of these. • Who will be giving the feedback and when you will receive it.
Understanding Feedback • Read/Listen, Feedback is only useful if you act on it!
• Feedback on your ideas and ways of approaching your assignments is likely to be given during class discussions. Be there to receive it!
• Think about how it relates to the assessment criteria. • If it is written feedback which is hard to read let your lecturer know - They may not realise their writing is illegible. • If you don’t understand your feedback - ask!!
Use your Feedback
Feedback should be a dialogue. Be prepared to ask your lecturer. You can’t use your feedback if you don’t understand it!
• To think about what you have done well and what you can improve in your work. • To plan a subsequent piece of work. • To prepare work in other modules. Feedback given on one module is often relevant for another. • To develop your understanding of your subject.
More information If you feel you are not getting the appropriate feedback speak to your course rep so they can bring it up at your course meeting. If you want more advice on how to raise issues with assessment & Feedback contact your SU offi cer. Shauna Fivey(Vice President of Education) Email: vpresed@hope.ac.uk