Assessment guidance for staff 2022-23
UCSD updated its assessment policy and guidance ahead of the start of 2022-23 academic year which all curriculum areas need to adhere to.
The policy and guidance has been widely consulted on.
- A working group did the initial research and pooling of resources to make recommendations across the year.
- The consultation was shared with other college HE providers who planned to use the consultation with their colleagues.
- Student reps gave feedback on 28 April 2022.
- All academic staff were invited to give consultation feedback during May 2022, feedback received from three of the four departments.
- Finally, the HECs and members of HE team reviewed all the consultation feedback and recommendations to make decisions on the guidance.
- The new principles based policy adopted by Governors in June 2022 and the full guidance will be online ready for new academic year https://www.ucsd.ac.uk/student-life/support/assessment-guidance/
The basics that have not changed…
- Each programme needs an assessment schedule available on Moodle with both draft and summative assessment dates and arrangements
- There must be a request to the Faculty Office (university@) of any changes to module leader (from the PQH) or assessment dates (from the schedule and in consultation with students)
- Follow the assessment brief template and guidance within the Module Guide template
- Typically two summative assessments per module (spread across the module). Authentic assessments should be the norm.
- All assessments must match the element in the PQH
- Formative learning will take place in all modules, including the scaffolding of skills to complete the assessment mode
- Each assessment has a draft submission at least two weeks before the summative deadline. Timetabled session given over to draft tutorials to give feedback on 25% or 500 words, whichever is greater, and discuss students’ plans for the rest of the assessment to meet the Learning Outcomes. No indication of grade should be given.
- No more than one summative submission a week to avoid bunching.
- All submissions deadlines, midday on Monday to Thursday during UCSD terms dates (no summative deadlines on Fridays or during the holidays)
- An early summative assessment in semester 1 to give students early feedback
- All Module Guides and Assessment Briefs must be IQA moderated and the moderation made available to EEs on Moodle by 9 September 2022, prior to the commencement of the academic year
- Typically all assessments have a Turnitin submission (e.g. even if just the reference list) to ensure feedback is centrally stored and returned to students
- All assessments need to marked, moderated and returned to students within 20 working days
- Consistency of assessment approach within a programme team
Practice that has changed…
hese slides have details of the practice that has changed (and the justification for it). A summary of changes is below with links to related document which are held in the HE Hub on SharePoint for staff access:
- New principles based Assessment Policy going live for 2022/23.
- New Module Guide (including Assessment Brief) templates for 2022/23.
- Examples of assessment modes are available on the USCD website for staff and students.
- Guidance of what different command verbs mean and how they relate to LOs are on the website.
- New Generic Marking Criteria for Level 4, Level 5 and Level 6 to be used to within your Assessment Marking Criteria.
- Avoid tests at L4 in case students have not got disability support in place and any reasonable adjustments need to be pre-empted and discussed with the student by the Tutor, any assessment changes need to be documented.
- Consistent approach across the programme team for test, open-book, practical, presentation etc. practice and how draft feedback is given.
- Draft feedback minimum expectations must be adhered to and consistent.
- If a student goes over the word count/time limit by more than 10% the marker will stop marking. This is a change from the percentage grade penalties for infringing the word count.
- Support for new staff on assessment practice.
New Assessment Policy 2022/23 principles
- Formative, draft and summative assessment
- Assessments mapped to Learning Outcomes
- Clear purpose, and be valid, reliable and fair
- Credit allocated to achieving LOs
- Assessment programme will be proportionate and reviewed periodically
- Assessment data analysed to help eliminate attainment gaps
- Clear regulations, policy and best practice communicated to students
- Assessment policy and practice informed by relevant education theory
- Policy and practice sensitive to students’ best interests
- Assessments aim to be cumulative, integrated and authentic
- Process and IT integrated to support learner-centred approaches
- Assessment and teaching aligned for deep and mastery learning
- Inclusive assessment used to minimise need for additional considerations
- Disability Needs Assessment recommend reasonable adjustments will be considered
- All assessors given appropriate instruction
- Assessment process reviewed by External Examiners
- Policies will permit innovation facilitating improvement and sustainability