Challenging Assessment

Wednesday 9th September 2009

The Challenging Assessment Initiative was a four-term initiative, launched in April 2007, which aimed to encourage ongoing development of progressive innovation in assessment practice. Since its launch, more than 40 events with a collective attendance of over 1000, have taken place across the institution. The Challenging Assessment conference marks the end of the first phase of the initiative. The conference, opened by Ann Holmes, Pro Vice Chancellor for Learning and Teaching was attended by 140 MMU staff. Sue Bloxham, from the University of Cumbria, delivered the keynote address in which she showed, with practical examples, how to construct and deliver assessments which demonstrated assessment of,for and as learning.

Other conference highlights included a lively debate, on the motion ‘This house believes that the degree classification system should be abandoned’ which was ‘won’ by the narrowest of margins; a student view of assessment, given by David Saxton of MMU SU, a ‘Return to Oz’ by the assessment Community of Practice, and a presentation on the AID4A project, which is piloting Audience Response Systems in different learning situations across MMU.

The afternoon sessions, organised by individual faculties, showcased innovative practice, and discussed faculty plans around assessment. The second phase of ‘Challenging Assessment’ now lies within the faculties, though CeLT will continue to support staff through its Academic Practice Development programme. Some outputs from the conference will be:

• Reports from the faculty session on current good practice and future plans
• Hot Topics discussion arising from the CeLT posters
• Increased population, and use of, the Academic Practice database
• Slide presentations from individual presenters, including the keynote

Programme