Assessment Framework

Context

Assessment at Manchester Metropolitan University is an integrated and integral part of learning and teaching. It is the principal instrument with which we recognise and reward student progress, provide motivation for further achievement, identify areas for development in both teaching and student learning, monitor levels of achievement and maintain academic standards and help to prepare students for professional life.

The University recognises the importance of both formative and summative assessment in the student experience and expects it to be integrated into all curriculum planning and to be directly aligned with intended learning outcomes. Assessment practice is informed by reflection and research across the university as well as by reference to external bodies and projects.

The assessment framework will guide programme teams in the design and implementation of both formative and summative assessment and feedback strategies.

Principles of Assessment

Formative and summative assessment should be:

• Valid : the specified assessment should test specific learning outcomes
• Reliable : the specified assessment should be able to measure student achievement against learning outcomes accurately and consistently
• Achievable : assessments and assessment regimes should be designed so that the threshold requirements are achievable by any student admitted on to the programme of study
• Gradable : it should usually be possible to grade student performance for a specified assessment using a full range of marks.

Implementation of Assessment Principles

We expect each assessment set for students at MMU to achieve the following:

1. Assessment should be integrated into all curriculum planning and be directly aligned with intended learning outcomes

   Assessment should test whether or not the specified learning outcomes have been achieved. Marking criteria should be used to indicate the level to which the outcomes have been achieved across the full range of available marks.

   Read more about learning outcomes

   Read more about marking criteria

   Read more about marking to the full range

2. Assessment should provide evidence of achievement to agreed standards

   For any individual assignment, the unit learning outcomes will indicate what is to be assessed and the marking criteria will indicate the minimum standards for achievement. Standards are agreed by reference to peers and to Professional, Regulatory and Statutory bodies (PSRBs). All programmes should adopt the use of appropriate grade descriptors at each level, which indicate clearly how the full range of marks can be achieved. If necessary, the grade descriptors will need to be interpreted for each assignment. The use of common marking frameworks across a level will make it easier for students to judge their progress between different units and will facilitate programme team discussions about assignments.

   Read more about marking criteria

   Read more about deciding on assessment tasks

3. Assessment should recognise student progress

   In order for this to be the case, there needs to be a sense of where a particular assignment fits into both a unit and a programme, in terms of both content and level. It is rarely possible for an individual marker to identify progress for an individual student in an individual assignment. However, if assignments are referenced to interim award and programme learning outcomes, then personal tutors or students themselves can make this connection.

4. Assessment should promote learning, facilitate the identification of areas for development and provide motivation for further achievement

   Students should have the opportunity to experience formative assessment on all learning outcomes, as far as possible. Feedback on both formative and summative coursework assignments should be provided in a timely way*. It should show clearly what the student needs to do to improve their work for future assignments. A checklist approach can be used to indicate where there could be improvement in programme level outcomes and to provide signposting for generic skills development. This approach can also help the programme team to monitor progress towards interim award and programme learning outcomes and can indicate areas for teaching development. Thinking about each assignment as a stage in lifelong learning can be a helpful way for both student and assessor to put each assignment in perspective. For the tutor, this means setting assignments which are clearly situated in interim award and programme learning outcomes, and focusing on feedback which moves the student forward.

   * The University student agreement requires that “statements of the time frame for feedback on submitted work are clearly stated in Programme Handbooks”.

   Read more about developing a feedback strategy