Assessment: Hot Topics
At the Challenging Assessment conference we displayed six posters raising assesment issues and asked participants to add their comments on postit notes. The questions and comments are reproduced here, and you can join in the discussion yourself.
Why do we request word-processed assignments from students and then expect them to write by hand in an exam?
What people are saying:
"Marking standards take this into account. ..."
Does marking poor work lead to an increase in levels of personal stress?
What people are saying:
"Encountered marking to be quite depressing – lack of commitment, seriousness, and personal responsibility for their own learning on students’ ..."
Why would we use peer assessment: isn't assessment the tutor's job?
What people are saying:
"Definitely a place for peer assessment - but students need careful preparation and guidance. ..."
Why don't we give feedback on dissertations? Wouldn't this feedback be useful to students in their future development?
What people are saying:
"Feedback on final year is crucial. Our students can use it in future work. ..."
Do unseen exams have unintended effects on student learning?
What people are saying:
"Model answers - no - students have memorised model answers but cannot answer eg a similar question with different numbers. ..."
Should groupwork be assessed with a single, shared mark, or should each member get an individual mark?
What people are saying:
"Depends on whether assessing teamwork (joint mark) or individual elements (individual mark). Make it clear and select appropriate assessment. ..."