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Communication and management of assessment in Higher Education

 July 28, 2023
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We are excited to be partnering with the Cambridge Assessment Network on their forthcoming CPD accredited workshops series on the Communication and management of assessment in Higher Education. The workshops start on Monday the 11th of September 2023 and will run in four sessions over a two-week period.

 

Assessment and feedback are core activities in Higher Education as a tool for learning as well as measuring the attainment of learning. Data collected on student experience of assessment (e.g., the National Student Survey in the UK) indicates room for improvement in many areas. Assessment and feedback in Higher Education is a complex and emotive topic area, so there needs to be a balance between quality, learning, experience and robustness.

Much work has been undertaken on the design, quality assurance and enhancement of assessment practices and the aim of this workshop series is to combine these activities with a project management approach and through a student experience lens. Indeed, the students’ assessment experience is significantly influenced by how the entire assessment journey is designed and curated. Ask yourself this question:


‘When leading a module, have I designed a weekly student communication plan aligned to their assessment?’


A simple module timeline is shown below - the module assessment is launched at the beginning, submitted at the end with a formative activity in the middle. How can the assessment experience be supported and enhanced by structured activities, communication, practice and activities between these core components? With consideration, how can these new activities enhance student engagement, attainment, first time pass rates as well as reduce assessment anxiety? This workshop series will explore these areas, offer ideas of immediate implementation and practices for their subsequent measurement.


Timeline of a 13 week module with a formative assessment in the middle and a summative assessment at the end. Colour coded, green, amber, red nearing summative submission.

Figure 1. Weekly model of a typical 12-week long module.


The workshop series comprises of four x2 hr sessions.



  • Session 1 - Explores assessment experiences, timelines and activities from a range of stakeholder perspectives. This will include wellbeing and learner experience of assessment in HE as well as assessment design, programme mapping, quality assurance and quality enhancement.


  • Session 2 - Explores assessment strategies, stakeholder mapping and considerations as part of module design. We will explore multiple assessment modalities and their design and management including the co-curriculum.


  • Session 3 - Explores best practices in the construction of an assessment timeline (from week 1 to release of grades), holistic assessment mapping and how to build and deliver an effective communication strategy and plan.


  • Session 4 - Explores opportunities to measure the impact and effectiveness of assessment management, potential intermediate assessment and overall evaluation strategies. It will link to module and institutional metrics and KPIs.



To book onto the workshop series, or to learn more about it, click here - link to assessment series . Additionally, receive 10% off this course with code: ASSESSHE2023 (offer ends 31st July).

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