It is important for students entering into a degree programme to have detailed information relating to the assessment strategies in operation throughout the different stages and levels of that programme. The learner should know departmental policies and strategies regarding:
What is the balance between continuous assessment and examinations for any course?
Formative and summative assessment
What are the opportunities for obtaining feedback on a piece of work before/after having it formally assessed to count towards end of course/module marks?
"A lot of the time you get comments back, they are completely illegible. It would be more useful if they sat down with you after they have marked your essay and said 'This should be done like this and that should have been done like that."
What are the assessment tasks which students pursuing your course are expected to undertake? E.g. essays, reports, dissertations, theses, examinations, oral presentations, group presentations, group reports, model construction, placement practice, exhibitions etc.
It may be particularly important for some students to know in advance the pace of the course they are considering, the timetabling arrangements for exams and particularly whether there may be any flexibility in this respect.
"I had six exams in a row and ten exams in two weeks in second year. I didn't do very well. I was just dead. I was sleeping twelve hours a day."
"To me it doesn't matter when the exam starts. What matters is when the next exam is.
I had four resits in two days. See the third one! I left so I could go home and cry. I was so tired I couldn't do anything."
It is very important that information on the location of examinations is consistent and not changed at short notice. Where possible it would seem reasonable to encompass this in the examinations policy and strategy, taking account of the necessity for examination locations to be accessible for all students.
As much information as possible should be accessible to students preferably before they enter into a course so that they can make informed choices as to the compatibility of their own learning goals and capabilities and their chosen degree programme. In addition to providing the above information it is important that all forms of assessment of student learning are underpinned by sound pedagogical principles. It is stated that one of the goals of Higher Education is to support students in becoming autonomous, independent learners able to engage in deep learning and take responsibility for setting and attaining their own learning goals. Students can be helped to achieve that goal by being given adequate information about assessment.
It might be helpful for those involved in developing and designing courses to consider the following three questions when devising assessments:
It is not unreasonable for students to be informed about exactly what knowledge, understanding and skills are being assessed in any course assignment/examination. For example, if students are asked to write an essay, are they being assessed only on their knowledge and understanding of the topic or are they also being assessed on their ability to write an essay?
"You are being marked on how much you can remember, not on what you actually know."
There are two components to this question. (1) What is the intended assessment product e.g. essay, report, dissertation etc? (2) What are the assessment criteria? In some programmes, students can make choices about the assessment product and may also have a say in setting the assessment criteria. Recent research indicates enhanced student attainment when efforts have been made to ensure that students understand assessment criteria for any task.
To take into consideration the learning needs of all students, it is useful to consider whether the chosen assessment strategy is the only possible one for judging student attainment. Knowing why a strategy has been chosen makes it easier to consider an alternative should the need arise for any student in the class.
For students who have impairments of various kinds, the usual assessment format may need to be modified to achieve the assessment objectives. Clarity about the latter will be very helpful in determining acceptable modifications, which will be different for different types of assessment, or for different parts of the assessment. For example:
It is possible to give someone something quite different to do while assessing the same things, on the same criteria. For example, a viva voce examination might be an appropriate alternative to a written examination. A three dimensional model might demonstrate understanding of building design just as well as a drawing. The justification for changes to the assessment will rest on the nature of the assessment as much as on the consequences of the student's impairment.
Possible modifications can be considered under the following headings:
There are various ways in which the questions of assessments can be conveyed to students. Students whose first language is sign language may understand signed questions more easily than written text. Students who are blind, partially sighted, or dyslexic may need questions in formats such as Braille, tape, or enlarged print, and for some students the colour and contrast of the exam or question paper is important. Alternatively, the questions or titles of the assignment could be provided on disk, if appropriate access technology is available. Or they could be read to the student.
Achievements which are being assessed may also be capable of being demonstrated in a variety of ways. Responses can be conveyed by a student using sign language, which can then be verbalised by an interpreter, and written by an amanuensis (scribe). For some students who are pre-lingually deaf, written English may be 'deaf' English, i.e. in the word order of sign language, which is very different from the word order of English. If the subject of the assessment is what is understood rather than how this is expressed, then signed responses may be acceptable.
Some students may rely on equipment for the demonstration of assessed achievements, whether in a formal examination environment, or the less formal setting in which assignments are prepared for continuous assessment. A tape recorder, computer, or amanuensis or assistant, may be needed to enable a student to complete an assignment. There is a need for clarity over the role and involvement of equipment or assistant, so that arrangements are identified which ensure that the student maintains control over producing what it is that is to be assessed.
An amanuensis can be regarded as an efficient writing machine, responsive to instructions and free from the mechanical complexities of keyboards or tape-recorders. It is usually necessary for the amanuensis to be literate in the subject he/she is scribing. This is particularly true of subjects with terminology and symbols unfamiliar to most people.
Working with an amanuensis takes practice, for both parties, as decisions have to be taken abut such matters as spelling, punctuation, and, especially in a timed examination setting, the speed of dictation. Negotiations may also need to take place about how visual material is to be conveyed to and from a student who is unable to see or produce it, or about how aural material is to conveyed to a student who has a hearing impairment.
Where the assessment is carried out may be affected by how it is carried out. Students relying, in a formal examination setting, on either speech-to-text software or an amanuensis, will obviously have to be accommodated in a room separate from other candidates. Other aspects of physical arrangements may also be relevant, such as lighting, height of desks, as well as accessible location and proximity to facilities such as appropriately accessible toilets. Some students become unusually anxious about examinations, and for a few, the provision of a separate room can make a significant difference.
Many departments mark anonymously. Where students produce assignments in an alternative way, departments may have to consider whether the goals of anonymous marking can be achieved in some other way. If departments regard anonymous marking as a protection against marker bias, then it may be possible to achieve this end by some other way of monitoring standards in marking.
There are many justifications based on students' impairments for altering the timing of assessments. Students may require additional time to read and understand questions in an examination paper, or material to be mastered for an essay or presentation. Alternatively, they may need additional time to complete their responses, or to perform the practical tasks, which are being assessed. This could be linked to the alternative way of responding to the assignment demands, such as through an amanuensis or access technology. Or it might relate to the speed of writing, which can be reduced for many different reasons, such as a lessening of stamina, impaired manual dexterity, or the consequences of medication. In the case of continuous assessment, this might relate to periods of ill health, or more general difficulties around accessing the relevant materials for working on an assignment.
How an assessment is conducted may affect what can be assessed. In some subjects, marks may be deducted for mistakes in spelling, grammar or presentation. Yet where students are using assistive technology, such as speech recognition software, or an amanuensis, then spelling, grammar and presentation may be shaped by the medium for communicating responses. If a student does an oral presentation using a Voice Output Communication Aid, such as a Light Talker, or a sign language interpreter, control of intonation, part of what might be assessed in some settings, would be outwith the student's control. This underlines the necessity for clarity about what exactly is to be assessed.
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