A1 - Des Hewett (Derby); Helen Taylor (Northumbria) and others: ‘Hearts and M...
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME 2010
1. Swap Shop
Enhancing Learning and Teaching
Through Assessment and Feedback
University of Chichester
25 May 2010
www.chiuni.ac.uk/swapshop
2. University of Chichester2 www.chiuni.ac.uk/swapshop
Welcome
While integral elements of the student experience in Higher Education, assessment and feedback are
consistently highlighted as areas of improvement in the National Student Satisfaction Survey. The
aim of this ‘swap-shop’ is to showcase examples of current practice in assessment and feedback to
enhance learning and teaching from across a wide range of subject disciplines.
Key Note Speakers
Professor Brenda Smith
Brenda is Senior Associate at the Higher Education Academy and a freelance Higher Education
Consultant. Prior to this she was Assistant Director at the Higher Education Academy. Brenda is the
initiator and leader of the successful Change Academy programme that is now in its sixth year.
Brenda has been actively involved in assessment, feedback and the Burgess agenda, the Scottish
Quality Enhancement agenda, the Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning initiative, student
engagement and the analysis of the Welsh institutional Learning and Teaching Strategies.
She has run conferences, given keynote presentations and 24 hour events for HEIs that have included
both staff and students, knowing that students can act as key change agents in helping staff to reflect
on and enhance their practice. Brenda is a member of the international committee for the journal
Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education and a past Executive member of the Professional
and Organisational Development Association (POD) in America.
Brenda has acted as a consultant in many different countries including Sweden, South Africa,
Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Azerbaijan, America, Lithuania, Colombia, the West
Indies, Ethiopia and Malaysia. Brenda has written widely on learning, teaching and assessment.
Session Abstract
The presentation will emphasise assessment for learning rather than of learning. It will explore how
to embed feedback as an integral part of the learning & teaching process by encouraging the active
engagement of students in the whole process of assessment and feedback to enhance their learning.
Professor Jenny Anderson
Professor Jenny Anderson was Director of a three year project about innovative assessment. She has
worked and taught in the areas of sport, leisure and tourism, and is now Dean of Business, Sport and
Enterprise at Southampton Solent University.
Session Abstract
The presentation outlines some key findings from a 3 year FDTL5 funded project at three Southern
universities. The aim of the project was to enhance the student experience by developing creative
and inclusive forms of assessment which do not rely soly on the written word. The presentation will
include an overview of research into student and staff views of assessment, an audit of assessment
in sport, leisure and tourism and lessons learnt about encouraging change.
3. University of Chichester
3www.chiuni.ac.uk/swapshop
Key Note Speakers
Aaron Porter
Aaron Porter was re-elected as the Vice-President (Higher Education) for the National Union of
Students to serve a second term which is due to end in June 2010. In this post, Aaron is responsible
for leading representation and campaigns for students in UK higher education. Alongside this role,
Aaron is also a Non-Executive Board Director for the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA),
the European Students’ Union (ESU) and observer to the Board for the United Kingdom Council for
International Student Affairs (UKCISA). He is also on the Academic Council of the Higher Education
Academy (HEA), the National Student Survey Steering Group, the Burgess Implementation Steering
Group and the HEFCE Online Learning Taskforce.
Prior to this, Aaron graduated with a BA English from the University of Leicester in 2006, and then
spent 2 years as a sabbatical officer and trustee of the Students’ Union. During this time he was the
Deputy Chair and a member of the Board for NUS Services Ltd, the commercial arm of NUS. He
also founded and was elected as the first Chair of Unions94 (the Student Unions of the 1994 Group
of Universities) and chaired the Student Loans Company Student Consultative Group. As a student,
Aaron was editor of ‘The Ripple’ the student newspaper for the University of Leicester.
Session Abstract
The presentation wil provide a student view on feedback on assessment in 21st UK Higher Education.
and outline the 10 principles of good feedback as devised by NUS. The presentation will also
reflect on research which has been conducted into student perspectives and opinions on the current
provision of feedback, and what students would like to receive.
4. University of Chichester4 www.chiuni.ac.uk/swapshop
9.15am Coffee and Registration
Venue: Cloisters
9.45am Welcome and Introduction
Venue: Mitre Lecture Theatre
10.00am Key Note Speaker
Professor Brenda Smith, Senior Associate Higher Education Academy
‘Key Issues in Assessment and Feedback: The only feedback I
received was two ticks and a question mark!’
10.40am Key Note Speaker
Assessment - the Perspective from Chichester Students
11.00am Session 1
Venues:
Strand 1 - Mitre Lecture Theatre (MLT)
Strand 2 - LO6
12.15pm Lunch
Venue: Cloisters
1.15pm Key Note Speaker
Venue: Mitre Lecture Theatre
Jenny Anderson, Dean of the Faculty of Business, Sport and Enterprise,
Southampton Solent University
‘From Written to Non Written’
2.00pm Session 2
Venues:
Strand 1 - Mitre Lecture Theatre (MLT)
Strand 2 - LO6
Strand 3 - E124
3.15pm Refreshments
Venue: Cloisters
3.30pm Key Note Speaker
Venue: Mitre Lecture Theatre
Aaron Porter, Vice President National Union of Students
‘Assessment and Feedback - The Student Perspective’
4.00pm Summary
4.10pm Close
Programme Outline
5. University of Chichester
5www.chiuni.ac.uk/swapshop
Session 1:
Time: 11.05 to 11.25am
Strand 1 (MLT): Electronic Feedback - Pluses and Pitfalls
Strand 2 (LO6): A Case Study Examining the Use of Formative Peer Assessment to Enhance Team
Working Skills
Time: 11.30am to 11.50am
Strand 1 (MLT): ‘But I Thought Formative Assessment was for YOU!’
Strand 2 (LO6): Audio Assignment Feedback: Methods and Benefits
Time 11.55am to 12.15pm
Strand 1 (MLT): Reflections on Reflections: The Use of Logs in Student Work Placement to Support
Business Learning
Strand 2 (LO6): The Summative Assessment of Students with Dyslexia at HE
Session 2:
Time: 2.00pm to 2.20pm
Strand 1 (MLT): Putting the Programme First: Paradigm Shifts in Assessment
Strand 2 (LO6): Reasonable Adjustments to Assessment Processes Set Outside the University
Strand 3 (E124): Use of SMS in Assessment Feedback
Time: 2.25pm to 2.45pm
Strand 1 (MLT): Making Evidence-Informed Changes to Programme Assessment: A Case Study
Strand 2 (LO6): The Assessment Game: Does Everyone Have the Same Understanding of the Rules?
Strand 3 (E124): ‘The Hardest Experience of My Life so Far’: Using Unassessed Writing Exercises to
Hear Student Feedback
Time: 2.50pm to 3.10pm
Strand 1 (MLT): ‘Creativity in Assessment – Assessing Creativity’: A Case Study of a Student-Led
Widening Participation Activity for Local Schools
Strand 2 (LO6): Diversity in Assessment & Feedback - Fighting Fire with Fire
Session Itinerary
6. University of Chichester6 www.chiuni.ac.uk/swapshop
Session 1: Strand 1
Venue: Mitre Lecture Theatre
Time: 11.05am to 11.25am
Title: Electronic Feedback - Pluses and Pitfalls
Contributor: James Derounian, Principal Lecturer in Community Development and Local Governance and
National Teaching Fellow
Institution: University of Gloucestershire
Contact: jderounian@glos.ac.uk
Swapping experience of electronic receipt and feedback related to assignments. This is of relevance to
distance learning and campus-based students and tutors. The session will discuss electronic feedback both
on group and individual work. Issues of security, immediacy of feedback and use of ‘track changes’ will be
covered.
Experience of group online essay submission, and electronic feedback will be discussed in relation to a level
I undergraduate course Action with Communities. Individual assignment delivery and electronic feedback will
be discussed in relation to a level II undergraduate course Design in the Community. Examples of marked
work, from WebCT/Internet, plus commentary made will be available for viewing.
Time: 11.30am to 11.50am
Title: ‘But I Thought Formative Assessment was for YOU!’
Contributor: Beverley Hale, Principal Lecturer Learning and Teaching
Institution: University of Chichester
Contact: b.hale@chi.ac.uk
Formative assessment should be a mechanism through which students can identify learning strengths and
weaknesses. Feedback should enable them to identify potential directions for further work towards improving
learning (and summative outcomes).
An interview with two students revealed a perspective on formative assessment that was both surprising and
alarming. Sports students’ engagement with formative assessment – more aptly described as disengagement
– appears to be affected by their misunderstanding of its purpose. I will suggest some ideas to improve
formative assessment for learning, developed from informal dialogue with several groups of students and
tutors, reflection on my own practice and some analysis of literature. I would like to share these ideas and,
hopefully generate a ‘swap’ of good practice in formative assessment.
7. University of Chichester
7www.chiuni.ac.uk/swapshop
Session 1: Strand 1
Venue: Mitre Lecture Theatre
Time: 11.55am to 12.15pm
Title: Reflections on Reflections: The Use of Logs in Student Work Placement to Support
Business Learning
Contributor: Tim Friesner, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, School of Enterprise, Management and Leadership
Institution: University of Chichester
Contact: t.friesner@chi.ac.uk
This paper addresses the theme of Connecting Business Education with Business Practices through sharing
student and employer perspectives on learning derived from a 10-week business placement. The authors
share their experiences of supporting Work-Based Learning (WBL) using online learning logs. Therefore the
paper will be useful to all business and management teachers and academics wishing to enhance their
support of students at work, and to add value to any undergraduate or postgraduate programme. The findings
of this paper can be used to structure assessment, may integrate with Personal Development Planning (PDP),
can make student handbooks more succinct and assist tutors in providing beneficial feedback to students on
their reflective learning in the workplace. As well as demonstrating the potential of learning logs to support
business and management learning, the paper also invites consideration of the role of narrative and critical
reflection in developing students’ capacity in business.
8. University of Chichester8 www.chiuni.ac.uk/swapshop
Session 1: Strand 2
Venue: LO6
Time: 11.05am to 11.25am
Title: A Case Study Examining the Use of Formative Peer Assessment to Enhance Team
Working Skills
Contributor: Dr Zoe Knowles, RWE Manager Drama and Events, Centre for Employability through the Humanities
Institution: University of Central Lancashire
Contact: zcknowles@uclan.ac.uk
During the session I propose to discuss a case study which looks at how formative peer assessment has
been used within an employability module in higher education and reflects on the usefulness of this form
of assessment as a tool to enhance students’ team working skills. I will then go on to examine how such
methods can be employed within generic subject modules in order to enhance team working skills whilst
teaching subject matter for that discipline. My finding in this case study is that formative peer assessment
can be a useful tool to enhance students’ team working skills, it is however a tool which requires close
management in order to avoid conflict between individuals.
Time: 11.30am to 11.50am
Title: Audio Assignment Feedback: Methods and Benefits
Contributor: Dr Carol Ekinsmyth, Principal Lecturer, Department of Geography
Institution: University of Portsmouth
Contact: carol.ekinsmyth@port.ac.uk
Previous research on the popularity and effectiveness of audio feedback amongst undergraduate students
across a range of disciplines has demonstrated the great potential that audio methods have for improving both,
students experience of the feedback process, and their abilities to feed forward the advice into subsequent
work (Ribchester, France and Wakefield, 2008; France and Wheeler, 2007; Merry and Osmond, 2007). This
session reports results from a trial of audio assessment feedback in Human Geography at the University of
Portsmouth. The experiment formed part of an initiative to extend the JISC-funded ‘Sounds Good’ project
into a broader range of disciplinary contexts via the LTSN Subject Centres.
As the session will demonstrate, student responses to audio feedback were positive on the whole, in many
cases, very keenly so. Staff responses to audio feedback in the trial were more tempered and cautious,
though both sets of users reached similar conclusions. The session will explore the benefits of audio feedback
methods and begin to explore how best to use this feedback method to enhance student learning.
9. University of Chichester
9www.chiuni.ac.uk/swapshop
Session 1: Strand 2
Venue: LO6
Time: 11.55am to 12.15pm
Title: The Summative Assessment of Students with Dyslexia at HE
Contributor: Sue Goff, Dyslexia Advisor
Institution: University of Chichester
Contact: s.goff@chi.ac.uk
In total, 92 dyslexic students were asked if they considered the Differentiated Marking Scheme (DMS) to
be a fair and appropriate way of helping them achieve their potential at university. Most students valued the
scheme for giving them more appropriate tutor feedback, helping them to improve their grades, and as a way
of lessening their stress; many said they would like their tutors to be better informed about the difficulties of
dyslexia. Some tutors reported that they still had some uncertainty about the scheme. Non-dyslexic students
had all heard about the DMS, and their main concern was that dyslexic students should be assessed on an
individual basis and not a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
The dyslexic students were also asked how they perceived the present system of summative assessment,
and what they thought their chances were of getting good grades. Over 69% of students said they would
benefit from having some choice of assessment method, but only if this applied to all students. Most students
preferred open book and multiple-choice examinations. In total, 89% of dyslexic students thought they would
get either a first or 2:1 pass, although government statistics show this is unlikely to happen.
10. University of Chichester10 www.chiuni.ac.uk/swapshop
Session 2: Strand 1
Venue: Mitre Lecture Theatre
Time: 2.00pm to 2.20pm
Title: Putting the Programme First: Paradigm Shifts in Assessment
Contributor: Dr Tansy Jessop, University Research and Teaching Fellow and Yaz El-hakim, Director of
Learning and Teaching
Institution: University of Winchester
Contact: tansy.jessop@winchester.ac.uk / yaz.el-hakim@winchester.ac.uk
Research demonstrates the centrality of assessment for learning, with assessment requirements profoundly
influencing the study behaviour of students. Across the HE sector, there has been considerable work reflecting
the importance of assessment, but largely focussed at module level. Significantly, the HEA has funded
two programme-focused NTFS projects on assessment in 2009/10, an implicit recognition that change in
assessment needs to be pitched at whole programme-level. This paper draws on findings from the NTFS
funded TESTA project: Transforming the experience of students through assessment, in which Chichester
and Winchester are partners.
Drawing on findings from TESTA, this paper outlines evidence which shows that across and within institutions,
there are differences between programmes in the kinds of assessment students may experience. Research
has shown that one institution may have one sixtieth of the formative-only assessment of another, nine times
as much summative assessment, and half as much written feedback delivered four times as slowly (Gibbs
and Dunbar-Goddet, 2007, 2009). Similarly there may be variance between programmes. The unintended
consequences of highly modular programmes with high variety of summative assessment will be explored
with an eye on the consequences for learners. The paper will describe findings from the research process,
for example variations across programmes in the volume of assessment and feedback, the balance of
formative and summative assessment, and approaches to criteria. Finally, the paper will provide a case
for disseminating research in progress as a way of sharing questions, outcomes and dilemmas in an open
community of researchers on practice.
Time: 2.25pm to 2.45pm
Title: Making Evidence-Informed Changes to Programme Assessment: A Case Study
Contributor: Vini Lander, Head of BA Primary Education and Teaching Programme & Primary Co-ordinator
and Dr Duncan Reavey, Principal Lecturer Learning and Teaching and National Teaching
Fellow
Institution: University of Chichester
Contact: v.lander@chi.ac.uk / d.reavey@chi.ac.uk
This paper outlines findings from an HEA funded research project on improving students’ learning through
addressing programme-level assessment: TESTA (Transforming the experience of students through
assessment). The University of Chichester’s BA (PET) programme is one of seven programmes in four similar
small universities undergoing a research process which includes the diagnosis of its assessment environment,
and the generation of programme-level interventions to improve student learning. The paper reports on these
diagnostic findings, drawing on evidence from audit tools and qualitative methodologies, and painting a rich
picture of students’ learning in relation to assessment. Examples of findings include the balance of formative
and summative assessment; students’ use of criteria and feedback, and the alignment of assessment tasks
with goals and learning outcomes. Finally the paper charts a potential way forward through the generation of
interventions, including how change is managed across a large and diverse programme which is professionally
regulated, through to consideration of how whole-scale programme changes in assessment interact with QA
frameworks. The paper links with a broader conceptual mapping of the TESTA project to provide a grounded
case study of work in progress.
11. University of Chichester
11www.chiuni.ac.uk/swapshop
Session 2: Strand 1
Venue: Mitre Lecture Theatre
Time: 2.50pm to 3.10pm
Title: ‘Creativity in Assessment and Assessing Creativity’ - A Case Study of a Student-Led
Widening Participation Activity for Local Schools
Contributor: Dr Andrew Clegg, Programme Co-ordinator for Tourism Management and Principal Lecturer
Learning and Teaching
Institution: University of Chichester
Contact: a.clegg@chi.ac.uk
The aim of this paper is highlight the role and value of creative approaches to assessment through a case
study of a non-written assessment that has been integrated into Departmental Widening Participation (WP)
activities for local schools. Level 3 Tourism Management students take a module entitled ‘Training, Education
and Interpretation’. The aim of this module is to introduce students to a range of tools and techniques central
to developing effective education, training and interpretation strategies.
Working in collaboration with the University’s WP Team, students have to design and deliver a ‘Tourism Taster
Day’ to specifically targeted WP schools through a workshop lasting 3-5hrs. Students have total autonomy
over the final design of the day but it must be based around clear learning outcomes, and reflect the learning
processes of the target group as well as the training styles, and related evaluation and assessment tools
required to host a Tourism Taster day for Year 10 students.
The degree students work in small groups of four or five, and with each group running an event for a group
of approximately 20-30 students. The WP office provides a small amount of funding so that the students can
produce high quality activity packs to support the delivery of the day. Themes for the actual event have been
varied and have included destination marketing and management, attraction management, sustainability, and
customer service. .
The assessment is split into a number of parts. First, tutors assess the overall quality of the workshop in terms
of delivery, content, learning outcomes and general organisation.
Students are also assessed via two points of peer assessment. These are used to evaluate (a) individual
contributions in the initial preparation and organisation of the task, and (b) individual contributions to the final
delivery of the training pack during the workshop. To support the peer assessment process, students have
to complete a reflective practitioner log consisting of a goal-setting task sheets through the course of the
assessment, and take minutes of group meetings and related action plans.
The paper will conclude by reflecting on the role of creativity in assessment and how the assessment process
has been designed to enable recognition of the learning process that has taken place not only on the module
but also across the wider degree programme.
12. University of Chichester12 www.chiuni.ac.uk/swapshop
Session 2: Strand 2
Venue: LO6
Time: 2.00pm to 2.20pm
Title: Reasonable Adjustments to Assessment Processes Set Outside the University
Contributor: Ruth Bradley, Jan Georgeson and Nathalie Thompson, Early Years Professional Status Team
Institution: University of Chichester
Contact: r.bradley@chi.ac.uk / j.georgeson@chi.ac.uk / n.thompson@chi.ac.uk
Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) is a national award for early years practitioners with graduate status
who demonstrate that they meet 39 standards showing their knowledge, understanding, practice and
capacity to lead and support others in working with children from birth to five. The Government aims to have
an Early Years Professional in every full day care setting by 2015 and in every children’s centre by 2010 and
is funding training and professional development to achieve this. Here at the University of Chichester we offer
training towards all four pathways towards EYPS. Although they follow different programmes of professional
development, candidates on all pathways eventually go through the same formative and summative
assessment processes. While we as training providers have considerable latitude in the design and delivery
of the professional development opportunities which we offer EYPS candidates, the preparation sessions
and assessment procedures are fixed by external agencies who have been commissioned by the Children’s
Workforce Development Council (CWDC) to design, monitor and externally moderate the preparation and
assessment of candidates for the award of EYPS.
Because EYPS is a national award, overseen by the CWDC, and not a qualification awarded by the university,
this creates some tensions, as the EYPS assessment process sits outside of the UoC’s own procedures for
supporting students through reasonable adjustments to assessment processes. We have candidates who
find aspects of the assessment procedure challenging, notably students with dyslexia and anxiety attacks,
but who would make excellent Early Years Professionals. In this presentation we will share the ways in which
we have managed to personalise the assessment process to accommodate candidates’ individual needs,
whilst still remaining within the requirements of the externally decided assessment process. We argue that,
although EYPs are not yet regulated by their own professional body, the issue of how much we can tinker
with the details of a nationally agreed assessment process anticipates arguments about fitness to practice
and disability discrimination which have been explored in the teaching profession (Weedon & Riddell 2009)
and which still lead to people with dyslexia hiding their disability.
13. University of Chichester
13www.chiuni.ac.uk/swapshop
Session 2: Strand 2
Time: 2.25pm to 2.45pm
Title: The Assessment Game: Does Everyone Have the Same Understanding of the Rules?
Contributor: Dr Ian Harris, Director of the School of Sport, Tourism and Languages and Debbie Reynolds,
Course Leader for Outdoor and Watersports Courses
Institution: Southampton Solent University
Contact: ian.harris@solent.ac.uk / debbie.reynolds@solent.ac.uk
The practice of providing students with assessment and grading criteria is now embedded into HE practice as
required by the QAA code of practice. However, despite the efforts of academic staff to provide clears tasks
and assessment criteria; many students do not seem to play by the assessment game ‘rules’ to produce
the sort of work that academics are seeking. As a result of these and other factors assessment is an area
that continues to score poorly with regards to student satisfaction within the National Student Survey (NSS).
Previous work at Southampton Solent University demonstrated mixed views of students on the preferred
format, understanding of and value of assessment criteria demonstrating the need for further research.
This presentation will outline initial research on the ways in which students use marking criteria and their role
in relation to learning, assessment development and feedback. This ongoing study with a group of sport,
tourism and outdoor undergraduate students on a unit on service operations management discovers what
students think of assessment criteria, their use of the criteria in preparing their assignments, the students’ use
of assessment criteria in the process of formative feedback and their expectations in relation to final grades.
Early analysis suggests that students consider assessment criteria essential, and that they use them prior
to starting work on their assignments. However there is less clear consensus on the preferred format of
assessment criteria and the student’s understanding of the assessment criteria provided by staff. Also
the take up of the opportunity to review work against assessment criteria and approach staff for formative
feedback in the development of the final assessment task is seen to be mixed.
The presentation will consider how assessment criteria can be effectively embedded in the assessment
process for the benefit of staff and students alike.
Venue: LO6
Time: 2.50pm to 3.10pm
Title: Diversity in Assessment & Feedback - Fighting Fire with Fire
Contributor: Tugrul Esendal, Lecturer, Department of Computing Technology
Institution: De Montfort University, Leicester
Contact: the@dmu.ac.uk
I would like to offer the swap-shop my experiences in engaging students in a variety of assessment techniques
and feedback mechanisms.
The premise is simple: to maximize satisfactory learning outcomes, we have to match the growing diversity
in student-body profile with corresponding diversity in assessment and feedback activities. However, while
students need focused feedback, as encouragement towards taking ownership of their learning, staff need
be able to do this without being overloaded. I would argue that the best way for the twain to meet is to bring
students into contact with tools and techniques that they can relate to.
To support my argument, I would like to swap three ideas: (1) a simple but effective technique that I call
“additive assessment”, which is summative assessment that incorporates elements of formative assessment,
which I apply to phase tests; (2) a round-robin idea, which is an extension of peer assessment but one that I
find well-suited to practical work; and, (3) a web-based custom software tool, designed to give students on-
demand, pre-assessment feedback on their work.
14. University of Chichester14 www.chiuni.ac.uk/swapshop
Session 2: Strand 3
Venue: E124
Time: 2.00pm to 2.20pm
Title: Use of SMS in Assessment Feedback
Contributor: Dr Nadia Amin, Principal Lecturer and Mr Clive Vassell, Senior Lecturer
Institution: Westminster Business School, University of WestmInster
Contact: amin@wmin.ac.uk / vasselc@gmail.com
The team from WBS will report on the progress of the pilot project currently running at the University of
Westminster on use of mobile technology. The project focuses on SMS texting technology, and investigates
a new way of communicating feedback to students via their mobile phones through SMS texting. The pilot
builds on the previous work carried out by the group on use of SMS texting to support teaching and learning
activities.
The project is designed to complement the existing SMS provision available on Blackboard VLE. It will
improve the student experience and engagement with feedback for formative or summative assessment.
At present the university’s SMS capabilities are limited to uni-directional communication with students. This
project will address the limitation of the existing mode of communication by providing two-way interactive
communication with students. It will enable the delivery of feedback to student-owned mobile phones, across
all disciplines. Students will also be able to reply to their Module Leader/Tutor. In this way, students are actively
engaged in their learning activities and feedback.
The anticipated outcomes of the project are - improved students engagement with assessment feedback; an
effective and timely channel for providing students with assessment feedback; evaluation on the effectiveness
of SMS technology for the delivery of feedback; investigation of constraints on giving and receiving feedback
using SMS.
Time: 2.25pm to 2.45pm
Title: ‘The Hardest Experience of My Life so Far’: Using Unassessed Writing Exercises to
Hear Student Feedback
Contributor: Kate Brooks, Principal Lecturer and Student Experience Co-ordinator, Faculty of Creative Arts
Institution: University of the West of England
Contact: kate.brooks@uwe.ac.uk
Session proposal: Whilst students routinely ask for ‘more feedback’ for themselves, they are given limited
opportunities to feedback to their tutors other than the usual ‘tick box’ end of year feedback form. This
session would discuss a case study of students’ reflective writing exercises, and suggest how such exercises
can be used both as a form of student self assessment, and as an opportunity to gain critical and constructive
feedback from the students themselves on their learning experiences.
This session will discuss a feedback innovation taking place in the Faculty of Creative Arts , at University of the
West of England, as part of the UWE Graduate Development Programme. Students who had not attended
sufficient sessions to pass the first year of their GDP were given a second chance to pass by writing a review
of their first year experiences at uni. In this review, they were asked how they thought the programme could
be improved in order to provide more effective support. Students’ responses were written up as a report.
The significance of this report is that it contains detailed, personal feedback on the learning experiences of
persistent ‘non attenders’ at uni, giving us an insight into what does and doesn’t work for students in terms
of effective learning.
Drawing on the report’s findings, this session will explore the ways in which we can encourage students
to assess themselves, their progress, and the academic culture in which they find themselves, so that the
assessment process becomes more creative, constructive and shared.
16. Bishop Otter Campus, College Lane, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 6PE
Bognor Regis Campus, Upper Bognor Road, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO21 1HR
Tel: 01243 816000
www.chiuni.ac.uk
Ranked in the top 10 of all
universities for student satisfaction
The Times Good University Guide 2010