1. TESTA Summit:
Overview and Themes
Dr Tansy Jessop
TESTA Project Leader
Woburn House
16 September 2013

2.  21 universities here today engaging with TESTA
 > 35 UK universities using TESTA (or planning to)
 > 100 degree programmes
 International dimensions - TESTA in Australia,
India, USA
 National reputation
TESTA in HE sector

3. Politician-speak
David Willetts Minister for HE
 At the University of
Winchester the TESTA
project has shown that by
using teaching quality
performance indicators HEIs
can significantly improve
students’ educational
experience. This blueprint is
being widely used…
HEPI Conference May 2013

4. Glasgow
Greenwich
Canterbury Christchurch
Edinburgh Napier
Edinburgh

5. Google Analytics 12 Sept 13

6.  Whole programme evidence
 Student voice, statistical and programme data
 Off-the-shelf methods online
 Particular evidence – Aha! Moments
 Collegial and collaborative approach
 Rethinking unintended consequences of modular
systems
Why has TESTA worked?

7. TESTA
“…is a way of thinking
about assessment and
feedback”
Graham Gibbs

8. 1. Huge variations in practice
2. Emphasis on summative assessment
3. Lack of formative assessment
4. Huge variety of assessment types, un-sequenced
5. Students describe lack of common standards and
approaches
6. Students not clear about goals and standards
Main TESTA findings

9.  Between 12 and 68 summative tasks
 Between 0 and 55 formative tasks
 From 7 to 17 different types of assessment
 Feedback returned within 10 - 35 days
 936 written words of feedback to 15,412
words
 37 minutes to 30 hours of oral feedback
 0% to 79% of assessment by exams
Variations on 23 UG programmes
in 8 universities

10.  TESTA in the disciplines – LEAF project; Creative
subjects in the USA, disciplinary paper;
 TESTA to support periodic review - Coventry,
Dundee, Winchester; UCL.
 TESTA on different types of degrees –
Undergraduate, Masters, Blended learning;
 TESTA in different country HE systems;
 TESTA for efficiencies and better learning.
New directions

11.  Measuring and showing impact
 Encouraging coherent programmatic strategies
 Rethinking relationship of formative & summative
 Embedding TESTA in periodic review systems
without them becoming tick box
 Developing more explicit links with theories of how
students learn
 Involving students more
Challenges

12. Rethinking formative and summative
Tasting soup (Stake, 1991)
Formative
Summative

13.  Celebrating an informal community
 Sharing experience and wisdom
 Identifying challenges and opportunities
 Improving how and what TESTA does
 Shaping how TESTA moves forward
What today is about