1. Collaborative Evaluation as
Learning
LSBU LTEU Lunch ‘n’ Learn
11 Dec 2008
Colston Sanger
BCIM Faculty L&T Fellow
sangerc@lsbu.ac.uk

2. The abstract
You know all about assessment of learning,
as well as formative assessment for learning.
But what about assessment as learning?
In this lunchtime session, I will describe how in
the units I teach I have been introducing
assessment at every conceivable opportunity.
I will review what has happened to date and
what I plan to do next.
(Actually, I no longer talk about ‘assessment’: I
prefer ‘collaborative evaluation’.)

3. Structure of this talk
• BCIM Faculty L&T proposal, 2007-8
• What I did
• Results so far
• What next?

4. BCIM L&T Fellowship project
• Collaborative Evaluation as Learning
‘To investigate practical means of
providing continual self, peer and tutor
collaborative evaluation in ways that
promote student engagement – in a context
of constructive alignment of individual
learning agreements, intended learning
outcomes and, where possible, work-based
live assignments within two MBA units.’

5. The context - I
• 2006-7, co-teaching on two MBA units,
Managing Projects and Consulting Skills
• Disappointing quality of some student
assignments
– Despite encouragement to get feedback on early
drafts
– Misgivings regarding the originality of particular
assignments
• Looking for ways of increasing student
engagement and hence achievement

6. The context - II
• BCIM Faculty L&T award, 2007-8
– And again for a related project, 2008-9
• Unit Leader for MBA Managing Projects since
2007-8
– Also Unit Leader MBA Research Methods,
Dissertation Project, 2007-8
• 2008-9
– Co-teaching new MBA Stage 1 core unit Business
Process and Organisation Design
– Unit Leader for new MBA Stage 2 core unit Critical
Management Inquiry (includes research methods)

7. Why ‘collaborative evaluation’ and not
simply ‘assessment’?
•
‘Because I want to focus not so much on the
assessment of the tangible artefacts of learning as on
the development (as evidenced by their in-class
interactions) of students’ awareness and critical
judgement of multi-party or multi-stakeholder
perspectives, particularly where criteria may be more
emergent than given.’
• A key skill in managing projects – and a critical
aspect of study at postgraduate level

8. ‘Constructive alignment’?
• An iterative, incremental process of alignment
and refinement of intended learning outcomes,
learning activities and evaluation
– Cf., innovation or change projects in today’s more fluid
organisational contexts
– Where the process of managing the project is also an
iterative, incremental process of learning what is required
and what can be achieved
Biggs, R (1999), Teaching for Quality Learning at University , Buckingham:
SRHE and Open University Press

9. What I did
•
Learning agreement
•
•
•
•
Check-in
In-class group activity – self and
peer evaluation
Group presentations
Class review
•
Unit review
•
Self-evaluation of individual
assignment
•
•
Subsequently, adapted for
a Research Methods unit
and a Residential
Has fed into the design of
a new core MBA unit,
Critical Management
Inquiry

10. Examples – Learning agreement
MBA-M-111 Managing Projects
•
What particularly do you want to gain from this unit?
•
How do you propose to go about it?
•
What work-based or other live project do you have in mind for
your individual assignment?
•
What additional help or resources might you need? – e.g.,
what support or additional resources can you call upon at
work?
•
How will you know when you’re done? – e.g., what are your
success criteria?
•
Then what?

11. Example Check-in

12. Example –
Outcomes

13. Example –
Group
presentations

14. Example – Group
activity, self and
peer evaluation
XXXX XXXXXX XXXX XXXXXX XXXX XXXXX
XXXX

15. Example –
Class
review

16. Example –
Unit review

17. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXX
Example – Work-based
project, self-evaluation
XXXXXXXXXXX
XX

18. One minute activity break
• What do you do?
– What else could you do
in your teaching
sessions to encourage
this kind of metalearning?

19. Results - I

20. Results - II
‘The three
months we spent
doing your sessions
were a lift to my
career.’
‘You treated us with
‘I enjoyed your
different approach,
particularly the
"around the table
discussions".’
respect and as adults.
You listened to us and
directed us well. Your
seminar format was very
refreshing.’

21. Results - III
•
Engagement is all
•
Alignment of intended learning outcomes,
activities and evaluation to encourage the
development of higher level skills
–
But of course…
–
‘Calibrating’ the process of learning to provide
many small opportunities for reflection
–
Dwell time

22. What next?
• Learning as a social activity
– Less teaching, more time for learning
• Lead with groupwork/simulation/case study
– Project-based and Inquiry-based learning, as in
forthcoming Critical Management Inquiry unit
• Threshold concepts
• ‘Naturalising Reflection’

23. Questions, discussion
• What did you or I learn that if we don’t discuss,
we might forget?
• What still puzzles us?