The document describes a problem-based learning (PBL) activity for a module. Students will work in small groups to investigate issues related to a trigger presented by the facilitator. The trigger describes a lecturer who is frustrated by students' poor performance on an essay assignment they have used for 10 years. Students will apply the 5 stages of the Mills PBL model to identify problems, learning outcomes, research the issues, and present their findings to another group. They will be assigned roles like chair, reader, and scribe. The facilitator will help get them started and direct them to online PBL resources.

1. CoreJan12, LTHE module
PGCAP, University of Salford
Twitter @pgcap
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2. • to participate and collaborate in small group PBL
with an assessment and feedback theme
• to identify and critically analyse issues linked to
the given PBL trigger
• to present findings to another team and provide
feedback
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3. 3

4. grouping first: buddies (5-6)
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5. Mills, D (2006) Problem-based learning: An overview, available at
http://www.c-sap.bham.ac.uk/resources/project_reports/ShowOverview.asp?id=4

6. (part 1) “Just finished marking 150 essays, the one and only assignment for this challenging module. Can’t
understand why students don’t do well! Is one essay too much? I have been using this essay title for the last 10
years – I love it! – and students just don’t seem to engage with it, not even the brighter ones, which is really
strange!
I have given the students an extensive reading list and during the lectures I always tell them that they can ask me
if they don’t understand something. Not sure what I am doing wrong… Students have never complained about
anything and the module evaluation is always positive.
They had a whole month to write the essay… but I know that many just do it a few days before the handing in
date. At least they hand it in I guess.
(part 2) Writing feedback is hard work too! I don’t know these people. I see them 2h a week over 10 weeks and
there are 150 of them in the lecture theatre, well they are usually not all there. I find it really time consuming to
write feedback on their assignments. I tend to write loads and tell them what they did wrong. That should be
useful for them! But I am actually not sure if they read it. Most of them just see the mark and don’t bother
collecting the feedback. Am I wasting my time?”
Please investigate the above carefully. Identify possible problems, then define your learning outcomes. Carry out
research to resolve the issues identified. You will be asked to present your findings to another group and engage
in a conversation about these.
Please work together and apply the Mills 5-stage PBL model in your investigation. Please remember that you will
be working together. Co-ordinate team activities and assign roles, such as chair, reader, scribe and timekeeper.
A PBL facilitator will help you to get started. Please also access the online PBL resources to familiarise yourself
further with PBL. Ask your facilitator if you are unsure about something.
You are welcome to use some of the resources made available and identify further ones for your research.
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8. • … a portrait of the
person sitting next to
you
• Show portrait to the
person you created
• Person on the portrait to
provide feedback to the
artist
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9. “Solange arrives at her English university. She is a keen student and wants to do
well. After a few weeks, she is asked to write an assignment. When she sits at her
computer, she finds that she can only think of the complex ideas she has grappled
with on the course in her mother tongue, which is not English. It is an enormous
strain to write these ideas and she cannot think directly in English. She has to
translate her thoughts one by one. When she gets the essay back, she is extremely
disappointed with her mark. She is used to excellent results. Some of the feedback
relates to her use of English and is very discouraging. Her tutor has written:
‘There are hints of some interesting ideas in this essay but they are often difficult to
understand because you do not express them clearly. Please check your English
carefully before you hand in your work There are too many errors here.’” (Duhs,
2010, 6)
Discuss the feedback. Try to redraft it so that it feeds forward
and helps Solange to feel less apprehensive about her next
essay.
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10.  Access an e-portfolio
 Pick a reflection
 Use the assessment criteria and
attainment descriptors (see the module
guide)
 Provide feedback (insert your comments
directly to the e-portfolio)
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11.  What are the 3 things you are taking away
today?
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12. Biggs, J. (1999) Teaching for Quality Learning at University SRHE/OUP
Bloom, B.S. et al, Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: Cognitive Domain New York: McKay
Bloxham, S. & Boyd, P. (2007) Developing Effective Assessment in Higher Education, Open
University Press: Maidenhead
Boud (2010) Keynote, University of Salford Assessment and Feedback Good Practice event, 6 July
2010
Brown, S., Race, P. and Smith, B. (1996) 500 Tips on Assessment. London: Kogan Page
Butcher et al (2006) Designing Learning. From module outline to effective teaching, Oxon: Routledge
Duhs, R. (2010) ‘Please, no exam”’ Assessment strategies for international students, in: SEDA
Educational Developments, Issue 11.4, Dec, pp. 3-6
Earl, L.M. (2003) Assessment as Learning, Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.
Gibbs, G. and Simpson, C. (2004) Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning.
Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, vol. 1. pp.1-31
Irons, A. (2008) Enhancing Learning through formative assessment and feedback, Oxon: Routledge.
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13. Juwah, C. et.al (2004) Enhancing student learning through
effective formative feedback. HEA. At
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/reso
Knight, P. T. (2002) Summative assessment and higher
education: practices in disarray, in: Studies in Higher Education,
27, 3, pp. 275-286.
Price (2007) ‘Should we be giving less written feedback?’ in
Centre for Biosciences Bulletin Autumn 2007, HEA
Schofield, M. (2010) “Taking the ‘ass’ out of assessment”
[keynote], First level assessment project conference, 16th June
2010, LeedsMet university
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