Enhancing the Assessment and the Feedback in Higher Education

Purpose: Lack of appropriate student support and drawbacks in academic progression signify the importance of enhancing assessment and feedback in higher education (HE). Although assessment and feedback are significant in HE, minimal empirical research holistically explores the best practices. This study aims to address the niche and develop a decisive guideline for enhancing assessment setting and feedback provision within HE curricula. Methodology: A systematic approach was taken to obtain data for the study: a literature review underpinning the thematic content analysis of study documents, followed by semi-structured interviews. Document analysis contained: 1.) Mid-Module Reviews (MMRs)/ student feedback 2.) Rubrics used in assessment 3.) Formative/summative feedback provided for the graded work. Documental analysis informed the key attributes of the semi-structured interview. Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) analysis identified the influence and reliance of each driver. Findings: The study revealed 15 drivers, four fundamental, six significant and five important, in enhancing assessment and feedback. The level partitioning from the ISM analysis established that all assessment and feedback needs to be underpinned by the university policy and fed into the assessment regime and marking scheme. The study identified that NSS results were significantly improved due to implementing said drivers compared to the national and sector benchmarks. Practical implications: The developed drivers enable the best practices in assessment setting and feedback provision. The level partition diagram can be employed as a decisive guideline or a provisional framework in assessment and feedback provision for quality assurance in HE. Originality/Value: This study is one of, if not the only, to develop a guideline signposting drivers and their influence and reliance to enhance assessment and feedback in a holistic HE setting. The developed drivers and the level partition diagram bring novelty and add to the current body of knowledge

Does an assessment rubric provide a better learning experience for undergraduates in developing transferable skills?

There is ongoing interest in developing rigorous and accurate assessment methods in higher education, particularly in the use of assessment rubrics and in providing more useful feedback to students rather than a simple grade. However, there has been little used of reliable assessment rubrics that provide feedback to individual students on their teamwork participation and skills, and which assist academic staff in assessing teamwork among students. This paper reports on the second phase of a study that aimed to evaluate a rubric to assess skills and processes in teamwork, and whether a rubric facilitated a better learning experience than a simple marking scheme. The second phase focused on the implementation of a revised assessment rubric designed to assist students and staff in understanding what was expected in the assessment process, and in particular the creation of efficient tools and metrics to measure both teamwork and individual performance during collaborative team design projects. Findings from two surveys of students provided the dataset for this second phase of the study. The findings demonstrate that assessment rubrics provide an important adjunct in improving students’ teamwork performance and their understanding of their learning activities. This study will also contribute to ongoing discussions on higher education assessment methods