Improving academic integrity through assessment design

The term ‘academic integrity’ has gained currency in recent decades, an interest in better understanding how and why students breach principles of academic honesty has long-since been of interest to Higher Education teachers. However, a clear understanding of how assessment design can be used to reduce student cheating and thereby maintain or even increase academic integrity has not yet been reached. The purpose of this scoping review was to investigate how assessment design is being used to promote academic integrity and to understand the types of recommendations being made for using assessment design to support academic integrity. The review was conducted using the five stage scoping model proposed by Arksey and O’Malley (2005). Findings highlight the trend towards personalising assessments to decrease instances of academic dishonesty while promoting student engagement. Findings also highlight the importance of embedding assessments into learning and teaching strategies that focus on developing those skills directly associated with academic integrity. Finally, most studies highlight the importance of providing timely feedback for students as a means of fostering integrity based skills that can transfer to other contexts, recognising that feedback goes beyond the one-way transmission model from teacher to student and instead conceptualises feedback as a dialogic process to support the development of self-regulating skills among learners (c.f. Carless et al., 2011, Hounsell, 2007; Price et al., 2010; Sadler, 2010)

“Because, as a teacher, giving feedback and assessment is actually really difficult”: using self- and peer-assessment to develop Higher Education teachers’ skills in assessment and feedback

[EN] This paper explores the use of self- and peer-assessment to develop skills in assessment and feedback in a postgraduate programme in teaching and learning, targeted at Higher Education practitioners. It explores the rationale underpinning a focus on the development of self- and peer-assessment skills, particularly in the context of the challenges experienced by early career teachers in making evaluative judgments and providing feedback to support student learning. Examples from practice are included to illustrate the activities used to develop practitioners’ ability to evaluate their own learning and that of their peers against given criteria, based on a model for incremental skill development proposed by the authors. In particular, the importance of scaffolding and support, in the form of guidance, templates and rubrics, is explored, in order to build confidence and competence in assessment and both giving and receiving feedback. Focus group feedback confirms that such an incremental approach is welcomed and valued, along with a programmatic approach to the development of these skills, whereby all modules across the programme provide opportunities for the enhancement of the skills associated with assessment and feedback for academic practice.Costelloe, L.; Egan, A. (2020). “Because, as a teacher, giving feedback and assessment is actually really difficult”: using self- and peer-assessment to develop Higher Education teachers’ skills in assessment and feedback. En 6th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'20). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. (30-05-2020):501-508. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd20.2020.11096OCS50150830-05-202

A multi-level system quality improvement intervention to reduce racial disparities in hypertension care and control: study protocol

BACKGROUND: Racial disparities in blood pressure control have been well documented in the United States. Research suggests that many factors contribute to this disparity, including barriers to care at patient, clinician, healthcare system, and community levels. To date, few interventions aimed at reducing hypertension disparities have addressed factors at all of these levels. This paper describes the design of Project ReD CHiP (Reducing Disparities and Controlling Hypertension in Primary Care), a multi-level system quality improvement project. By intervening on multiple levels, this project aims to reduce disparities in blood pressure control and improve guideline concordant hypertension care. METHODS: Using a pragmatic trial design, we are implementing three complementary multi-level interventions designed to improve blood pressure measurement, provide patient care management services and offer expanded provider education resources in six primary care clinics in Baltimore, Maryland. We are staggering the introduction of the interventions and will use Statistical Process Control (SPC) charting to determine if there are changes in outcomes at each clinic after implementation of each intervention. The main hypothesis is that each intervention will have an additive effect on improvements in guideline concordant care and reductions in hypertension disparities, but the combination of all three interventions will result in the greatest impact, followed by blood pressure measurement with care management support, blood pressure measurement with provider education, and blood pressure measurement only. This study also examines how organizational functioning and cultural competence affect the success of the interventions. DISCUSSION: As a quality improvement project, Project ReD CHiP employs a novel study design that specifically targets multi-level factors known to contribute to hypertension disparities. To facilitate its implementation and improve its sustainability, we have incorporated stakeholder input and tailored components of the interventions to meet the specific needs of the involved clinics and communities. Results from this study will provide knowledge about how integrated multi-level interventions can improve hypertension care and reduce disparities. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT0156686

Improving academic integrity through assessment design

The term ‘academic integrity’ has gained currency in recent decades, an interest in better understanding how and why students breach principles of academic honesty has long-since been of interest to Higher Education teachers. However, a clear understanding of how assessment design can be used to reduce student cheating and thereby maintain or even increase academic integrity has not yet been reached. The purpose of this scoping review was to investigate how assessment design is being used to promote academic integrity and to understand the types of recommendations being made for using assessment design to support academic integrity. The review was conducted using the five stage scoping model proposed by Arksey and O’Malley (2005). Findings highlight the trend towards personalising assessments to decrease instances of academic dishonesty while promoting student engagement. Findings also highlight the importance of embedding assessments into learning and teaching strategies that focus on developing those skills directly associated with academic integrity. Finally, most studies highlight the importance of providing timely feedback for students as a means of fostering integrity based skills that can transfer to other contexts, recognising that feedback goes beyond the one-way transmission model from teacher to student and instead conceptualises feedback as a dialogic process to support the development of self-regulating skills among learners (c.f. Carless et al., 2011, Hounsell, 2007; Price et al., 2010; Sadler, 2010)

Coaching Adolescents; Models and Methods

Hosted by SIGCAP in collaboration with The Division of Work and Organizational Psychology (DWOP). In this practically oriented workshop, Dr Arlene Egan will explain the use and benefits of coaching models with adolescents. In addition, the event will explain and demonstrate the application of specific coaching models to this population