Sorensen, Christine

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Stymied before they get off the plane: An exploration into creating a level playing field for assessing overseas studentsChristine SorensenNewcastle Business SchoolBackground to study • Massification• Internationalisation• Lack of research into international student performance across modes of assessment• Cultural fairness• Cultural equivalenceIn house study• 2nd yr Marketing module • Two modes of assessment– Practical case assignment (50%)– 2 hour exam (50%)• 70 Multiple‐choice questions (70%)• Choice of essay question (30%)• 2008/2009 changed to practical case assignment only• Question: were students disadvantaged in any way by the change in assessment?Research questions• Is there a difference in the performance of overseas student cohorts as compared to UK students on different modes of assessment?• If so why might this be?• What, if anything, could we, or should we, do to attempt to achieve cultural fairness in assessment?2006/2007 resultsFindings – 2006/7• Module Overall– Non UK students performed 8% marks below ave.UK students (EU 3% less, other O/S 9%) on module• Assessment– Non UK students performed 7% below UK students (EU 3% less, Other O/S 8%)• MCQs– Non UK students performed 9% below UK students (EU 6% less, Other O/S 10%)• Exam essay Q– Non UK students performed 13% below UK students (EU 7% less, Other O/S 11%)• Exam Essay– (Smith 2009) suggests• Time pressure• Lack of English language skills• Inability to express themselves in a second language• Write slower in a second language.• MCQs– (De Vita 2002)suggests cross‐cultural issues• Only 1 correct  answer• Improper to guess• Time constraints• Intrinsic nature of MCQs• Subtlety of language• Similarity of answers• Precision of understanding• Do International students perform less well than home students?Why the poorer performance?Questionnaires• 74 Overseas students on ASK (Academic Skills international) [57 non EU]• Questions– Preferred assessments– Assessments where they felt they did better– Whether taken MCQs test in UK– Harder or not• Reasons why it might be more difficultResults from Questionnaire• 37 had a preference for MCQs but half of these thought they were more difficult at Northumbria• Why?– Lack of understanding of vocabulary (13)– Lack of understanding of sentence structure (8)– Lack of time (2)Creating the MCQ level playing field – is it possible?• Use for formative assessment only• ‘Open book’• E‐learning without time constraints and allowing several attempts• Review vocabulary• Review sentence structure

Stymied before they get off the plane: an exploration into creating a level playing field for assessing overseas students

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Citation: Sorensen, Christine (2010) Stymied before they get off the plane: an exploration into creating 
a level playing field for assessing overseas students. In: BMAF Annual Conference 2010: Assessment 
& Assessment  Standards:  Challenges for  Business Education,  20-21 April  2010, Newcastle  upon 
Tyne, UK. 
URL:  http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/BMAFconference/conferen... 
<http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/BMAFconference/conferences_slides_2010>
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Stymied before they get off the plane: 
An exploration into creating a level 
playing field for assessing overseas 
students
Christine Sorensen
Newcastle Business School
Background to study 
• Massification
• Internationalisation
• Lack of research into international student 
performance across modes of assessment
• Cultural fairness
• Cultural equivalence
In house study
• 2nd yr Marketing module 
• Two modes of assessment
– Practical case assignment (50%)
– 2 hour exam (50%)
• 70 Multiple‐choice questions (70%)
• Choice of essay question (30%)
• 2008/2009 changed to practical case assignment 
only
• Question: were students disadvantaged in any 
way by the change in assessment?
Research questions
• Is there a difference in the performance of 
overseas student cohorts as compared to UK 
students on different modes of assessment?
• If so why might this be?
• What, if anything, could we, or should we, do 
to attempt to achieve cultural fairness in 
assessment?
2006/2007 results
Findings – 2006/7
• Module Overall
– Non UK students performed 8% marks below ave.UK students 
(EU 3% less, other O/S 9%) on module
• Assessment
– Non UK students performed 7% below UK students (EU 3% 
less, Other O/S 8%)
• MCQs
– Non UK students performed 9% below UK students (EU 6% 
less, Other O/S 10%)
• Exam essay Q
– Non UK students performed 13% below UK students (EU 7% 
less, Other O/S 11%)
• Exam Essay
– (Smith 2009) suggests
• Time pressure
• Lack of English language skills
• Inability to express themselves in a second language
• Write slower in a second language.
• MCQs
– (De Vita 2002)suggests cross‐cultural issues
• Only 1 correct  answer
• Improper to guess
• Time constraints
• Intrinsic nature of MCQs
• Subtlety of language
• Similarity of answers
• Precision of understanding
• Do International students perform less well than home 
students?
Why the poorer performance?
Questionnaires
• 74 Overseas students on ASK (Academic Skills 
international) [57 non EU]
• Questions
– Preferred assessments
– Assessments where they felt they did better
– Whether taken MCQs test in UK
– Harder or not
• Reasons why it might be more difficult
Results from Questionnaire
• 37 had a preference for MCQs but half of 
these thought they were more difficult at 
Northumbria
• Why?
– Lack of understanding of vocabulary (13)
– Lack of understanding of sentence structure (8)
– Lack of time (2)
Creating the MCQ level playing 
field – is it possible?
• Use for formative assessment only
• ‘Open book’
• E‐learning without time constraints and 
allowing several attempts
• Review vocabulary
• Review sentence structure


http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/9369/1/Sorenson.pdf

Stymied before they get off the plane: an exploration into creating a level playing field for assessing overseas students

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