Assessment FOR

Learning:
Assessment Policy and
Procedures

CELT Seminar
Treforest, 22 April 2016

© University of South Wales

Richard Oelmann

• Centre for Excellence in Learning and

Teaching
• Senior Learning Technologist

• Previously – taught on Primary Initial

Teacher Training
• Previously – Deputy Head Teacher

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Seminar Summary

This seminar reviews the key elements of the University’s

New Assessment FOR Learning policy and the way
academics can use it to develop their own assessment
approaches.
The session focuses on the USW approach to Assessment
FOR Learning, including an outline of the key principles of
assessment and the USW requirements around the
assessment life-cycle and assessment that is fit for purpose
in a disciplinary context.
The seminar will include opportunity for you to share your
practice as well as learn from fellow academics they ways
they have addressed the University’s expectations.

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What is assessment?

“In higher education, ‘assessment’

describes any processes that appraise an
individual’s knowledge, understanding,
abilities or skills.”
(QAA UK Quality Code for Higher Education, Chapter
B6: Assessment of students and accreditation of prior
learning, 2011, p.1)

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What is Assessment for
Learning?
Assessment for Learning focuses on the learning
process and is conducted during normal teaching
sessions.

It allows students to work with tutors to identify

learning objectives and enables feedback to
improve the learning.

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Assessment FOR
Learning
• Authentic assessment – engaging, meaningful
assessment tasks
• Students developing as learners – effective
attributes and skills to self-assess and evaluate their
own learning
• Informal feedback – e.g. in-class group
discussions, peer review
• Formal feedback – range of forms of feedback,
used at a number of stages
• Practice, rehearsal – opportunities to learn practice
• Formative and summative – appropriate balancing
of these two types of assessment
(Sambell et al 2013)
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 Constructive Alignment

All components of the Learning Environment

support each other
(Biggs 1999)
Learning Teaching and
Objectives Learning
Activities

Assessments

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Why do we assess our
students?

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USW Principles of
assessment
• Drives effective learning
• Fit for purpose
• Clear and timely
• Active dialogue between staff and students
• Seamless engagement
• Feedback – integrated, timely, feedforward
• Balanced and achievable timeframes
• Variety
• Reliable and trusted
• Secure
●
Minimises opportunities for malpractice
●
Real life briefs and simulations

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Requirement 1

• Learner centred
• Measure evidence of achievement
• Challenged to apply and use knowledge,
rather than to restate facts
• Assessments should test what is intended
to be tested.
• Shared view between staff and students
• Assessment Dialogue and Assessment
Approval events in June
• Adhere to Assessment Tariff

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Requirement 2

• Assessment Dialogue
 take a holistic view and review the assessment
approach across the course to align it to the principles of
Assessment for Learning.

• Assessment Approval
 confirm the assessment briefs, hand in and return by
dates for the next year, prior to the publication of the
assessment to students

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Assessment Dialogue
and Approval

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Requirement 3

●
Published to students
●
after the Assessment Approval Event,
●
at the start of their module and
●
are made available on the University Online
Learning Environment.
●
Variations
●
must be compelling eg consideration of current
cases or problems and
●
must be approved by the Academic Manager.

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Requirement 4

●
Course Handbooks
●
are completed to the approved University
template and
●
include an assessment schedule for all
modules,
●
hand in and return by dates clearly
published
●
1st September

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Requirement 5

• That all modules include elements of

formative assessment

• Those elements are made clear to

students within the Module Guide.

• Approved assessment briefs should

include details of formative assessment
opportunities and embed formative
feedback as well as summative feedback.

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Requirement 6

• That all modules make clear through

dialogue with students the standards
expected of assessment on the module eg.
●
peer review of work
●
review of previous work.

• Module tutors are required to have a

dialogue with students that embed a
common understanding of standards prior
to summative assessment being
submitted.

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Requirement 7

• That all summative feedback is returned

to students within 20 working days.

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Requirement 8

• Standardisation and Moderation of Marks Procedure

●
assessment boards
●
external examiners

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Requirement 9

• Submission and Receipt of Assessment

●
monitored by Academic Managers

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Requirement 10

• Extenuating Circumstance Regulations

●
Assessment,
●
Late submission and
●
Extenuating circumstances.

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Requirement 12

• All appropriate text based assessments

should be submitted via plagiarism
detection software.

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Requirement 13

• That courses run in-line with the

expectations of the Academic Blueprint,
including Immersive Learning with
summative feedback within the first six
weeks.

• Where relevant, external experts should

be involved in discussion about
assessment and industry expectations as
part of a professional dialogue about
standards.

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Performance indicators

Assessment designed to these principles

should facilitate the following:

1. Better motivated and engaged students

2. Increased progression and student
success
3. Better student outcomes on modules
4. Increased confidence from learners in
the USW assessment regime

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Performance indicators

As a result the key measures that will be

used to assess our performance will be:

1. Module and course performance data –

student outcomes (e.g. pass rates),
progression and retention rates
2. Module and course evaluation that
provides feedback on the quality of the
assessment regime

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 By Felix Ling [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0) or CC BY 2.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Discussion:
Assessment for Learning
in Practice

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