Using assessment in your teaching: why you should, how to do it and how to make it as painless as...

Sarah George [email protected]

Using assessment in your teaching

Why you should, how to do it, and how to make it as painless as possible.

1 May 2023

Sarah

Subtitle's a bit accusatory - should I change it?

1 May 2023 Sarah George [email protected]

Why you should consider getting involved• Rounded view of learning and teaching

– And of your institution– HEA accreditation

• Finding out more about your students’ research interests• Breaking through the module barrier• Engaging reluctant pupils• Ensuring it’s done properly!• Covering the institutional back• Making yourself indispensible!


You already do it!• Do you

– Give feedback on progress?– Check understanding?– Check references?– Give advice on source quality?

• You already assess!• Few new skills needed

– A few bits of admin


What you need• A stressed but friendly academic• A couple of hours of time• Willingness to try something new


What you assess

• Referencing• Source quality• Grammar and sense!


Types of assessment• Presentations • Second-marking• Online quizzes• Annotated bibliographies• Search strategies• Editing / critiquing a Wikipedia article• Exams• Mini-projects / reports / essays


Presentations• Time needed: a few hours maximum• What do you assess

– Clarity of slides– Presentation style– Source quality– Group work?– References?

• Don’t know anything about the subject?– Can the student explain their subject to a non-expert?


Second considering (-ish) written work• Written assignments via Turnitin / electronic

submission• Time needed: About an hour per 10 students• What do you assess

– References and citations– Source quality– Quality of paraphrasing.

• Not second-considering as generally undertaken!


Online quizzes• Quick to create

– Once you’ve got to grips with technology• Quick to mark• But:

– Hard to avoid shallow assessment, – Success by guesswork

• Use question pools to make less randome• Can use as introduction to other assessments

– Adaptive release


Annotated Bibliographies / search strategies• Can be part of bigger assignment (portfolio?)• Direct link with teaching• Tailor to what’s available• Mark on

– Source quality– Referencing– Answering the question– Following instructions


Others to consider• Critiquing and improving a Wikipedia article• Assessing their own Turnitin draft


Traditional assessments• May not be able to get away from these

– What’s in the module descriptor• Essays – lots of work to mark!• Exams

– Very stressful to invigilate!– Complicated to do re-takes, reasonable adjustment– Can be very easy to mark– What is an exam assessing?


An assessment of your own?• Freedom to choose topic and type• Tailor to resource availability

BUT• Marking!• Admin!• Re-takes!

Sarah George [email protected] 1 May 2023

Using assessment in your teaching: why you should, how to do it and how to make it as painless as...

Education

Transcript of Using assessment in your teaching: why you should, how to do it and how to make it as painless as...