Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii) Guidance 3(viii) Designing a curriculum

IntroductionThis is intended to give lecturers and programme designers a clear indication of the University’s requirements with respect to the curriculum of academic programmes, and to direct the reader to practical advice on how to implement core principles.

The paper is written in addition to the University’s Curriculum Design – Academic Policy Statement APS18 (http://www.mdx.ac.uk/Assets/curriculum_design.pdf)

It also recognises other strategic objectives of the University (in particular the learning, teaching and assessment strategy), and external influences including the QAA Academic Infrastructure, HEA, TQEF and legislation on disability, gender, race and equal opportunities.

1.1 Principles Make the learning outcomes meaningful and consider what the students could be

expected to do in order to demonstrate that they have achieved them Aim for better quality of assessment rather than quantity Assessment should promote learning and not simply measure what has been

learned Assessment should be part of the students’ learning and should encourage

students to undertake research activities Use alternative/ innovative methods of assessment which will be accessible to a

range of needs, disabilities and abilities rather than expecting all students to fit the standard model

Disability issues should be taken into account at the planning stage. For example, where visual resources are an important part of the teaching how would a student with visual impairment access the same information? If visits or trips are an integral part of the educational experience, how can the same experience be achieved by any student who cannot go?

Activities to promote inclusivity and global issues related to the discipline should be built into the curriculum design and teaching activities

Information literacy (a recognition of the need for information and the appropriate, ethical and fair use of information resources in academic study) should be a fully integrated and a developmental feature of learning programmes, demonstrating a collaborative and integrated approach between academic, the Learner Development Unit and Library staff in its systematic delivery and assessment

Integrate the use of OASISplus and online learning as appropriate and in a meaningful way into every programme as an effective means of enabling students to achieve those learning outcomes which can be delivered flexibly

The opportunity for students to develop understanding of and engage with personal development planning should be provided at the beginning of programmes at all levels and revisted as appropriate to the discipline throughout the programme

Employability as it relates to the discipline should be embedded throughout the programme, building on transferable and graduate skills in a way that is progressive and helpful to students in considering their futures

1.2 DefinitionCurriculum can be defined as ‘a connected series of structured experiences intended to achieve learning (D’Andrea and Gosling 2005:105).

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)Curriculum design is concerned with deciding both the “what” and “how” of learning: what students are intended to learn how they are expected to learn (which implies how it will be taught) how their learning will be assessed.

These questions are closely interrelated and need to be addressed together. This is a different approach to that which was often encountered in HE in the past. In this older model, it was common for the teacher to focus on defining curriculum content in the form of a topic list, and to pay little attention to learning and assessment activities, often relying on unconsidered use of teaching by lecture and assessment by unseen examination. An aligned approach to curriculum design requires a more integrated approach to planning. This approach is likely to result in better learning experiences for students. 1.3 How do you begin designing your curriculum?Constructive alignment of the curriculum is perhaps the most important principle underlying good curriculum design. This simple idea has been around a long time, but found its most useful description in the work of John Biggs (1996; 1999). Constructive alignment has its foundation in the notion that the learner constructs their own learning through relevant learning activities while the teacher’s role is to create a learning environment that supports the learning activities appropriate to achieving the desired learning outcomes (http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/resource_database/id169_QAA_Champion_for_Constructive_Alignment ). This theory connects the abstract idea of a learning outcome to the things teachers actually do to help students learn, and the things that students do to actually learn.

Curriculum alignment requires that all parts of the curriculum relate to each other in a logical and systematic way. It begins with the expression of the aims of the curriculum and expresses these as learning objectives or learning outcomes. Then decisions are made on assessment activities which will adequately measure and demonstrate the students' achievement of the learning outcomes. The next step is to consider the most appropriate learning activities in which the students should be engaged in order for them to have the best chance of achieving the learning outcomes. This should include consideration as to whether these activities can be appropriately facilitated via e-learning. Only then can decisions be made about what teaching activity will be needed to support this learning. It is important that this process should not be seen as linear. Constant revisiting of previously made decisions is required in order to ensure that the curriculum is a coherent whole, and is aligned throughout.

As well as being a coherent approach to course design, this process also encourages teachers to make explicit the anticipated outcomes of their teaching which might otherwise be left implicit. As D’Andrea and Gosling (2005) observe:

This not only encourages teachers to think more carefully about what they are trying to achieve and to plan their teaching to better achieve those objectives, but also makes the outcomes transparent to the learner and avoids the students having to guess what it is they are supposed to be learning.

It can be seen, therefore, that critical for the achievement of this is the alignment of the three key elements of course design: the planned learning outcomes of a course the learning activities designed to achieve those outcomes the assessment to determine whether those outcomes have been achieved.

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)

It follows that these three aspects of the module must be considered alongside each other in the planning process. This means that all the planned learning activities should be linked to the learning outcomes and should be designed in order to scaffold the students’ learning as they develop the knowledge, skills and understanding which is required in order for them to be able to demonstrate that they have achieved them. In turn, each of the learning outcomes must be assessed and should therefore be mapped onto the assessment for the module and the programme.

1.4 How to meet principlesIt is seldom that one has the opportunity to design a new programme from scratch. However, academic staff often encounter the task of designing new modules or revising existing programmes or modules. At all stages of programme development one should take account of the appropriate subject benchmarks and the level descriptors in “The framework for higher education qualifications” http://www.qaa.ac.uk/AssuringStandardsAndQuality/Qualifications/Pages/default.aspx

1.5 DiversityAll modules and programmes have to be accessible to disabled students, provided that Health and Safety Standards can be met and academic standards are not undermined. This means that in line with the Learning Framework, and where necessary, there should be alternative means by which students can demonstrate that the learning outcomes have been achieved. Thought should be given at the earliest stages of planning and development to issues of diversity. For example, will the programme be accessible to all students or do you need to plan in some anticipated reasonable adjustments? In what ways can cultural diversity be explored and cultural awareness and harmony be promoted? By addressing the needs of our disabled students – whatever they may be – we improve learning and teaching for all.

The QAA asks institutions to:“Consider making arrangements which ensure that all academic and technical staff: Plan and employ teaching and learning strategies which make the delivery of the

programme as inclusive as is reasonably possible Know and understand the learning implications of any disabilities of the students

whom they teach and are responsive to student feedback, and Make individual adaptations to delivery appropriate for particular students.”

The application of Disability Discrimination legislation would advocate “reasonable adjustments” which would prevent disabled students from being placed at substantial disadvantage in comparison to students who are not disabled. “Reasonable adjustments” can be in relation to all aspects of student learning and support including course content, teaching strategies and assessments.

The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council publication “Teachability: Creating an Accessible Curriculum for Students with Disabilities” recommends beginning by asking the following questions:1. how accessible is the curriculum for students with a range of impairments?2. how might the curriculum be made more accessible for students with a range of

impairments?3. what steps would need to be taken to implement the ways identified to enhance

access to the curriculum?

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)4. what barriers are there to achieving the changes you have identified and what

can be done about them?5. how can the ways in which the curriculum is particularly accessible or

inaccessible be made known to potential students with a range of impairments?

The Equality Act 2010 acts as an umbrella for all equality legislation including the 1976 Race Relations Act, amended in 2000, which states that it is illegal to discriminate against anyone on the grounds of colour, race, ethnicity and nationality. In particular,

Middlesex University, along with all other HEIs, is required to take a proactive role in: eliminating racial discrimination promoting equality of opportunity promoting positive relations between racial groups.

The points listed above are covered by the University’s Equality and Diversity Policy and the race Equality Scheme which can be found at http://www.intra.mdx.ac.uk/working-here/policies/policies-a-z/index.aspx. The University is also required to:- monitor and evaluate the policy monitor and evaluate the recruitment, admissions and retention of those from

different racial and ethnic groups disseminate and publish plans of the annual monitoring

In order to fulfil this requirement, and to enable the University to demonstrate the effectiveness of its policies, inclusive practices need to be embedded in the curriculum design of all modules regardless of the area of study. This is discussed further in the sections below.

Diversity – disability,race and gender awareness are now subject to legislation requiring the university to promote equality and equality of opportunity for all and will be pursued by the panels as part of validation and review. This awareness needs to be demonstrated not only in the curriculum itself but in the approaches to teaching, resources and planned learning experiences. All programme teams should be questioned about this.

1.6 Information LiteracyInformation literacy can be defined as “knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner” (CILIP, 2009). Within the academic context, information literacy skills need to be embedded into curriculum design in order to ensure the student is able to develop a critical awareness and understanding of information in the wider sense.

Collaboration in curriculum design and programme delivery between academics and librarians is key to the effective integration of information literacy into the overall student learning experience.

1.7 E-learningMiddlesex University is a blended learning institution and the expectation is that every programme will have modules, or parts of modules, which involve the students

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)working online. When planning a programme the team should consider at the outset which modules, and parts of modules, can use e-learning methods. This is discussed in the sections which follow.

1.8 EthicsAcademic staff designing programmes need to identify, take account of, and reflect in the curriculum as appropriate the ethical dimensions of their programmes. Further guidance on this aspect is available in Guidance 3(xviii), Ethics in the undergraduate curriculum

1.9 Further readingBiggs J 1996 Enhancing teaching through constructive alignment. Higher Education, 32, 347-364.Biggs J 1999 Teaching for Quality Learning at University Buckingham, SRHE/ Open University PressD’Andrea V and Gosling D 2005 Improving Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: A whole institution approach Buckingham, SRHE/Open University.

Useful resources on curriculum design can be found at:http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/44.htm

1.10 ContactsFor further advice on issues of Disability contact either the University’s Disability Student Services Manager, (b.jones@mdx.ac.uk)..

For further advice on issues of Race contact either the University’s Equal Opportunities Officer, (m.howard@mdx.ac.uk)..

For further advice on how to integrate e-learning into the curriculum contact the Educational Development Team.

For further advice on how to embedding information literacy into the curriculum contact the Matthew Lawson, Assistant Director for Library Services (m.lawson@mdx.ac.uk)

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)

2. Aims

2.1 Principles The general precepts applying to aims are that:

all programmes and modules will have aims aims should be succinct and readily comprehensible to students aims will indicate the nature, focus and coverage of the programme or module aims will indicate opportunities and benefits likely to accrue to students

through taking the programme or module. aims should be considered as the overarching statements of what it is

planned that the programme will achieve. 2.2 DefinitionAims are best thought of as general statements of intent and give an overall picture of what the student should expect to learn. Aims are not the same as outcomes, and are best considered as the well-intentioned aspirations of the programme (or module). Viewed in this light, statements of aims for the programme or module are also useful for inclusion in prospectuses, and other marketing materials.

2.3 How to meet principlesAdvice on writing module aims can be found in Guidance 3(vii), and on writing programme aims in Guidance 3(viii), of the Learning and Quality Enhancement Handbook (http://www.mdx.ac.uk/aboutus/Strategy/quality-standards/handbook/section3.aspx) 2.4 E-learningThe University seeks to support all its programmes by e-learning with the intention to improve the quality of the learning experience for diverse students and to provide greater flexibility of study. E-learning contributes to the general development of the student beyond the actual content of the programme module and should therefore be mentioned in this section for programmes which make significant use of this mode of delivery and interaction.

2.5 Further readingFry H., Ketteridge S., Marshall S 1999 A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: enhancing academic practice London, Kogan PageLight G and Cox R 2001 Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: the reflective professional London, Sage

2.6 ContactsFor further advice on writing Programme/module Aims please contact the Educational Development Unit.

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)

3. Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are statements of what the programme and /or module teams expect learners to know and be able to do as a result of engaging in the learning process. From the students’ perspective, the outcomes approach communicates what they are expected to be able to do, how they will be able to demonstrate their learning and the criteria that will be used to assess them. It follows that learning outcomes must be both achievable and measurable. Programme learning outcomes are a statement of what a successful graduate must be able to demonstrate, and are not assessed directly, rather their achievement is measured indirectly, through assessment of module learning outcomes and curriculum mapping.Fry et al (1999:51) give a useful comparison of words appropriate to the writing of aims and outcome statements:

Aims Outcomes Know Distinguish between

Understand Choose

Determine Assemble

Appreciate Adjust

Grasp Identify

Become familiar Solve, apply, list

3.1 Principles Learning outcomes are statements of what the programme and/or module teams expect learners to know and be able to do as a result of engaging in the learning process. The general precepts relating to learning outcomes are that:

Programme learning outcomes: all programme learning outcomes are to be expressed at minimum acceptable

(threshold) standard all programme learning outcomes will indicate the highest level (in terms of

University level descriptors) at which it is intended they will be achieved by every graduate of the programme

achievement of all programme learning outcomes must be assessed (this will be achieved indirectly through the assessment of module learning outcomes and curriculum mapping)

for a student to graduate, all programme learning outcomes must be achieved within a programme, graduate skills will be developed to levels consistent with

University transferable or graduate skills policy

Module learning outcomes: all module learning outcomes are to be expressed at minimum acceptable

(threshold) standard module learning outcomes should describe only those outcomes that students

must achieve achievement of all module learning outcomes must be summatively assessed for a student to be awarded at least a pass mark in a module, all module learning

outcomes must be achieved

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)

Generic:Learning outcomes should be written in such a way as to: Reflect the level of study (i.e be related to the appropriate University level descriptor) Be readily understood by students Allow for effective assessment

At Level 4, learning outcomes should: additionally include all level 4 University Graduate Skills outcomes.

3.2 DefinitionsLearning outcomes inform the students as to what they should be able to do, know, understand at the end of the module and also, on what aspects of the module they will be assessed.

3.3 How to meet principlesAs stated in The Learning Framework, Level 4 learning outcomes should define the things which a student is expected to know, understand and be able to do at the end of the first level of the programme. Level 4 learning outcomes should be determined at programme level and then distributed across modules for the

year be specified for each level of the programme be tightly restricted to those aspects of skill, knowledge or understanding which

are necessary for success

Toohey (1999) describes six different views of learning, namely; learning as acquiring knowledge learning as memorizing and long term retention learning as application learning as insight or understanding learning as personal development (with an emotional aspect) learning as transformational

Some useful points of guidance are: write in the future tense identify the 4-6 most important learning requirements for a module should be achievable and assessable should use language the students can understand relate to explicit criteria for assessing levels of achievement focus on describing what students will be able to do – what they will be able to

do differently as a result of their learning at programme level learning outcomes should be formulated in the categories:

knowledge and understanding; cognitive skills; practical skills; graduate skills at module level the categories knowledge and understanding; skills (subject and

non-specific) are required programme learning outcomes should be distributed across the modules for the

year and duplication should be avoided.

Probably the most useful hierarchy of learning outcomes is that of Bloom (Light and Cox 2001): knowledge comprehension application

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii) analysis synthesis evaluation

It is important that learning outcomes should be measurable and assessable i.e., learning outcomes should not be written in terms of ‘be aware of …’; ‘develop understanding of ..’. Both staff and students should be able to assess whether they have been achieved.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Appropriate verbs

Knowledge State; recognize; select; reproduce; measure; define; list; name; recall; record

Comprehension Identify; represent; formulate; explain; contrast; describe; discuss; recognise

Application Predict; select; assess; find; show; use; construct; compute; apply; demonstrate; illustrate; practice

Analysis Compare; differentiate; contrast; break down; distinguish; analyse; calculate; test

Synthesis Summarize; argue; relate; précis; organize; conclude; design; organise; propose

Evaluation Evaluate; support; confront; select; critique; appraise; evaluate; compare; assess

Adapted from Light and Cox (2001:90) and Fry et al (1999: 50)

Guidance3vi - Writing a programme specification of the Learning and Quality Enhancement Handbook contains further guidance on writing programme learning outcomes. Further exploration of level descriptors can be found in the University Regulations:http://www.mdx.ac.uk/regulations

3.4 DiversityConsideration should be given to how the Learning Outcomes are to be demonstrated and achieved. Are there alternative means by which they can be demonstrated by disabled students? At the programme level, and perhaps at the Module level too, thought should be given too as to how the university can meet its requirements and duties to promote cultural awareness.

3.5 Further readingBiggs J 1999 Teaching for Quality Learning at University Buckingham, SRHE/ Open University Press

D’Andrea V and Gosling D 2005 Improving Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: A Whole Institution Approach Buckingham, SRHE/ Open University Press

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)Fry H., Ketteridge S., Marshall S. 1999 A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education : enhancing academic practice London, Kogan Page

Guide for Busy Academics: Using Learning Outcomes to Design a Course and Assess Learning LTSN Generic Centre Learning and Teaching Support Network (http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources.asp?process=full_record&Guidance=generic&id=252)

Light G and Cox R 2001 Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: the reflective professional London, Sage

LTSN Generic Centre Learning and Teaching Support Network Principles of good design Paul Kleiman (http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/asp?process=full_record&Guidance=generic&id=196 )

Toohey S 1999 Designing Courses for Higher Education Buckingham, SRHE/OU

3.6 ContactsFor advice on writing learning outcomes contact the Learning and Teaching Strategy Leader in your School or contact the Educational Development Unit.

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)

4. Syllabus

4.1 Principles The syllabus, that is the topics to be covered in modules, should be: relevant to the aims and learning outcomes of the module supported by reference to relevant sources of information up to date and informed by relevant research in the subject of study informed by relevant subject benchmark statements informed by requirements of PSRBs (where relevant) consistent with University skills policy – i.e. include the agreed transferable or

graduate skills appropriate for the level consistent with University equal opportunities policy sensitive to students' prior experience sensitive to issues of race, gender, disability, age, colour, ethnicity and religion culturally inclusive accessible to all students appropriate for the level of the module (related to University level descriptors)

and to the FHEQ

Middlesex University, along with all other HEIs, is required to take a proactive role in: Promoting equality of opportunity Eliminating racial discrimination Promoting positive relations between racial groups.

These legal obligations arise out of the 1976 Race Relations Act (amended in 2000), which states that it is illegal to discriminate against anyone on the grounds of colour, race, ethnicity and nationality. In particular, race awareness needs to be embedded in the curriculum design of all programmes regardless of the area of study and needs to take into account the consideration of inclusiveness and how we can proactively promote equality and diversity.

4.2 DefinitionsIf the curriculum is the design for good and successful student learning (http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/id46_The_Imaginative_Curriculum), content can be envisaged as the corpus of knowledge and/or facets of the subject, with associated skills, that are necessary if the student is to be enabled to achieve the stated learning outcomes of the programme/module (and, on occasion, the requirements of a PSRB or other interested body). Such content will necessarily have a close-working, reciprocal relationship with the teaching/learning methods to be employed.The way in which concepts, facts and skills are introduced and organised in a course is usually closely related to the beliefs about knowledge and learning (Toohey 1999:92). This organisation and selection of content (what goes in, what is omitted) will need close scrutiny and careful planning for the effective use of the 24 week teaching period. Teaching, as Cowan (1998) states, is “The purposeful creation of situations from which motivated learners should not be able to escape without learning or developing”.

For many academics, their involvement in the subject, and the sophisticated understanding they have of it, makes it relatively easy to draw up the possible content of a programme/module in purely subject terms of focus. But this may not be totally appropriate for the learning context, and content may need to be re-evaluated in terms of its relevance to learning outcomes, to the relevant timescale of available study time, to available teaching methods and resources, and to subject benchmark

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)statements. So there may be need for selectivity and fine tuning of potential content to arrive at the most appropriate final identification of fit for purpose. Only then can attention be switched to the detailed issues of designing the ‘how’ of learning. Once in place, even the best designed curriculum requires monitoring and continual adjustment and enhancement. The manner in which this could be achieved will be the subject of future guidance.

4.3 How to meet principlesIt is important to make explicit what both the students and the teachers will be doing. Reference should be made to your Subject Network and subject benchmarks as set by the QAA.

4.4 DiversityThe University now has the duty to monitor the effects of their policies on Race Awareness and it is therefore incumbent on all staff to foster and develop cultural awareness and embed activities to do this in their teaching.

4.5 ReferencesCowan J 1998 On Becoming an Innovative University Teacher: reflection in action. Buckingham, SRHE/OUScott, G 1999 Change Matters: Making a Difference in Education and Training. Sydney, Allen and Unwin

4.6 ContactsFor further help and information on content and curriculum design contact the Learning and Teaching Strategy Leader in your School or EDU.For further guidance on designing online materials contact the Educational Development Manager within EDU.

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)

5. Learning and Teaching

In order for students to best achieve the learning outcomes one needs to consider what learning activities are the most suitable – and from that will emerge what teaching activities will be needed to facilitate and support that learning. It is more important to be clear about what the students should do to learn, than it is to specify what teachers should do to teach. As Shuell (cited Biggs, 1996) states:

“If students are to learn desired outcomes in a reasonably effective manner, then the teacher’s fundamental task is to get students to engage in learning activities that are likely to result in their achieving those outcomes…It is helpful to remember that what the student does is actually more important in determining what is learned than what the teacher does.”

5.1 Principles The principles underpinning learning and teaching undertaken are that the: learning activities should be appropriate for developing the particular knowledge,

understanding and skills expressed in the learning outcomes learning experiences will take account of the prior experience and understanding

of students learning activities should encourage a deep as opposed to a surface approach to

learning learning experiences will be sensitive to the needs of students, including

students of different culture, background and level of ability learning experiences will be consistent with University policy with respect to

students with disabilities learning activities will include e-learning where appropriate where required, learning materials will have appropriate copyright clearance.

Intended learning activities should encourage a deep as opposed to a surface approach to learning by: being offered in a variety of types encouraging learner activity rather than passivity encouraging learner autonomy providing opportunities for group work where appropriate offering good, frequent and timely feedback involving the student in shaping new concepts and re-organising old ones avoiding excessive workload.

Ten notional study hours will be expected per credit point. Contact hours may be determined locally. Biggs (1999) has many useful ideas on improving learning and teaching, particularly on ways in which to manage lecture groups. 5.2 DefinitionsThe role of teaching is to support and facilitate learning, allowing the students to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and understandings and internalise them, making them their own. Good teaching and learning encourages and allows the student to make connections between their new learning and what they already know and what is relevant to them. The definition of “e-Learning” adopted here is sufficiently broad to encompass the many uses of information and communication technologies (ICT) that are used within

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)the University aimed at enhancing learning and teaching practices. E-learning is defined as:

The use of learning technologies to facilitate flexible approaches to learning, teaching and assessment in ways that enhance the student learning experience. It includes online communication within and between communities of learners and teachers, computer-assisted assessment as well as the use of online learning materials developed internally or from external sources. Finally, the term “e-learning” aims to encompass all notions of blended learning, mobile learning, online learning and computer-assisted learning.

The concept of e-learning increases in complexity as the amount of online activity increases. It is acknowledged that the degree of the blend will differ across programmes and modules.

5.3 How to design effective learning and teaching activitiesHaving established the learning outcomes for a module/programme and considered how students achievement will be assessed against them, the next step is to consider what they will need to know and be able to do, what they need to experience, in order to learn what has been deemed necessary for successful completion of the module/programme. Learning activities may be led by the teacher; involve the students working with their peers or be self-directed. There is no one right process for all learning – what is important is to select the type of activity most appropriate for the form of learning required.

Although many models exist, the solution of an instructional design problem is characterised by further examination of ADDIE, a typical instructional design model. This is equally applicable to both face to face and e-learning. The process follows a process of five phases: 1. Analysis of the environment, learner and tasks 2. Designing a plan for developing instruction3. Development of the educational activities 4. Implementation of the design 5. Evaluation of learner performance and effectiveness of the design.

These phases, also known as ADDIE, work in a loop and should be continually repeated to identify further improvements. It is possible, and often appropriate, to shorten the phases of instructional design but this should only be done after considering the needs of the learners. The ADDIE process is even more important when designing distance education, where the instructor and students have little, if any, face-to-face contact. An outline of the issues which a programme team needs to consider when implementing e-learning is presented below:

AnalysisWho are your learners? What are their characteristics? How can they be motivated? What do they already know? What do they need to know? What are the constraints?

DesignGeneral questions: What are your objectives? Are your objectives measurable? What skills/knowledge are you trying to develop? What are the appropriate interactions that need to take place? What strategies will you use? How will you sequence your content? How will you assess the learners' understanding?

When designing for e-learning: How can you most effectively use OASISplus? Select and

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)overall approach and decide on the look and feel of the end-product. Design interactive content that will take advantage of the online features. Include collaborative elements and avoid static web pages and interactions that mimic page turning.

DevelopmentGeneral questions: What resources will you use? How will you manage and co-ordinate the development? Does your design accommodate a variety of learning styles?

When designing for e-learning: Address learner's preferences by presenting material in a variety of formats. Interactions should be creative and innovative. Consider how the medium will promote interest and interactivity. The environment should allow learners to establish online identities and encourage exploration and peer-to-peer interaction.

ImplementationGeneral questions: What is the most effective way of implementing the design? How can tutors and students get the most out of the design?

When designing for e-learning: Consider how often the online resources will be used and updated. Always have an alternative backup strategy in place. Technology is not always stable and dependable; technical problems can occur. Ensure that this is communicated to the students ahead of time. Learners' experiences should not be dependant on the performance of the technology.

EvaluationGeneral questions: How will you test for instructional standards? How can the learning experience be enriched? What improvements can you make?

based on Fardouly (1998)

5.4 Using contact time flexiblyFor each module contact hours are to be determined locally and related to resource allocation for the programme (see Appendix 2: Structure). While the Study Time has been set at 10 hours per credit, it is up to programme teams and Schools to decide how much contact time is required and to allocate teaching hours. Staff are not expected to teach for 24 weeks of the year so innovative methods will have to be included in module design. The integration of OASISplus and e-learning can help provide support in dealing with this, enabling students to maintain contact with each other and their lecturer during weeks that do not require attendance on campus at face to face sessions and while they are doing other activities such group work, research and project planning (see list below).

1. For an entire module the pattern could be, for example, block teaching at start of term, XXX, block teaching mid- term, XXX block teaching at end of semester, with XXX representing alternative activities such as: Students working in small groups on projects and/or presentations Students working online on case studies Students undertaking online research and sharing results. Students posting drafts of work online for peer review Students sharing results of individual work online Team teaching Duty tutors Student placements Problem-based learning

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii) Resource-based learning in dedicated resource rooms Self directed learning weeks whereby students are directed to undertake group

work and do an assignment on it. Dividing the module into sections which are taught face to face and those which

are facilitated online. Students research a topic individually or in pairs and teach it to the rest of the

group Action learning sets of tutorless groups Reading groups (face to face or virtual) Student presentations Student reviews Project work Debates Share / publish student work on OASISplus for peer review and feedback Critical reading Sharing research – each small group researches a different topic, reads a

different article Students produce a guide for future students/users

2. For one topic, just in-time teaching (spread over a minimum of 3 weeks) Publish list of lecture topics for entire semester (this should not be more than one

per week) Ask students to research the topic of each lecture and do the readings prior to

attending the lecture Ask students to do a quick ungraded quiz the day before the lecture is due to take

place Use the lecture time to discuss students’ misconceptions of specific issues they

were not able to get to grips with instead of trying to cover everything concerned with the topic in hand

Follow up with a week of online discussions, debates and activities to allow for maximum participation from students

Ask students to complete a self-assessment at the end of each topic which will provide them with timely and useful feedback.

5.5 DiversityProviding health and safety standards can be met and academic standards are not compromised, all the University’s programmes should be accessible to disabled students. While it is obviously not possible to address the whole range of disability we might encounter in the learning situation, the law does require that the University should be anticipatory in its approach to disabled students and their needs should be anticipated when designing curricula For example;

where visits, trips, field studies are involved, alternative methods of providing an equivalent educational experience for those who cannot attend should be considered. It should be noted that there may be many reasons why a student cannot undertake a trip/visit of field trip apart from mobility issues; other disabilities such as food allergies, asthma or mental health difficulties might also preclude their taking part. Where adjustments have to be made for specific students with disabilities advice can be sought from the Disabilities Support Services Manager or from AQS.

where the lectures/ seminars rely heavily on visual aids consideration must be given in the planning and development stage as to how these will be accessed by students with visual impairments.

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii) alternative assessment opportunities should be planned and offered. We should

be moving away from the bolt-on approach of offering extra time, readers and amanuenses to a range of integrated assessments which allow all students to perform to the best of their abilities (see Section 6: Guidance on Assessment).

Where adjustments have to be made for specific students with disabilities advice can be sought from the Disabilities Support Services Manager and from AQS.The guiding rule here is that, as in all equal opportunities driven initiatives, there is a strong likelihood that any changes made in order to improve the educational experience of students with a given disability will be of benefit to all students. (See the document ‘Teachability’, referenced below).In making such decisions, consideration should be given to the advantages offered by the use of resources and tools available within the University. These include, for example, the use of e-journals, OASISplus and the internet, ELLS workshops and resources.

Further advice on this area can be obtained from EDUor Disability Support Services Manager.

Race AwarenessThe 1976 Race Relations Act, amended in 2000, states that it is illegal to discriminate against anyone on the grounds of colour, race, ethnicity and nationality. In particular, Middlesex University, along with all other HEIs, is required to take a proactive role in : eliminating racial discrimination promoting equality of opportunity promoting positive relations between racial groups

The aim of the duty is to make the promotion of racial equality central to the work of the listed public authorities … (it) also expects public authorities to take the lead in promoting equality of opportunity and good race relations, and preventing unlawful discrimination … this means that listed public authorities must take account of racial equality in the day to day work of policy-making, service delivery, employment practice and other functions. (http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/uploaded_files/code_of_practice_on_the_duty_to_promote_race_equality.pdf )

The points listed above are covered by the University’s Race Equality Policy HRPS24 which states that “… we seek to create a community in which diversity is valued and which both reflects and services the needs of the broader community in which we operate.” However, the latest legislation has placed upon HEIs the requirement that they not only have a policy to promote race equality but that they: monitor and evaluate the policy monitor and evaluate the recruitment, admissions and retention of those from

different racial and ethnic groups disseminate and publish plans of the annual monitoring

In order to fulfil this requirement, and to enable the University to demonstrate the effectiveness of its policies, Race Awareness needs to be embedded in the curriculum design of all modules regardless of the area of study.

Curriculum design needs to take into account the consideration of inclusiveness and how we can proactively promote equality and diversity. This is a particular concern with regard to race and disability (but also should cover gender, age, religion and belief). Learning opportunities which actively promote race awareness and

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)research/topics that address related issues should be built into the curriculum design and learning and teaching activities.

A critical analysis of the design of the curriculum should be undertaken by both the programme team, and by the validation panel, in order to ensure that no one particular group is unconsciously disadvantaged or that the curriculum is allowed to have such a narrow focus that it does not take account of different but valid perspectives.

All of the above needs to be set in the context of academic freedom. That is to say that it is not necessary to include consideration of race, gender disability, age etc. in all programmes of study. However it is the consideration process that is important since we want to ensure that staff can demonstrate they have taken account of equality and diversity in their design process.

In order to support staff both in the design of the curriculum and in encouraging positive relations between racial groups The Race Awareness Learning Portfolio is available on EDUwebsite. http://www.intra.mdx.ac.uk/working-here/policies/policies-a-z/index.aspx

5.6 E-learning The University seeks to support all its programmes by e-learning with the intention to improve the quality of the learning experience for diverse students and to provide greater flexibility of study. E-learning contributes to the general development of the student beyond the actual content of the programme module and should therefore be mentioned in this section for programmes which make significant use of this mode of delivery and interaction. Some flexibility in learning experiences can be introduced by altering the mode of study during the programme re-design exercise to take account the use of learning technologies.

Principles for integrating e-learning into the curriculum:1. Whole programme redesign. The whole programme—rather than a single class,

section or module—is the target of redesign. Advantages include: The duplication of learning outcomes across modules can be avoided Resources can be jointly created, re-used and shared across programme

teams E-learning is no longer a bolt-on, supplemental activity; it is examined,

designed and acknowledged as a mainstream teaching activity. You can decide which concepts/ learning outcomes will be delivered flexibly across the programme. This should be included in the programme specification.

2. Active learning. The re-designed teaching-learning experience should be significantly more interactive and student-centred. Some lectures can be replaced with a variety of learning resources that move students from a passive, note-taking role to an active, learning orientation.

3. Online learning resources. Web-based learning resources take on an important role in engaging students with new concepts. Resources should include online tutorials, exercises, discussions and low stakes quizzes that provide frequent practice, feedback, and reinforcement of course concepts. It is possible to get copyright clearance to scan materials used in traditional

modules taught face-to-face for use online with the university’s virtual learning environment.

The University has a plethora of online learning resources which can be used effectively for the online component of your programme. Subject librarians within Library & Student Support can advise you further.

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)4. Learning online does not mean learning alone. The tutor must be present in the

online component of the module/programme. Tutors should aim to model good practice and log on and contribute online at least as much as their students.

In order to support staff in embedding e-learning into the curriculum and the design of e-learning activities staff in the Educational Development Team are available to work with programme teams throughout the curriculum re-design process.

Consideration should be given as to which learning outcomes can be achieved, and assessed flexibly via e-learning. It is important to promote effective e-learning by starting with the learning outcomes set out in the modules/programmes. The focus of the planning tool below is on effectively planning and developing e-learning components to effectively support face-to-face practice. By identifying which activities can be facilitated electronically and would benefit from being transferred online it is possible to establish which technological intervention would provide maximum impact with minimum effort. The example in the table below illustrates this.

Example: If graduates of a particular programme are expected to work in many cultures then it would be highly beneficial to do so during their studies. This can be facilitated online using the online discussion boards without investing significant time in developing resources, requires very few technical skills and can be incorporated in the next run of the module/programme.

The table below is designed to assist in the mapping and planning of e-learning across a programme or module.

1. Start by considering the triad of important factors2. Rate the triad according to its importance for the module or programme3. Consider the value added if technology were to be used4. Then consider the amount of time/resources that would have to be invested in

this5. Is the implementation of the use of technology achievable in the current or next

semester?6. Are there any copyright implications?

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)

Triad

Importance of the triad for the module/programme

Value added if technology were used

Resource/timeinvestment

Achievable for this/next semester

OASISplus Copyright implications

Learning outcomes

Activity Role of technology

1 = low; 2 = medium; 3 = high; 4 = very high

yes/no Facilities to be used & helpful tips

Example: graduates are prepared to work in many cultures

Curriculum includes multicultural content

Use of the web for communication between intercultural teams

3 3 2 yesUse of discussion board and group manager tools. Follow Salmon’s 5 steps for e-moderation. Make expectations explicit. Make participation a requirement.

None

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)

Adapted from D’Andrea V and Gosling D 2005 Improving Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: A whole institution approach Buckingham, SRHE/Open UniversitySee also: Salmon G 2000 E-moderating: The key to teaching and learning online London, Kogan Page

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)It is possible to replace some class meetings (lectures, seminars, labs, etc) with online resources, activities and computer aided formative assessments while keeping the remainder of in-class activities more or less the same. The benefits of e-learning would be more evident if, for example, students were able to study one module per semester online with attendance required only once per month; this would reduce the demand on available space on the decreasing number of campuses and provide a degree of flexibility which would be valued by our non-traditional, working and mature students. If implemented correctly contact hours with students can be facilitated electronically; this does not require scheduling in the traditional sense but employing methods for ensuring that sufficient support and opportunities for tutor-student contact are in place. Some examples of the flexible use of OASISplus include: 1 week f2f lecture, seminar, tutorial and then 1 week online 1 month f2f for lectures, seminars, tutorials and then 1 month online 2 modules f2f in a traditional format and 1 module online taking advantage of as

many online resources as possible

Tips for online tutoring: Make participation a requirement or make some of the online

activities/interactions assessable. For example, students may be asked to collect their 3 most important contributions online and write a short reflective piece on how they demonstrate understanding of the subject or achievement of a particular learning outcome; this piece of work can then make up a percentage of their final grade thus providing one more opportunity for students to succeed with a particular module.

Manage expectations. The frequency with which students are expected to log on and interact with their peers online. Tutors should aim to model good practice and log on and contribute online at least as much as the students but it is acceptable to set clear boundaries so that the students know what level of contribution and support that they can expect.

Provide clear written guidelines about all the technical information as to how to access OASISplus (these will be made available from the Educational Development Unit) or other learning technologies you may be using.

State how the electronic medium is to be used and what students are expected to do online in order to facilitate their learning.

Teaching Weeks One and Two should be facilitated face-to-face with no significant academic activities carried out online. This is to ensure that all students have access; they have overcome technical difficulties and that they have logged on successfully and have familiarised themselves with OASISplus.

If a student has not logged on to OASISplus two weeks into the new term then the tutor or a teaching assistant should email the student, encourage them to log on, and/or make contact with the tutor. This type of facilitation task has been proven to increase retention and progression.

Content placed in OASISplus should be copyright cleared for appropriate use within the curriculum.

If the level 4 modules includes a significant amount of e-learning it is possible to establish students engagement with their studies through the tracking facilities offered in OASISplus ie first and last time students accessed the learning materials, track participation in online discussion, establish how long students have spent online, etc. Along with the programme and modules Progress Reviews (see Guidance 3xv) this data can provide academic staff with a list of students at high risk of dropping out or not progressing.

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)The use of OASISplus and e-learning in general offers many benefits of accessibility for disabled students. Electronic resources are generally more adaptable and customisable than many other delivery methods. For example, handouts made available electronically and in an appropriate format, can be customised in a variety of ways to accommodate different disabilities: visually impaired students are able to change the font and/or increase the text

size dyslexic students are able to change the colour of the text and select which

colour paper to print onto or change the colour background on the screen students with a wider range of disabilities can use screen readers and other

assistive technologies available to them.

In addition, the ability to access learning electronically at a distance from the university will enable those students who for a range of reasons may be unable to attend to maintain their progress with their studies and may be influential in retention.

It is important to remember, however, that not all e-resources and online activities offer the same value to all learners. It is important to maximise the value of these resources for as many learners as possible. If students with specific learning difficulties cannot access the online components of their modules then equivalent learning experiences should be offered. Please note that these do not need to be equivalent e-learning experiences and may involve the use of different methods and / or media.

Guidance on e-learning and e-tutoring can be found in Salmon 2002; 2004. Further advice may be obtained from the Educational Development Manager.

5.7 Further readingBiggs J 1996 Enhancing teaching through constructive alignment. Higher Education, 32, 347-364.Biggs J 1999 Teaching for Quality Learning at University Buckingham, SRHE/ Open University PressCowan J 1998 On Becoming an Innovative University Teacher: reflection in action Buckingham, SRHE/OUFry, Heather Ketteridge, Marshall Stephanie 1999 A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: enhancing academic practice London, Kogan Page

On e-learning and e-tutoringFardouly, N. 1998 Instructional Design of Learning Materials [online]. University of New South Wales. Salmon G 2000 E-Moderating: the key to teaching and learning online London, Kogan PageSalmon G (2003 Etivities: the key to active online elearning London, Kogan Page

On issues of disability:Below is a list of references which you will find useful in planning your programmes.

Simpson O 2000 Supporting Students in Open and Distance Learning London, Kogan Page pp131-136An invaluable resource for those working with Distance students. This offers a range of case-studies on students with physical and mental health difficulties.

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)http://dart.lboro.ac.uk/toolProduced by Loughborough University, this site is itself a good example of how to make websites accessible to those with disabilities while at the same time offering advice on how to Design and deliver a more accessible curriculum Overcome barriers to accessible practice Adjust learning and teaching practice for the benefit of all students Respond to the needs of disabled students in a variety of learning and teaching

contexts Meet SENDA and other legislative requirements.

http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/For guidelines on improving your work with dyslexic students

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/codeofpractice/section3/ QAA Code of Practice on Students with Disabilities

http://www.teachability.strath.ac.uk/You can access the full document ‘Teachability: Creating an Accessible Curriculum for Students with Disabilities’. A very useful resource document produced as the result of a project funded by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council. This document suggests ways in which the curriculum may be made more accessible to all students as well as to those with specific disabilities.

http://www.techdis.ac.uk/An invaluable resource covering teaching strategies, learning materials, face to face and online teaching.

http://www.lr.mdx.ac.uk/disab/index.htmMiddlesex University’s Disability Support Service Intranet site with a link to the University’s policy on disabled Students

http://www.plymouth.ac.ukSENDA Compliance in HE: An audit and guidance tool for accessible practice within the framework of teaching and learning

(http://www2.glos.ac.uk/gdn/icp/). Funded by HEFCE's Improving Provision for Disabled Students programme. The series includes a completely new guide aimed at helping disabled students themselves to optimise their experience of higher education: To a Degree, A Guide for Students of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences with Specific Learning Difficulties, Long-term Medical Conditions or Impairments. The ICP project focuses on the fundamental principle of inclusivity, whilst addressing the day-to-day practical realities of supporting students with a wide range of specific physical and mental difficulties. Hence although the series is written from a disciplinary perspective and some guide titles address particular areas of disability, the project provides guidance which offers transferable lessons for what is good practice throughout teaching and learning in higher education.

The full list of guides are:1. Issues in developing an inclusive curriculum: examples from geography, earth and environmental sciences (Healey M, Jenkins A and Leach J)2. To a degree: a guide for students with specific learning difficulties, long-term medical conditions or impairments (Clark G, Wareham T and Turner R)

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)3. Developing an inclusive curriculum for students with hearing impairments (Wareham T, Clark D, Turner R)4. Developing an inclusive curriculum for students with mobility impairments (Milsom C, Anwar N and Thompson S)5. Developing an inclusive curriculum for students with dyslexia and hidden disabilities (Waterfield J, West B and Chalkley B)6. Developing an inclusive curriculum for visually disabled students (Shepherd I D H)7. Developing an inclusive curriculum for a) students with mental health issues; b) students with Asperger Syndrome (Leach J and Birnie J)8. Developing an inclusive curriculum: a guide for lecturers (Gravestock P)9. Developing an inclusive curriculum: a guide for Heads of Department and Course Leaders (Harrison M)10. Developing an inclusive curriculum: a guide for support staff (Roberts C)

On issues of race awareness:Race Awareness Learning Portfolio can be found on EDU website (http://www.intra.mdx.ac.uk/working-here/policies/policies-a-z/index.aspx )

5.8 Good practiceRace Awareness Learning Portfolio can be found on EDU website http://www.intra.mdx.ac.uk/working-here/policies/policies-a-z/index.aspx

5.9 ContactsFor guidance on curriculum design contact the Educational Development Unit or the Learning and Teaching Strategy Leader in your School.

Further advice on incorporating e-learning into the curriculum can be obtained from the Educational Development Manager in EDU.

Guidance on disability can be obtained from Bryan Jones, Disability Support Services Manager (b.jones@mdx.ac.uk).

Guidance on Race Awareness can be obtained from Michael Howard, the University’s Equal Opportunities Officer (m.howard@mdx.ac.uk).

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)

6. Assessment

6.1 Assessment in the Learning FrameworkThe Learning Framework is designed to reflect the principles and practices outlined in this guidance. Important aspects of assessment practice in the Learning Framework include: summative assessment activities taking place throughout the year increased opportunities for formative feedback curriculum (assessment) maps clearly demonstrating that assessment has been

designed to accommodate module and programme learning outcomes will have to be prepared for validation events.

The Learning Framework can be accessed at: www.intra.mdx.ac.uk/future/LearningFramework/docs/Learning%20Framework.pdf

Once you have established the content in terms of learning outcomes, the next step will be deciding how you are going to assess student achievement of them. You will be looking for an appropriate set of assessment activities which can evaluate the level of students' learning of all the outcomes. This is not always easy, and needs considerable thought and imagination. Assessment activities should be an integral part of the learning experience; bearing in mind that different types of assessment encourage students to work in different ways and do different things when preparing for them, and that assessment can serve several purposes:

- to diagnose the current state of a student’s knowledge or skills, in order to know what learning experience might be helpful

- to give the student feedback on their learning- to judge a competence or skill as being at an acceptable level- to form the basis of a judgement which will be graded or marked- to help the teacher understand how effective their teaching has been.

Sometimes these purposes overlap; normally one of the purposes will be dominant.

6.2 Principles of assessment Assessment can be formative or summative in intent: Formative assessment is primarily developmental in nature, and is designed to

give feedback to learners on their performance and how it can be improved Summative assessment is designed to measure the extent to which a learner has

achieved the intended learning outcomes of a module. Summative assessment would usually also provide feedback to learners.

A particular assessment can be used to serve both purposes but research suggests that formative feedback is less meaningful for students if the assessment also counts towards a final grade.

Design of assessment assessment will be clearly and appropriately aligned with learning outcomes all module learning outcomes should be summatively assessed all learning outcomes for the programme must be passed assessment will be designed to offer students a range of methods by which they

can demonstrate that they have achieved the learning outcomes wherever possible, assessment design should provide opportunities for students

to demonstrate achievement of module learning outcomes before the end of the module

assessment design and practice will aim for fairness and consistency assessment design will mitigate against plagiarism

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii) assessment practice and grading will be based on criteria, and not norm-

referenced assessment will be designed to avoid an overload on staff or students.

Descriptions of assessment assessment will be clearly described in the module narrative curriculum (assessment) maps clearly demonstrating that assessment has been

designed to accommodate module and programme learning outcomes will be provided as part of programme specifications

the nature of the assessment process, the assessment criteria and the way in which feedback will be given will be made clear to students at the start of each module

assessment practice will follow the published description.

Assessment and diversity assessment design and practice will be inclusive and appropriate to the diversity

of students assessment design and practice will be consistent with University equal

opportunities policy.

Assessment and Learning formative assessment will be an integrated and designed part of the student

learning experience formative assessment will be designed to generate frequent, good quality

feedback on students’ performance feedback will be timely, relevant, usable and efficacious (see TRUE features of

feedback below) students will know what to do with feedback to help their learning assessment should avoid overloading the students.

Assessment at level 3 and 4 Additional requirements for level 3 and 4 are that: assessment may be marked as pass or fail, or may be graded using the

University scale there will normally be no formal examinations at level 4 where possible, there should be opportunities before the end of the module for

students to demonstrate achievement of, and to be given feedback on, their achievement of module learning outcomes. If students fail to demonstrate achievement of these learning outcomes at this point, if time allows before the end of the module, there should be further opportunities for students to demonstrate achievement1.

These in-module opportunities are intended to give students feedback on the extent they have achieved module learning outcomes. This feedback is to be provided so that students may enhance their learning within the module, and present work reflecting this enhanced learning for final summative assessment. This kind of assessment can be distinguished from assessment designed solely for formative purposes by virtue of the fact that student work submitted in fulfilment of the assessment task will be summatively assessed on at least one occasion. To ensure equity of treatment for students presenting work that will be awarded a mark (and which will therefore contribute to the module grade), two standard University models

1 N.B. These opportunities are in addition to the reassessment opportunities that may be offered by an Assessment Board where a student has been awarded a final module grade of 17, 18, 19, 20 or Z (e.g. as described in section E7 of the Undergraduate Regulations ).

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)have been defined and all such assessment should follow one of these models. The model adopted is at the discretion of programme/module teams,

Both models require that modules establish two deadlines for any assessment which is to offer additional opportunities to demonstrate achievement. The first deadline establishes the latest point at which any work will be assessed (be it either formatively or summatively) and students will then be able to take advantage of the further opportunity or opportunities offered to demonstrate achievement of the relevant learning outcome(s). The second deadline establishes the latest point at which students must submit work for final summative assessment. The models are described below.

Model A, in which student work may be summatively assessed more than once. In this model, any work submitted will be awarded a summative grade. Students may choose to revise their work, and submit it in revised form so as to take advantage of any further opportunities to demonstrate achievement. It would usually be the case that this summative mark would be accompanied by some formative feedback. The final mark awarded to the student would be the highest mark students have achieved, and is finalised at the end of the module.

Model B, in which submitted work will be summatively assessed once only. In this model, work submitted in advance of the first deadline will be formatively assessed, and an indication will be given to the student as to whether the submitted work demonstrates achievement of the relevant learning outcome(s). As the assessment is formative at this stage, this judgement on the part of the tutor is indicative only, and cannot establish with absolute certainty that the work, if summatively assessed, would be awarded a pass – this judgement can only be confirmed by the summative assessment process itself. Students may then choose to have their work summatively assessed and their mark awarded, or they may choose to revise their work and submit it once more. If time and resources allow, the cycle above can be repeated. Work will be summatively assessed once only, and the mark awarded will be the final mark.

It is important to note that the provision of such assessment opportunities is at the discretion of programme/module teams. Although it is University policy that, where possible, these assessment opportunities will be provided, the extent to which they are provided will depend upon available resources and time constraints.

Programme teams will determine and make explicit arrangements with respect to such opportunities, and provide for the formal logging of assessment achievement at module level. The possibility of integrating a spreadsheet function for this purpose into MISIS is currently being investigated. Where there are PSRB requirements that would mean that a programme cannot fit within this proposed assessment scheme, then a case for an exception can be made to APAC. Campus offices will generally be responsible for receiving, and issuing receipts for, all summatively assessed student work.

At present the requirement for this in-module assessment is confined to level 3 and level 4 modules, however, teams may, at their discretion, provide model B at higher levels.

Assessment – additional guidanceIt is at the discretion of programme/module teams as to whether any, or all, elements of formative assessment are compulsory.

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)Programme teams should produce an indicative schedule of deadlines so as to identify and prevent excessive coincidence of deadlines.

Feedback may take many forms such as group feedback in seminars or verbal feedback to individuals. Some students in the past have not always seen this as feedback and staff should take care to ensure that students appreciate that a conversation about their work is as much feedback as a written document.

Programme teams should ensure that students understand at the outset of the programme how and when feedback will be received, and how they should use it to improve their learning.

6.3 DefinitionsFormativeOne of the most important functions of assessment is to be formative, ie to provide the student with an idea of where and how their knowledge or skill could improve in relation to the standard. Formative assessment is particularly significant at Level 4 but it is an essential part of learning at all levels of study. Formative assessment is designed to provide feedback to learners on their performance but it can also help to improve teaching since the teacher may realise on which concepts or topics extra emphasis is required. Formative assessment may take a variety of forms from the formal to the very informal.

SummativeSummative assessment refers to assessment tasks designed to provide evidence of a student’s ability to demonstrate the specified learning outcomes. Summative assessment is designed to enable a judgment to be made about the level to which a student has met the appropriate standard, by reference to criteria. The judgment may be graded or may simply acknowledge that the student has passed or failed. Pass/fail assessment for whole modules is normally only appropriate at Level 4, but at any level summative tasks may be set and assessed on a pass/fail basis if that there are relevant learning outcomes which describe a competence, for example. Summative assessment does not have to take place at the end of the module and students may be given more than one opportunity to demonstrate that they have achieved the learning outcomes of the module.

Diagnostic assessmentDiagnostic assessment is an evaluation of a learner's skills, strengths and weaknesses.  This may be carried out in either an individual or group setting and can give an indication of the specific areas of work on which students need to improve, or to judge whether students are sufficiently well-prepared to move on to a new topic or technique. Normally, no marks are associated with diagnostic assessment, and it may be done in relatively informal ways.

ValidityValid assessment uses activities and criteria which can measure the intended learning. Activities which do not measure the intended learning, such as an essay to assess a practical skill, are not valid. Usually, the more authentic an assessment is, ie the closer to a ‘real-world’ application of the relevant learning outcome it is, the more valid it is. However, high validity can often only be achieved by compromising reliability.

Reliability

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)Assessment is described as reliable if it is comparable across time; across markers; across modules; across Schools. Ultimate reliability aims to ensure that the same result would be achieved if the assessment were repeated. The pursuit of ultimate reliability often reduces the validity.

6.4 Designing assessment activities which effectively assess student achievement of learning outcomes

When designing assessment you should consider: your assessment strategy will need to be clearly described in the Module

Narrative your assessment strategy - the nature of the assessment process, the

assessment criteria and the way in which feedback will be given - will be made clear to students at the start of each module

assessment will be designed to encourage meaningful learning by students assessment will be clearly and appropriately aligned with learning outcomes assessment design and practice will be appropriate to the diversity of students assessment activities will encourage students to undertake research assessment will be designed to offer students a range of methods by which

they can demonstrate that they have achieved the Learning Outcomes assessment will avoid overloading the students assessment design and practice will aim for fairness and consistency assessment practice and grading will be based on criteria, and not norm-

referenced students will receive prompt, useful and clear feedback on their performance assessment will be designed to avoid an overload on staff assessment will be efficient and demonstrate an awareness of good practice.

Choosing methods of assessmentThere are a number of factors to take into account when designing assessment, including: the need to align assessment with learning outcomes the importance of the graduate/Key Skills agenda meeting the needs of different learners balancing reliability and validity the need to reduce the potential for plagiarism.

These pressures mean that you should explore the full range of possible assessment methods. Using a range of assessment tasks across a programme has many benefits as well as easing lecturer workload:

opportunity for students to demonstrate a whole range of skills as well as the traditional intellectual skills (for example professional skills, problem solving, etc)

variety and choice for students (related to increased motivation) opportunities for students to do something that has intrinsic worth as well as

demonstrating learning. (e.g. designing learning materials for others, ), which helps to motivate students and encourages them to see wider relevance in their work.

reduced marking loads for staff (for example through group, peer and self-assessment tasks)

reduced likelihood of plagiarism (see below).

You will have to make many decisions about assessment including:

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii) Which is most suitable for measuring achievement against the learning

outcomes of your module and/or programme? Which would allow your students to demonstrate their learning and full potential?

Which would be most suitable for students with different disabilities? Is it possible to offer more than one method of assessment and allow the

students to select the method by which they are assessed?

There are many different assessment activities available to you according to the learning outcomes and your subject area. For example: 3 or 15 minute essay written at the end of a lecture student presentations portfolios reflective journals, perhaps focussed on critical incidents group problem-solving examination essays multiple choice questions short answer questions case-studies drafts of coursework patchwork text open book examinations research dissertations practical activities / assessment centre projects interviews poster presentations concept maps self and peer assessment group assessment.

There is a very large and tested literature on effective assessment practices, some of which are listed at the end of the section. Peer assessmentIn peer assessment students might be asked to comment on, or even grade, each other’s work, or some part of it. Peer assessment has been used successfully in group work particularly, where, for example, some marks may be allocated to assessment of the contribution made by each individual by the other members of the group with which they worked.

Peer assessment is useful in easing the work load for the teacher but, more importantly, it can also be a powerful tool in learning since it involves students in developing a real understanding of assessment criteria. In addition students are often best placed to evaluate particular aspects of their colleagues’ performance.

The standard of peer assessment will be improved by a discussion of the criteria before the grading takes place and also by placing on the students the requirement to give a thorough justification of their opinions. As students become more experienced in assessing each other’s work it may be appropriate to also involve them in setting the criteria against which they are to be judged. It may not be reasonable or possible to ask students to read long written assignments but they could, for example, be asked to assess presentations, posters, book reviews, design work, team skills, project plans and research designs. Students will need practice if they are to develop the

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)skills of peer assessment; they will also need to practise their performance before it is assessed.

Self-assessmentSelf-assessment and reflection are valuable life-skills and are useful development tools in formative assessment (Rowntree 1987:144). Students should be helped to develop skills of self assessment so that they can understand the main purposes of their learning and thereby grasp what they need to do to achieve

Diaries, journals, weekly reviews of learning can provide students with the basis for discussion and review. Teachers might also wish to introduce: self-testing - where the student checks their answers against ones

provided by you self-rating - where the student uses a wide variety of tests to build up a

personal profile of their preferred learning styles, personality, strengths and weaknesses

reflective questions - where they are prompted to reflect on what they have just read or experienced (Brew 1999: 160)

Both peer and self-assessment can help students view assessment and feedback as part of learning and not separate from it.

6.5 FeedbackFeedback is important in that it creates a dialogue between the teacher and the learner and helps the learners to identify areas in which they can further develop. It should help the learner to improve their skills and understanding, develop new skills and prompt reflective and self-evaluative thinking.

Feedback on summative assessment, when the work and/or the module has been completed, is not always the most useful for either the teacher or the student. It may not be seen by the student as relevant to their future studies and, unless the teacher is to teach them on their next module, may not be useful to track any development in their work. When faced with summative assessments, students will often adopt ‘passing strategies’ (eg not tackling exam questions on topics about which they feel uncertain). Feedback on these assessments is therefore necessarily limited in value in helping students correct their misunderstandings.

Feedback which is given at a time when students still have the chance to improve their work is the most useful. Good quality feedback is too important to learners to be left until the end of the module. Under the LF this is taken into account at Level 4 particularly since students have the opportunity to improve on their performance. Formative feedback, particularly at this level, is important in helping students to understand what they need to do in order to improve or strengthen their work. However, this does not have to be formal written feedback. Informal feedback such as that which occurs in general discussions in seminars or personal tutorials may sometimes be of more use to students. In addition, formative feedback can be given by other students in the peer group.

Feedback need not only be given on written assignments produced by individual students. It may also be given, for example, on presentations, group work, team-working and contributions to seminars. Feedback on group work is something that students are well-placed to give each other, as long as they have been well prepared for this.

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)The characteristics of good feedback can be summed up with the acronym TRUE – timely, relevant, understandable and efficacious.

TRUE features of good feedback – what it means for staff

Feature what it means rationaleTimelyfeedback is received in time to be useful

Students receive feedback shortly after completing/submitting the assessment, normally within 15 days

If feedback is delayed students have forgotten the assessment itself, and they have reduced time to make use of it

Students receive their first feedback on a formative assessment early in the year, normally by week 4

feedback needs to be start early so that there is the optimum amount of time in which students can improve their learning

Students receive feedback frequently during the year, normally at least 6 times a year

feedback needs to be frequent so that the student can make continual ‘in-flight’ adjustments to their learning

Relevantfeedback focuses on the intended learning in an assessment

Feedback focuses explicitly on the relevant learning outcomes addressed in the assessment

Feedback is not helpful if it refers to aspects of the student’s work which were not part of the expected intentions

Feedback refers explicitly to the criteria for the assessment, which are communicated clearly in advance

The assessment criteria are the signposts for students about how a good performance is judged

Understandablefeedback helps students to understand how well they have performed, and why

Students receive feedback which acknowledges the strengths of their performance, and explains clearly why their wrong (or inadequate) answers are wrong (or inadequate), in appropriate language

Students can only act on feedback if they understand clearly what it means; for example it can’t be assumed that students understand comments such as ‘excellent point’ or ‘inadequately critical’ in the same way as subject experts

Efficaciousfeedback helps students to do something to improve their performance

Feedback is clearly designed towards encouraging (or requiring) student action and students are clear what they are expected to do with it

If feedback is to be successful in helping students to improve their learning, then it needs to become ‘feedforward’ – a means of identifying how to improve, rather than simply a commentary on their

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performance

Timely

Students frequently report that feedback is received too late to be of any use to them. Hence it’s a good idea to plan feedback and formative assessment into the study programme in such a way as to make the timing work positively, for example by timing opportunities for revision and re-evaluation of drafts or projects.

Occasionally giving early feedback which may be incomplete in detail is preferable to delaying feedback past a point at which it is too late to be used, but evidence suggests that students on the whole want feedback to be both timely and in sufficient detail to be usable.

Since feedback is such an important part of learning it needs to be planned to be frequent enough to progressively build the students’ knowledge, skills and confidence. This is true at any level of learning, although it’s particularly important at Level 4.

Relevant

A good place to start with preparing feedback on an assessment is to think about the learning outcomes that the assessment task was designed to reveal. It will be helpful to keep these in mind when writing feedback (or giving verbal feedback). Good feedback should refer to these learning outcomes, which should have been made explicit to the students before the assessment.

Feedback needs to help students understand how well they have performed in relation to the learning outcomes, and clear, shared criteria for judging and describing levels of performance are necessary. The Grade Criteria Descriptors in the University Regulations can be helpful in defining criteria and drafting feedback.

If you wish to comment on other aspects of the students’ performance which have struck you while assessing their work, but which are not part of the explicit learning outcomes, you should make it clear to students that these comments are incidental to the purpose of the assessment itself. For example, comments on writing style must be incidental unless writing style is an explicit learning outcome for the assessment task and is clear before the assessment takes place.

If the feedback is being given on an assessment which contributes to a grade, it is important that students understand that these additional aspects have not been taken into account in the assessment grade, which will of course be focussed solely on the intended outcomes identified when the assessment task was set.

Understandable

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Expressing feedback in terms which students understand is often a challenge. Students’ familiarity with terms which teachers take for granted is often limited, and students are seldom willing to ask for much explanation, in case they seem stupid.

Feedback which gives a view on the relative quality of the work can be misunderstood – ‘adequate analysis’, for example may be interpreted as ‘satisfactory, meeting an acceptable standard’ or as ‘not very good’. Even the use of terms of commendation, such as ‘excellent’ or ‘brilliant’, are of little use unless it is made clear what features of the work have led to the commendation, and what makes them excellent.

Since students are often unclear about what feedback comments are intended to mean, and are reluctant to display their uncertainty by asking, it can be useful to ask students to express in their own words what they think the feedback is telling them. This is one way of turning feedback into ‘feedforward’.

It is also helpful if feedback is constructed to indicate ways in which the work could be improved. Comments such as ‘the analysis would be improved by.. ’ or ‘in order to achieve a higher grade you would need to…’ will be more useful to a student than statements about what is wrong, for example that ‘the analysis needs to be improved’. The language of feedback must make it clear to students that they need to act on it.

Like all of us, students’ ability to successfully comprehend the meaning of feedback decreases in relation to their anxiety. High anxiety, or a sense of being under attack, can prevent a message from being heard. To overcome this, students need to be reassured that feedback relates to their work in the assessment and is not about them as a person, or about their ability. It can be helpful to make sure that positive and commendable aspects of the work are also commented on before improvements are suggested.

Efficacious

Feedback is like a prescription for the student – efficacious feedback prescribes some actions which are likely to make the student better if they follow the advice. As in medicine, there is no guarantee that the prescription itself will be effective, since it depends on the student understanding, and acting on it in an appropriate way.

The efficacy of feedback will be improved by ensuring that students understand what it means, have a good idea of what they should do with it and have the time, opportunity and motivation to take appropriate action.

One way of enhancing this is to build feedback into an assessment cycle, in which students undertake progressive stages of work, using feedback to improve each stage. An example of this would be formative assessment of drafts of an essay or report with feedback prescribing ways to improve it for a final (graded) version. Students’ motivation to act on the feedback advice can be further improved if some marks at the end are awarded for the extent to which they acted on the advice.

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)6.6 How to increase feedback opportunities for busy teachersThese are some ways which busy teachers have used to enhance the quality of feedback while coping with larger student numbers: Recorded (eg mp3) or e-mail comments Use statement banks on computer Be organised - meticulous and systematic Use technology to maintain records Do some assignments in class time by using presentations and peer assessment Ask the students to set questions and give feedback to each other.

An alternative way of approaching the task of giving meaningful feedback to students may well be to use a different assessment technique. Knight (2002:146-7) lists a range of fifty assessment techniques including making an artefact, writing a book review, producing a concept map, work stations, posters, presentations, projects and web page creation.

Fry et al (1999) point out that different subject specialisms lend themselves to different combinations of assessment and feedback. For example, case-studies, presentations and role-play in business and management; vivas and simulations in nursing; online tests, aural tests and self-assessment for languages; personal development files for social science and law; essays, posters and seminars in arts and humanities.

6.7 How to increase the value of feedback for studentsThe following list is a selection of tips based on teachers' and students' experiences: Write legibly Use more than ticks and definitely no crosses Use comments such as “I particularly like the use of”, “well argued”, “could you

have argued that?”, “is there an example in your reading of this?” Let the students discuss your feedback with you and with each other Post generic feedback on OASISplus and encourage the students to discuss and

comment on it Be realistic when making recommendations for improvement Be honest Don’t just highlight weaknesses - give suggestions as to how student might

overcome them Praise, comfort and direct Make sure comments are diagnostic: tell them what they have achieved, whether

they have achieved what they were supposed to achieve and what they would have to do in order to move towards achieving it

Make links to subsequent work and teaching where possible Make clear what qualities are seen in their work - strengths and weaknesses Give two or three powerful pieces of advice as the bulk of the comment directed

towards improving future work and phrase it as positively as possible Use recognised symbols and a numbering system and add comments on a

separate sheet Ask - how will these comments help the learner do better next time? Give comments that will help learners sharpen their practical skills Ask for further explanation of muddled answers Demonstrate useful short-cuts in procedures Commend them for any unexpected insights, special efforts or improvement in

competence Draw attention to facts they have overlooked or misinterpreted Suggest alternative approaches or interpretations

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii) Suggest new sources of information and/or feedback Suggest how they might present their ideas more effectively Finally, remember that good students need comments too.

6.8 Encouraging students to use their feedbackWriting feedback for students is time-consuming and only worthwhile if they are motivated to read it, reflect on it and change the way they work or think as a result of it. Students need to be encouraged to reflect on and evaluate their own achievement rather than rely on the teacher as the arbiter of their work. Give feedback first and then ask them what grade they are expecting - this

encourages careful reading of comments Using peer and self-assessment involves the students in critiquing their own

work and that of others and can lead to a greater understanding of how to improve their work. They may also be more willing to accept advice from their peers than from their tutor.

Articulate as clearly as possible the criteria by which they will be assessed The use of a self- assessment form which is handed in with assignment

encourages the student to reflect on their own work and their learning needs as well as giving the teacher guidance as to the areas where comments might best be directed.

As a result of feedback they could be encouraged to revise their notes on lectures and their reading. Allow time for this in lectures or seminars as it can be done as a small group activity.

Feedback should encourage them to reflect on their own work as part of process of fostering more independent thinking.

6.9 Helping students understand assessment and feedbackIt is often assumed that because we have given students their assignment and the University marking scale they will understand what is required of them. This is not always the case and time should be allowed in the curriculum design for work with the students on the best way in which to approach assessed work and how to achieve the best grades they can. Two ways of helping students are detailed below.

Pre-assessment workshops

1. All students on a module were given three papers – one very good, one pass and one fail – and asked to grade them. A voluntary workshop was run in which those who chose to attend were given the opportunity to moderate their marks and comments in small groups. They were then given the actual grades awarded to the work and an explanation as to why these had been awarded. This understanding of what was expected of them in the assessment process translated into higher grades for assessed coursework as opposed to the non-participants in workshop.

More importantly, their new understanding transferred to their work in modules in the following year in which they also achieved higher grades.

Price et al 2001

2. Every year, students do less well than they could in assessments, especially in examinations, for reasons that have little or nothing to do with their knowledge of or ability in the subject. They answer the wrong number of questions on the paper. They don’t notice that some questions carry more

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marks than others. They "describe" when they should have "analysed" or "compared and contrasted". As well as giving thorough briefing, you can help your students avoid such traps by offering one or two sessions in which they practise being examined. In an hour they can at least plan how they’d answer a three-hour examination, or they could answer one question. Afterwards, review with the students how they did.

http://www.brookes.ac.uk/services/ocsd/firstwords/fw27.html

Jordan (1999: 175) suggests using a three-part process which helps to ease out any problems caused by students over- or under-marking: each group member assesses their own performance against a set of

criteria and completes a self-assessment form, assigning themselves a mark

peer-assessment groups, each consisting of four students, meet to compare marks, to discuss how they were arrived at, and to modify or endorse the overall mark. Forms are then handed to the tutors

finally, tutors further discuss and modify the marks. Students must be prepared to justify their marks at this meeting.

More useful ideas and advice can be found at:http://www.mwp.hawaii.edu/resources/wm5.htm

6.10 Plagiarism and assessmentPlagiarism is usually defined as using and representing the work of someone else as your own. It is more complex than it first appears, because failure to cite appropriately the original author of the work (or the ideas) is often seen as evidence of the intention to represent someone else’s work as your own, when it may only be evidence of incomplete understanding of academic citation practice. It is made more complex by the contested boundaries of what can be thought of as general knowledge (is it necessary to cite Copernicus any time you refer to the earth’s motion, as an extreme example?)

Plagiarism may be encountered in any assessment task which requires discursive or constructive work. (Plagiarism is not possible in multiple choice or other forms of objective testing, or in timed, non-book exams – although other forms of malpractice are possible in these situations).

Plagiarism is more likely to occur when: students are not absolutely clear about what good academic practice requires of

them the same assessment questions are repeated year by year assessment overburdens students, for example by several assessment deadlines

coinciding assessment tasks can be easily answered by the use of information and ideas

easily accessible on the Internet

Plagiarism may be reduced by: regularly changing assessment questions so that previous years’ answers are not

available as a source spreading assessment throughout the module, to make the time more

manageable

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii) setting tasks which cannot be carried out effectively by simply reproducing

information setting small tasks that build up to the final assessment using progressive and formative assessment e.g. project plans, early drafts of

assignments, making it more difficult for plagiarised material to be introduced peer-assessed activities – peers are very good at discouraging plagiarism using specifically written (and regularly changed) case study material as a basis

for assignments basing assignments on contemporary events (for example news items, court

cases, policy developments) requiring students to pass all written work through Turnitin before submitting it

with the Turnitin report ensuring students know that you will submit a sample of every assignment to

Turnitin building in elements of personal reflection which require students to refer to

personal experiences in their assignment using group assessments; asking for photocopies of the front page of 4 or 5 key articles, books and internet

sources used in the assignment to be appended to the coursework. requiring students to submit at an interim stage of an assignment a list of the key

references to be used, with a sentence about each outlining their significance

DiversityAssessment at all levels should be designed with the needs of disabled students in mind, with use made of a wide range of assessment strategies. Where possible assessment processes accessible to all students should be integrated into the modules and the need to offer alternatives or adjustments should be avoided if possible. Any anticipated alternative arrangements for assessment should be mapped to the learning outcomes to meet the needs of a range of students with disabilities and consideration should be given to offering a choice to all students.

As already discussed, the legislation on Disabled Students requires that the University takes an anticipatory approach to planning educational experiences for disabled students. This means that thought should be given when planning assessments as to whether students with a range of disabilities will be able to undertake the assessment activities. While it is not possible to anticipate all circumstances, in general it would be better for assessment to be accessible rather than to have to make special adjustments.

In setting questions/topics and in writing case-studies due consideration should be given to the richness and diversity of the student population in terms of cultural and ethnic diversity as well as age and gender. For example, case-studies should use a variety of names – male/female and drawn from different cultures – and they should be drawn from a range of cultures, industries and professions to appeal to students with different interests. Similarly, they should not all be based in an urban environment in the UK.

6.11 Computer-aided assessment and feedbackAs students rely increasingly on technology to support aspects of their learning, they are likely to both expect more, and value more, assessment and feedback through ICT channels. E-assessment is a generic term used to describe the use of ICT in the assessment process. E-assessment has a number or pedagogical and administrative advantages over traditional forms of assessment. These include:

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)Pedagogical Detailed, instant feedback can be made available to learners and the assessor

during or immediately after the assessment Students can undertake frequent formative assessments or tests, which provide

automated feedback so as learners can monitor their own progress, at times which suit them

There can be a greater degree of flexibility regarding the timing and location of the assessment.

Administrative E-assessment can provide greater speed of marking which is especially important

when assessing a large groups It can reduce the potential of cheating and plagiarism through randomised

question sets and the use of electronic plagiarism detection software (TurnItIn) It can improve the reliability of the marking due to the inherently lesser degree of

subjectivity thus making e-assessment less prone to human error.

Many methods of incorporating learning technologies into assessment are available including:

Discussion boardsAssessing contribution to online discussions is a more innovative approach to e-assessment and can be monitored and assessed as the module progresses. For example, it is possible to: Ask students to research a topic online prior to a lecture, locate relevant online

resources, post them to the discussion board along with their evaluation of them. This helps build up the resources available to students online and facilitates the assessment of research and critical thinking skills.

Use the discussion boards for group work such as planning a project or resolving a case study.

Use the discussion board contributions as a build up towards final module assessment. Ask students to post critical responses to topics debated in class. Ask students to select a number of their most important/substantial contributions to submit for their final assessment.

Use the facilities to publish student work making it available for peer assessment and feedback in an organized and efficient manner.

Tests/quizzesOnline quizzes can give students formative feedback on their progress in understanding a topic and help the teacher gauge the effectiveness of their teaching. These can take the form of multiple choice questions, matching question sets, true/false, etc. The pedagogical value of these does not depend on the chosen question type but on how the questions are structured and their alignment with the learning outcomes. With this type of assessment, it is important that the feedback is meaningful on both correct and incorrect answers. This will greatly contribute to student’s understanding. Online quizzes offer flexibility in terms of time and location and provide the opportunity to students to repeat them frequently with the use of randomised question sets. However, it is also possible for quizzes to be strictly timed and security protected; these can be used for formal summative assessments.

e-portfolios“E-portfolios” is the generic term used for portfolios which use computers to collect and/or present a collection of evidence as a record of progression and achievement. If your learning outcomes can be delivered flexibly it is worth noting that the more activities students can online do online the easier it will be for them to provide a

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)portfolio as evidence of work undertaken within the module. E-portfolios along with the tracking data available allow students to easily collect all their online work and draw on it for a variety of reasons (accreditation, assessment, a job interview, etc).

Tools available within the University’s virtual learning environment, OASISplus, enable academic staff to undertake e- assessment with little or no specialist IT skills. Where e-assessment is not appropriate it should be seen as supplemental to other forms of assessment as it can play a strong role in the overall monitoring of progress and measuring of achievement.

Classroom voting systemsVoting system technologies can be used to undertake in-class assessments and tests that can be done quickly with the possibility of instantaneous feedback. Students are asked to vote for the right answer to a multiple choice question by pressing the appropriate button on a hand held console. The aggregated results are immediately available to the lecturer via a PC, and can be displayed as a graph, for example, to the whole class. Immediate feedback can be given to those students that chose an incorrect answer, by explaining why those answers are incorrect.

Online FeedbackThe principles, strategies and good practice of providing feedback take on a new dimension when this is done online. The immediate and permanent nature of the feedback provided a priori by the

lecturer or during the programme/module by the peer group is invaluable and has been much appreciated by students in all disciplines. The permanency of the feedback, along with the fact that they can access it any time independent of their location increases the likelihood that it will be used and referred to during the course of their programme/module.

Self-assessments (quizzes) can be used to provide honest, tailored feedback which dispel misconceptions, identify gaps in student knowledge and involve them in error analysis and correction immediately, within minutes of taking the online quiz.

Providing feedback online assists in the linking up of resources used and bridges the face-to-face and online components within the programme/module. Students are more likely to participate online if they can understand the connection between the virtual and physical aspects of their studies.

6.12 ReferencesBoud, D., Keogh, R. & Walker, D. 1985 What is reflection in learning?, in: D. Boud, R, Keogh & D. Walker (Eds) Reflection: Turning Experience into Learning: 7–17 (London, Kogan Page).

Brew, A. 1999 Towards Autonomous Assessment: Using Self-Assessment and Peer Assessment in Brown S and Glasner A (eds) Assessment Matters in Higher Education Buckingham, Open University/Society for Research into Higher Education: 159-170) Fry, Heather Ketteridge, Marshall Stephanie 1999 A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: enhancing academic practice London, Kogan Page

Jordan, S. 1999 Self-Assessment and Peer Assessment in S. Brown and A. Glasner (eds) Assessment Matters in Higher Education Buckingham, Open University/Society for Research into Higher Education: 172-182

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Knight, P. T. 2002 Being a Teacher in Higher Education Buckingham, Open University/ Society for Research into Higher Education

Price M., O’Donovan B., and Rust C 2001 Strategies to develop students’ understanding of assessment criteria and processes in C Rust (ed) Improving Student Learning Strategically Oxford, Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning development

6.13 Suggested further reading:Brown, S. and Knight, P. 1994 Assessing Learners in Higher Education London, Kogan Page.Brown, S. and Race, P. 1995 Assess Your Own Teaching Quality London, Kogan Page.Brown, S. Race, P. and Smith, B. 1996 500 Tips on Assessment London, Kogan Page.OCSD First Words: Guidance 2 Assessing Students Work Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development.Race, P. 2001 The Lecturer's Toolkit: A Practical Guide to Learning, Teaching and Assessment London, Kogan Page.Race, P. 2005 Making Learning Happen: A Guide for Post-Compulsory Education London, Paul ChapmanRowntree, D. 1987 Assessing Students: How shall we know them? London, Kogan Page.Schwartz, P. and Webb , G. 2002 Assessment: Case studies, experience and practice from Higher Education London, Kogan Page.

The HE Academy has a number of resources on its central website: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk (the on-site search engine will find both events and resources)

In addition, the HE Academy’s Subject Centres produce guidance and support material for the various subject communities. These can be accessed initially through the HEA main site: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/networks/subjectcentres

The Scottish Higher Education Enhancement Committee (SHEEC), with the support of QAA in Scotland has engaged with Scottish HE institutions in an enhancement-led approach to quality. This has produced a number of very useful documents and guides that can be found at: http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/

One of the best sources of ideas and guidance is the Assessment Knowledge Exchange (AsKE) CETL based at Oxford Brookes University. This CETL produces a number of exercises to improve feedback and students’ understanding of criteria, which take a very short time in class and have a proven evidence of suiccess http://www.business.brookes.ac.uk/learningandteaching/aske/?err404=/learningandteaching/aske/

A useful paper can be found at:http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/assment/as7sele2.htm

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)6.14 Good practice guidanceRace Awareness Learning Portfolio http://www.intra.mdx.ac.uk/services/CLTE/Learning%20Teaching%20Assessment/docs/docs/race.pdf For reports of projects undertaken across the university under the aegis of the Small Projects and Mini Bids Schemes see:http://www.intra.mdx.ac.uk/services/CLTE/Learning%20Teaching%20Assessment/docs/learnteach/projectdocs/wholedoc.pdf

Disability – see list of resources under Learning and Teaching (eg. http://www.intra.mdx.ac.uk/services/CLTE/Learning%20Teaching%20Assessment/docs/learnteach/projectdocs/disability.pdf

6.15 ContactsAdvice on assessment methods may be obtained from the Educational Development Unit or the Learning and Teaching Strategy Leader in your School.For advice and workshops on e-assessment contact the Educational Development Unit.Advice on assessment of disabled students may be obtained from the University’s Disability Support Services Manager (b.jones@mdx.ac.uk).Advice on assessment and race awareness may be obtained from the University’s Equal Opportunities Officer (m.howard@mdx.ac.uk) .

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EXAMPLE OF FORM TO ACCOMPANY AN ASSIGNMENT

NAME__________________________________________________

TITLE__________________________________________________

Things I think I have done well or tried to do well:

Things which were difficult and I’m not too happy about and I would particularly like comments on:

How I have tried to address issues raised previously in feedback on my work:

My assessment of this piece of work:

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Other comments:

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Designing a curriculum Guidance 3(viii)EXAMPLE OF ADVICE SHEET FOR STUDENTS ABOUT FEEDBACK

What to do when your assignment comes back

1. You will probably look at your grade first - most people do. This may arouse certain emotions - if you’ve done better than expected, you’ll feel relieved- if it’s not as good as you expected, you’ll feel disappointed- if it’s much lower than you anticipated, you might feel angry or insulted.

2. We have all experienced feelings like these and there is nothing wrong with them but if they are not dealt with they might affect your learning.

3. Having read the grade (and perhaps the comments) put the assignment on one side until you are ready to go through it in your next study session.

4. Read through the comments quickly.

5. Make yourself review your assignment, stopping to read the comments in the appropriate places.

6. Mark in a different coloured pen your responses to what is written; anything you agree or disagree with; anything you don’t understand.

7. Look at the comments again and pick out two or three main points - pieces of advice, errors, things to remember - points which you could bear in mind when you prepare your next piece of assessed work.

8. Revise any notes you have made from lectures or your reading and do any additional reading which might help you in examinations.

9. What else could you do in order to ensure that you benefit from the feedback on your work?

10. Ask your fellow students how they use feedback to develop their work.

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