Presentation made by Serena Bufton, Sheffield Hallam University, 1/11/10

1. Assessment and Feedback
Serena Bufton
Faculty Teaching Fellow

2. Planning Context
• SHU Assessment and Feedback Policy (April
2008)
• D&S Feedback Policy (July 2010)
• SHU new Standard Assessment Regulations
and Assessment Improvement Precepts
(October 2010).

3. Faculty Feedback Policy
• Draws on SHU Assessment and Feedback Policy
(‘assessment for learning’) and Faculty priorities.
• Emphasises the importance of formative
feedback in module and course design and
supportive summative feedback for all
assessments.
• Has implications for assessment design: a more
incremental approach in which students build up
towards the assessment task, getting feedback on
the way?

4. SHU Assessment Improvement
Precepts
• Two assessment models:
– Model A: a maximum of 6 tasks per module; up to
3 is the preferred number; pass or fail overall (not
all tasks necessarily need to be passed).
– Model B: a maximum of 3 tasks per module; 2 is
the preferred number; all tasks must be passed.
• Model A is the default model: modules being
validated for 2011/12 will only be allowed
Model B status in a few contexts.

5. Conditions for Model B
• Professional Body requirements.
• ‘subject discipline and/or legislative requirements
(eg health and safety) which generally can be
evidenced and which would damage the
employability of students if they were not
recognised’
• Applications for Model B assessment have to be
approved by the Faculty Implementation Team
before validation and agreed by the Secretary
and Registrar. ‘Case law’ will be established.

6. Implications for Course Planning
• If Model B is being planned, there needs to be
a rationale and evidence to support this as
early as possible so that agreement can be
sought.
• In the case of Model A, the implications for
module design and assessment strategy need
careful planning, especially the relationship
between assessment tasks and learning
outcomes.

7. Learning Outcomes (LOs)
• These should cover knowledge and understanding,
intellectual skills, subject-specific skills and key skills
(QAA).
• Subject Benchmark Statements identify discipline-
specific LOs.
• Existing SHU advice (LTI ‘Guides’) imply a firm link
between LOs and assessment tasks.
• Custom and practice may therefore be that LOs are
attached to tasks rather than to the module as a whole.
• The University’s current position is that all LOs have to
be passed.

8. Implications for Assessment Design
• Under Model B, as all tasks have to be passed,
this is not a problem.
• Under Model A, students passing a module
overall may not meet all the learning outcomes.
• How therefore can assessment design under
Model A ensure that all LOs are met?
• Advice has been repeatedly requested from the
University. In the meantime, some suggestions:

9. Designing assessment for Model A
• Learning outcomes are achieved at the
completion of the module: ‘By the end of the
module, students will be able to...’
• The logical implications of this are either:
– end-loading the assessment: one (or more) task at the
end of the module (not ideal)
OR
– designing each assessment task in such a way that it
covers all the learning outcomes (over-assessment?)
OR
– Writing very general learning outcomes (how are
these different, then, to aims and objectives?).

10. Could we do something more
pedagogically sound?
For example:
• Weight the assessment tasks so that students
have to pass the last task in order to pass the
module overall (eg a 30%/70% split); the last task
covers all the Los. In addition:
• Break each learning outcome into its constituent
parts and assess these on a cumulative basis
(staged assessment tasks: low stakes summative
mark plus formative feedback for the next task).
• Any other suggestions?

11. Things to think about
• Designing the assessment and feedback
strategy and course content concurrently.
• Thinking about ways of maximising formative
feedback.
• Looking early on at the balance of assessment
activities across and between levels of study.
• Presenting a case for Model B as soon as
possible if this is being planned in.

12. How we can help
• We have no answers; there are no prescribed
ways of responding to the University and Faculty
‘givens’ in assessment design.
• Our role is to support you.
• We can make suggestions and work with
individuals and teams as they plan their modules
and courses.
• We will also maintain pressure to get more
information and guidance from the University
and pass this on to course planning teams.