Mark Russell The Blended Learning Unit – University of Hertfordshire m.b.russell@herts.ac.uk

1. Effecting Sustainable Change in Assessment Practice and Experience: Some findings and thoughts from the ESCAPE project Mark Russell The Blended Learning Unit – University of Hertfordshire m.b.russell@herts.ac.uk markrussell

2. Learning = f (assessment)? From what the students tell us… to How to design a learning environment

3. Students’ experience (1) How well do you separate and describe to your students the different functions of assessment?

4. Students’ experience (2) Use of feedback is missing • Encourage… • Motivate… • Expect… • Suggest… • Require? / Show us how? How do your students attend to the feedback you provide?

5. Observations from the students (1) • Assessment • Suggests cramming is okay? • What are we hiding? (game-playing?) • Alignment issues • learning oriented? How would your students describe the impact of your assessments on their learning? I feel the presentation had little influence on my learning and you were just able to give the presentation using facts rather than understanding

6. Observations from the students (2) • Feedback • Feedback has negative connotations • Motivational? • Prompt ~ 1 week! • Feedback could be used more Is it okay that feedback has negative connotations? feedback on the coursework was ridiculous as it arrived after we had taken the exam so individuals were unsure of how well they understood the module leading to a failure in the exam.

7. An assessment landscape: learning? 0%E 100%CWK 100%E 0%CWK

8. Supporting decision making…

9. Effectiveness vs. efficiency Resource Efficiency (1/t) Educational Effectiveness

10. ESCAPE … an opportunity… • To RE-surface what we know - arghh… • To use ICT for Learning and Efficiency gains • To help ensure? all students … • To draw together and feed out – via ESCAPE tool kit

11. Discussion What should we be assessing and how can feedback become a more developmental experience for learners?