Learners consistently give their experience of assessment and feedback lower scores than other areas of their learning experience. I think that technology can actually improve the assessment process for learners and the staff that teach them.
Of course, as ever, it’s not just about new technology, but considering how this technology can help give your teaching staff an opportunity to rethink their approach to assessment and feedback. Encouraging the implementation of appropriate changes could benefit your students, helping them to develop skills for the future.
Let me share with you the guidance, tools and tips emerging from the Jisc Assessment and Feedback programme which could help get your students ready for the world of work.
A top tip for getting started
A good starting point is to consider the purpose of assessment, and whether your assessments are encouraging and evaluating the key skills and attributes your course is aiming to develop in learners. This includes those skills which are attributes for success in the workplace, such as self-evaluation and critical thinking.
Top trumps example
There is a great example of technology being used successfully for this purpose is at The University of Exeter. The COLLABORATE project have developed a six-dimensional model of assessment for employability to support their staff in planning their approach to work-integrated assessments.
This model is backed up by a set of ‘Top Trumps’ cards, which help tutors to identify off-the shelf technology ‘winners’ for each area of the assessment process, such as the PeerWise tool which can be used to support learners to peer review each other’s work, a skill critical for the workplace.
Advice from the experts
To hear more about how technology-enhanced assessment and feedback could support your learners and help graduates get ready for the workplace I would suggest having a listen to our e-Learning radio show Jisc on Air.
The show explores the issues with traditional assessment and feedback practices, and introduces some of the ways technology is being used to deal with those issues, for example at Cornwall College, where they are redesigning their assessments to help develop transferable skills such as self-evaluation and reflection. The University of Exeter also introduces the practical tools they are using to engage staff with redesigning their assessments to better meet the needs of employers.
The panel includes:
- Michele Shoebridge, deputy registrar, University of Exeter
- Doctor Gwyneth Hughes, senior lecturer of higher education, The Institute of Education
- Adele Oakes, programme manager and Tony Harris, project manager of the FAST project, at Cornwall College
- David Nicol, emiritus professor, University of Strathclyde.
Practical guidance and tools
You can find more information in the Effective Assessment in a Digital Age guide. This provides an introduction to the application of technology for assessment and feedback; with accompanying case studies providing examples of technology-enhanced assessment practices.
The assessment and feedback topic pages on the Jisc Design Studio provide a range of information and resources to help you explore how technology can be used to tackle your assessment and feedback challenges. These challenges include supporting peer assessment, helping learners better engage with feedback and meeting employers needs.
If you would like to know more about how technology can enhance assessment and feedback I’d be happy to chat.
