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18 September 2024
3 minutes to readIn response to requests from DESE Engage and the SACO forum, we are introducing two new requirements from September 2024 to provide clarity around the use of GenAI in assessments for both staff and students, and to help prevent academic misconduct. This comes in the form of a categorisation framework on use…
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18 September 2024
3 minutes to readIn the 2024/25 academic year, English and Creative Writing will be adopting a new approach to assessing module participation with the aim of increasing the inclusivity of our assessment practices. Module participation is currently worth 10% of each first and second-year module taken in the department and is also used as a…
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6 March 2024
4 minutes to readIf we want students to know what is expected of them in an assessment it is critical to have a set of marking criteria that make transparent how they will be assessed. This is even more important in the case of non-standard assessments. This post describes how I get students to co-design…
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14 February 2024
3 minutes to readAs educators, we must continue to explore new approaches to assessment that not only assess student learning but also cultivate a deeper understanding of the complex issues at the heart of decolonisation. In this blog post, I will focus on the three innovative assessments that have helped to transform the learning experience…
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14 February 2024
3 minutes to readAuthentic assessment refers to a wide variety of educational and instructional techniques focused on connecting what students are taught to real-world issues, problems, and applications, mirroring the complexities and ambiguities of real life. In this blog post we will share how Rebecca Georgis (Module Leader), Darren Moore (Co-Programme Director) and Mike Clapp (Senior…
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14 February 2024
4 minutes to readGenerative AI promises to transform the world of work. Graduates with skills in ethical and proactive use of such tools are in great demand. Digital Technologies and the Future of Work is an online module for undergraduate students from across the university. It was developed in 2018 as an Education Incubator Project,…
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14 February 2024
3 minutes to readSince the launch of open-access Generative AI tools at the end of 2022, educators across the globe have had to stop and question their assessment methods, responding to the potential threat of academic misconduct from these tools. Whilst it is not realistic or advisable to simply return to in-person invigilated exams or…
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14 February 2024
3 minutes to readStudents on the second year, 30-credit module ‘Disease, diagnostics and therapeutics’ (CSC2012), engage with a range of formative and summative assessment tasks that help them develop their assessment literacy and evaluative judgement. By introducing structured, peer-assessed group and individual tasks that culminate in the creation of learning resources, module convenors Dr Alex…
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31 January 2024
3 minutes to readWritten essays play a significant role in the university assessment ecosystem, but are challenging to mark at scale and when overused don’t generally offer much added value to the student. When we developed a new module for our 2nd year cohort (ESS2222 Motor Control), we took the opportunity to try something new…
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13 December 2023
4 minutes to readStudent engagement is a hot topic in education at the moment, and gamification is one way we can create effective and engaging learning environments for our students. Gamification can also be an excellent way to consolidate learning and enable multiple topics to be tested in a synoptic way. We’ve done this by…
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1 November 2023
2 minutes to readReflective writing can be a powerful tool to improve student learning outcomes in university courses. However, many first-year students lack the skills to write reflectively. This post outlines an approach taken by Dr Rossana Guttilla to scaffold reflective writing for first-year management students. First-year management students often struggle with reflective writing assignments….
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11 October 2023
3 minutes to readOnline assessments provide flexibility but also opportunities for misconduct. Some reports estimate that 1 in 6 students have cheated (Wonkhe, 2022), others suggest the figure is 1 in 14, with 3 in 5 engaging in poor academic conduct (THE, 2022). This cheating often involves prohibited collaboration in non-invigilated settings. It is a…
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23 August 2023
2 minutes to readColleagues from across the Medical Sciences programme, led by Dr David MacDonald, Dr Dominic Wiredu Boakye, Dr Shalinee Dhayal and Dr Hannah Welters, support students within Academic Tutor Group sessions and activities to develop their academic and professional skills, including their awareness of assessment skills. As part of core modules in Year 1…
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21 August 2023
3 minutes to readIn 2022, the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM) in Exeter presented a collection of 14 alternative blue plaques created by students who were part of the Global Lives: Multicultural Geographies module taught by Professors Nicola Thomas and Ian Cook. The module’s assessment method aims to explore the persistence of colonial ‘race’ relations…
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21 August 2023
2 minutes to readTo support central provision provided through LTHE and APP, Classics and Ancient History conducts an annual marking training session for new academic colleagues (including PTAs) and encourages existing teaching staff members to attend. The session includes sample marking exercises for different assessment types, such as essays and exams, representing different levels of achievement. This usually…
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21 August 2023
< 1 minute to readDr. Caitlin Kight, Lecturer in Education, has developed a video case study on how the Graduate School of Education helps students engage with feedback. You can also access this case study as an infographic (below), PowerPoint slides and download a transcript of the video.
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15 August 2023
< 1 minute to readTo improve feedback in Biosciences Streatham, Dr. Alan Brown and Katie Solomon introduced marking and feedback guidelines for 2021/2022. By setting out expectations for feedback, the guidelines aim to standardise the quality of feedback, and to provide a clear framework against which moderation of feedback can be performed. It is not necessarily…
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15 August 2023
2 minutes to readDr Layal Hakim, Senior Lecturer and Co-Director of Education and Student Experience in Mathematics and Statistics, shares some effective approaches for supporting students with exams and assessments. Different forms of assessment […] help students to build a strong knowledge base in mathematics whilst developing their understanding of the assessment methods that work…
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15 August 2023
2 minutes to readDr Owen Thomas, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, has shared his approach to preparing students for assessments on two different modules in Politics. In the Masters module ‘State Crime’ (POLM231), students write a 4000-word research essay (worth 80% of the module). This summative task is prepared by the submission of a formative research essay proposal, for…
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15 August 2023
< 1 minute to readAssessment in History makes significant use of essays, and module convenors in History are encouraged to dedicate one lecture to essay-writing skills. The following exercise, carried out in such a lecture, works to familiarise students with the third-year marking criteria (available in the History Student Handbook, pp. 39-46); it aims to demystify the…
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17 May 2022
4 minutes to readThe COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of online teaching and learning. But how do we make sure it blends effectively with more traditional learning approaches? Dr Houry Melkonian, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics, has been experimenting with different blended learning approaches with her first-year undergraduate mathematics courses.
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22 September 2021
2 minutes to readAt the start of a new academic year, now is a good time to pause and reflect for a moment on how the University responded to the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what we can learn from that response.
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12 August 2021
4 minutes to readFrom in-class tests to essays to presentations, there are many ways in which module leads can assess their students’ understanding. We know the way in which we assess students’ performance can influence the way in which they engage with learning. Varying how you assess your students can also help students who don’t…
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