Good Practice in Assessment

How assessment design influences student learning and skill development

Assessment is one of the most influential aspects of a student’s educational experience, as student strategies for learning and what they choose to prioritise are strongly informed by how they will be assessed. Key factors influencing students’ experiences of assessment are the format (type, e.g. exam or presentation), method (conditions, e.g. open-book), weighting, sequencing and frequency. Students will use specific learning strategies based on these factors, so these design features are crucial in shaping their education by encouraging them to learn and develop the skills required for the chosen assessment format. Careful selection of assessment formats ensures that the programme tests the target skills required by the programme (the validity of the assessment method), and provide the best opportunities for students to showcase their learning.

By offering a variety of assessments, programmes can provide more opportunities for students to evidence and articulate their understanding, while also helping them develop the diverse range of skills needed to undertake different types of assessments. This skills development is also usefully thought of in relation to designing authentic assessments. Authentic assessments enable students to demonstrate the knowledge, skills and understanding that they have developed in ways that are meaningful for the discipline. Authentic assessments are sometimes, in addition, conceptualised as assessments which mimic how knowledge is employed and applied in the professional world.

 

Developing a programme-level assessment strategy to support student learning

Good assessment practice is not just about the specific ways an individual task is designed or delivered, but about how the whole set of assessments for a programme fit together to shape student learning. Thinking about a programme-level assessment strategy also considers how the range of assessments inform and are informed by the programme material and aims, and how the assessment strategy is communicated to both staff and students.

A programme-level assessment strategy will aid these more holistic reflections on assessment design. These should include considerations of quantity, pacing and overall assessment ‘diet’ (the format and method of assessment), with a view to ensuring the assessment strategy supports student learning experiences and offers opportunities for students to both demonstrate and develop the understanding and skills required by the learning outcomes of the programme. Learning outcomes should reflect the level of study, as outlined in the Sector Recognised Standards defined by the Office for Students. An effective way to facilitate this discussion is to begin by considering the learning outcomes for the programme, critically reflect on what students must be able to demonstrate by the end of their studies, and then design both assessments and learning activities accordingly.

 

Connecting assessment with teaching activities and learning outcomes

Approaching assessment design through considering its connection with both learning outcomes as well as teaching and learning activities invites a more critically reflective approach: one that considers which assessment formats could enable students to demonstrate the understanding and capabilities required at the level of the programme, and how they can be supported through the teaching and learning activities to get there. Figure 1 below illustrates the ideal connection between the teaching, learning and assessment experience for students in what is commonly known as constructive alignment in curriculum and assessment design.

Figure 1. Constructive alignment of teaching, learning and assessment

The role of formative and summative assessment and feedback in supporting learning

Timely feedback on students’ performance in assessment also plays a vital developmental role in shaping their ongoing progress and approaches to learning. Assessment - both formative and summative - should therefore be understood as being both an evaluation of the knowledge, skills and understanding students develop through their studies (assessment of learning), and also as a developmental process through which students build the skills required to understand and reflect on their own learning process, which will equip them better to undertake a particular format of assessment (assessment for learning).

Formative assessments (which do not contribute directly to students’ degree classification) and the summative assessments (which contribute directly to degree classification) need to be in conversation with each other. Figure 2 below highlights the roles of both and the relationship between them.

Figure 2. Comparing formative and summative assessments

Formative assessment opportunities, including supervision work, serve to help both students and staff identify areas where the student needs further development. They provide actionable feedback to guide future work and also inform teaching practices, enabling the use of tailored learning tools and methods to support the student’s understanding and skill-building. Formative opportunities provide students with a low-stakes environment to practise the required skills for the assessment and develop their knowledge and understanding based on the formative review of their performance.

In order to make the most of formative assessment opportunities, careful planning is therefore needed to ensure that they offer timely opportunities for feedback, fit in with the wider teaching and assessment experience, and are joined up with the guidance and communications for summative assessment. When providing feedback consider approaches such as written notes, verbal (via Moodle audio recordings or screencasts), and in-person conversation. Verbal feedback, for example, can be particularly useful for students with reading difficulties.

 

Supporting supervisors in their role in formative and summative assessments

It is particularly important to consider how to support new formats of summative assessment through the students’ formative assessment experiences (whether newly introduced to the programme or just new to a given cohort of students – this includes first-year students undertaking their first written exams in Cambridge, for example). If changes are made to summative assessment, ensure that supervisors are made aware of any changes to assessment format, weighting, and marking criteria, so they can understand how best to support their students. Teaching and work produced by students in the supervisory setting should be connected to these decisions and will need to be adapted as necessary.

More broadly, it is important that all supervisors are able to see the programme’s holistic assessment strategy, its purpose, and their contribution to this. Supervisions can provide rich opportunities for more personalised and deeper explorations of the subject; they are particularly effective at supporting students’ learning when they are aligned with the aims and assessment of the programme. Expectations should also be set for students to help them understand the role (and limits) of their supervisor in relation to their summative assessments, particularly when it comes to reviewing drafts of work that will be submitted for summative assessment.

The need for supervisors to understand the wider picture and connection between learning, teaching and assessment is equally true for students, who will experience a more coherent and cohesive learning experience when the various aspects of their education and assessment feel connected (see again Figure 1).

 

Communicating assessment expectations and marking criteria to support student understanding and their self-evaluation

Alongside the programme’s assessment strategy there should be clearly and timely communicated expectations for assessments to students. This includes a comprehensive assessment brief laying out full instructions for the task, consistency in language around assessment practices and processes used across the programme, and marking criteria provided in advance of the assessment. Marking criteria should be appropriate to, and adapted where necessary for, the assessment method and level of the programme.

Marking criteria should be discussed early in the course with students to unpack the language and help them understand the expectations of the discipline (which may differ from their previous learning). Where helpful for students to understand the purpose of the assessment, the reasons behind assessment design decisions should also be explained. This conversation could be facilitated through a sample of exemplars which illustrate different approaches to a question, or which illustrate approaches which are weaker and stronger. Students can then be tasked with marking the exemplars using the marking criteria to develop their understanding of how these are applied to evaluate student work. This will develop both student ‘assessment literacies’ (what is required; at what level; how their work will be judged) and their skill in evaluative judgement: appraising how well they are doing in line with the criteria and expectations. These marking criteria should also be communicated clearly to demonstrators, assessors, markers and staff who develop formative assessment tasks and provide formative feedback, such as supervisors.

 

Reducing barriers through inclusive assessment design and varied assessment opportunities

Many students encounter barriers in their assessments due to features designed into the assessment format, some of which may be entirely avoidable when considering the specific skills the assessment is intending to evaluate. A critical approach to assessment design can help identify and eliminate these barriers at the point of design, which in turn reduces the need for individual adjustments. For example, an assessment might be intended to evaluate students’ ability to understand and analyse a text, but if the text is provided as a scanned copy, as an image or PDF, it may not be possible for a screen reader to recognise the text, or for a student to adjust the contrast for legibility. An individual could then be disadvantaged even though this does not reflect their ability to analyse the text critically. Not all student needs or preferences can be attended to at once, but considering barriers at the assessment design stage can reduce the need for individual adjustments later.

The skills required for each assessment format may enable some students to demonstrate their learning more effectively than other formats and this can affect the relationship students have with the outputs of their efforts. Therefore, employing a variety of assessment opportunities is key to enabling a broader range of students to showcase their understanding to their full potential. This does not mean every single assessment needs to be different in order to provide the broadest possible assessment diet: rather, it is about reflecting on the actual skills which need to be tested across the programme as a whole, so that students have a diversity of formats through which to demonstrate their understanding and develop a variety of skills.

 

Providing support and flexibility for students with additional needs

Seeking ways to ensure the assessment is as accessible as possible – as discussed above – and anticipating possible adjustments will minimise the need for additional individual adjustments to be made.

An Examination Access Arrangement can be used by a student who requires a reasonable adjustment or amendments as a result of a short-term condition. An Adjusted Mode of Assessment (AMA) is used where reasonable adjustments to the standard mode of assessment do not adequately address the specific, substantial disadvantage experienced by a disabled student, or student with a temporary substantial injury, in relation to the assessment. In most cases, this will entail determining an adjustment that sits outside the Regulations for examination, and which provides an effective - but reasonable - means of avoiding or offsetting the disadvantage the student would experience. This process is not an appropriate solution where a student is currently incapable of engaging with their studies at all, as a result of their disability or another reason; in this case intermission should be sought.

 

Supporting students in navigating AI and upholding academic integrity

Clearly communicate to students which software, including artificial intelligence tools, they are - and are not - permitted to use during the assessment, as well as the specific ways they can or cannot use them. This is important as they may be using software in their day-to-day activities and/or assessed work that is not allowed for other assessments. To help students understand the impact of breaches to academic integrity on their learning, provide a rationale for the chosen assessment format, including the skills it aims to develop and why those skills are important. This context will help students understand how using prohibited software undermines their learning and skill development in key areas necessary for their discipline and future professions.

For additional guidance on artificial intelligence, refer to the AI Policy Framework and consider undertaking the Generative AI Literacy Course developed by the Blended Learning Service. Further information for staff about academic misconduct can be found on the Office of Student Conduct, Complaints & Appeals website. For transparency, it may be helpful to inform students that suspicion of academic misconduct will lead to formal investigation and, where a breach is found, academic sanctions.