About this Module

Rationale

This module is an introduction to the research on formative assessment and feedback in higher education and to its implications for teaching practise.

The main purpose of formative assessment is to make available information (feedback) to students so that they can improve their work. This feedback information can be generated by tutors, by other students (peers) and by learners themselves (self). The research on formative assessment and feedback can usefully inform discussions of practical teaching questions such as:

• How can tutors ensure that the feedback they provide makes sense to students and that they act upon it?
• What are the advantages of having students assess their own work and generate their own feedback information?
• What techniques can tutors use help students develop the ability to evaluate and improve their own work

This module does not offer prescriptive answers to these questions. Rather it illuminates the centrality of formative assessment and feedback in learning and it should help tutors develop a deeper understanding of feedback processes and formulate ways of making feedback more effective in their teaching.

Aims

Learning Outcomes

On completing this module participants will be able to

• Explain the conditions necessary for formative assessment to result in an improvement in learning
• Critically discuss the research findings on the limitations of current feedback processes in higher education
• Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of self, peer and tutor feedback.
• Identify practical ways of making students more active participants in feedback processes
• Critique an aspect of your own or your department's feedback practices and make recommendations for improvement.

Module Structure

The module is structured around a series of milestone tasks or learning activities. These activities will usually involve some preparatory work offline (eg reading literature and constructing written responses) and then postings from this work to discussion fora online. Some activities will specifically require that you respond to postings by other students. Other activities will necessitate working in small groups offline before posting responses online. Over the duration of the module self-assessment, peer-assessment and tutor assessment will occur. Tutor feedback will be geared to ensuring that progress is made towards the module objectives.

Assessment of the Module

The assessment of this module will be based on satisfactory completion of all the milestone activities and the completion of a written report (2500 words). The latter will involve a critique of an area of your own or your departments feedback practices using the research literature. Also, the report would be expected to include a series of recommended strategies and procedures that might improve these practises. Final assessment will be on a satisfactory-unsatisfactory basis..