4 May 2016: Reframing Assessment: This time it's personal (HEA joint session)

Presenters: A/Prof Abby Cathcart, Principal Fellow of the HEA (Queensland University of Technology, Australia) and

Dr Darrall Thompson, Learning Futures Fellow (University of Technology Sydney, Australia).

This was a joint session with the Higher Education Academy (UK).

Hosted by

Dr Mathew Hillier, Monash University, Australia. Starting 07:00AM UTC/GMT. Duration 60 Minutes.

There have been many major projects, initiatives and frameworks developed to enhance assessment practice at institutional, national and international levels. However, we need a deeper conversation about the significant barriers to implementation. Compliance pressures in both research and teaching can tend to cause a surface approach in even the most dedicated academics. This webinar presented and engaged with these challenges with a focus on transforming assessment. The concept that assessment methods have a significant backwash effect is clear when we see that the predominance of high stakes exam-based assessment throughout school years of study encourages both parents and children to focus on marks and grades as the only determiner of value and progress. The single mark given conflates the reasons for differentiation between students’ performances and obscures the diversity of orientation that may inform future study and employment. The culture of the single mark or grade needs to change and this webinar argued that a focus on assessment is the way to begin this transformation.

Further information

• Slide Set: TA_webinar_4_may_2016_slides.pdf [4.9MB] [PPTx 46.8MB]
• Chat Log (edited for clarity): TA_webinar_4may2016_chat_log.txt
• Abby's QUT staff page.
• Darrall's UTS staff page.
• Introduction video to speakers - shown prior to session start: https://youtu.be/-1vr5eU77Bw
• Conversation catalyst part 1 video - (shown early in the session but sound quality was poor at the time): https://youtu.be/htiYLtbed_Q
• Additional resources mentioned in chat
  • Process to support academics as a team to embed constructive alignment 'Creating Aligned Interactive educational Resource Opportunities' http://www.northamptonilt.com/caiero-for-course-teams/ and http://blogs.northampton.ac.uk/learntech/2014/12/24/demystifying-the-caiero/

Session Recording

Multiple formats are available.

You Tube version (Flash video) - recommended version.

A screen cast of the session.

Sound quality has been improved for the three 'conversation catalyst' sections.

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Blackboard Collaborate archive version

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