As our university embarks on a major curriculum transformation—from an integrated model to a modular system—it’s the perfect moment to pause, reflect, and refine our approaches to Assessment and Feedback. With growing concerns about inclusivity, diversity, decolonisation, and the rapidly evolving role of AI in Higher Education, now is perhaps a good time to update and innovate your assessment strategies.
Why Should You Join?
- Curriculum Transformation: The course will provide you with the tools and knowledge needed to adapt your assessment practices to a new curriculum structure, taking into account changes in the landscape of H.E. including graduate attributes and Ai.
- Address Current Challenges: Understand the effects of AI and the pandemic on assessment and feedback, and discover innovative practices for addressing inclusivity, equality, neurodiversity and decolonisation.
- Practical Strategies: Leave with actionable insights that you can apply immediately to enhance your teaching, improve student engagement, and streamline feedback processes.
- Engage with Cutting-Edge Issues: Explore the implications of AI in Higher Education, including the need for academic integrity and the role of AI in assessment design and detection.
- Develop Feedback Literacy: Learn how to implement a feedback strategy that improves student learning and strengthens the staff-student relationship.
This 5 x 90 minute course is designed for academics seeking to enhance their understanding and practices around assessment and feedback, ensuring they are fit for the changing landscape of Higher Education.
Outline of sessions
Session 1: Getting to Grips with Assessment - 9th April 2025 - 1.00 pm - 2.30 pm
Explore the influence of stakeholders, the varied purposes of assessment in Higher Education, and the impact of recent shifts such as the pandemic and the rise of AI. We’ll dive into current assessment practices, discuss inclusivity, equality, and decolonisation, and tackle barriers to creativity in assessment design.
Session 2: Digging Down into Assessment - 30th April - 1.00 pm - 2.30 pm
Unpack the key distinctions between formative and summative assessment and explore the importance of assessment criteria for both staff and students. We will examine early responses to AI in assessment and delve into assessment for learning, authentic assessment, and reflective assessment practices.
Session 3: Talking about Feedback - 7th May 2025 - 1.00 pm - 2.30 pm
Gain insights into lecturers’ and students’ perceptions of feedback. We’ll explore feedback orientations, the emotional impact of feedback, and common concerns from both staff and students. This session provides the opportunity to discuss what effective feedback means and how we can improve our communication.
Session 4: Creating Meaningful Feedback for Learning - 14th May 2025 - 1.00 pm - 2.30 pm
What makes feedback truly effective for learning? We’ll explore the principles of good feedback, how to overcome common student difficulties in interpreting feedback, and how to create more dialogic, peer, and feedforward feedback. We'll also look at the challenge of feedback literacy and discuss institutional strategies for addressing it.
Session 5: AI in H.E.: Assessment Practice - 21st May 2025 - 1.00 pm - 2.30 pm
The rapid development of AI tools has introduced new challenges and opportunities for assessment. This session will explore how AI is reshaping assessment practices in universities, the importance of academic integrity, and the need to balance AI-driven assessments with human-centred learning. We’ll also look at innovative assessment strategies, including oral assessments, reflective assessments, and the role of AI detection tools.
