Online and blended learning generates both opportunities and challenges with respect to Assessment and Feedback. These resources may be useful as you reconsider assessment and feedback in the context of Covid-19.

Our DCU team members have been collecting Exemplars and Case Studies of Technology Enhanced Assessment in FE and HE Institutions.

1. Assessment and Feedback terms and approaches

Assessment and Feedback in Higher Education brings with it its own set of terminology. Some key terms associated with associated with approaches to assessment are:

• Assessment OF learning is a form of summative assessment. Its primary purpose is the demonstration of the achievement of student learning. It refers to graded assessment approaches, typically implemented after a period of learning, such as end of term examinations. When Assessment OF Learning has implications for progression or for award completion it can be considered a High-Stakes assessment.
• Assessment FOR learning, is a form of formative assessment. It’s primary purpose is to give feedback on teaching and student learning, and thus is intended to inform, rather than to measure learning. It typically occurs during the learning process, and may be associated with no grade, or a grade with a low overall weighting. As such it is often referred to as  Low-stakes assessment.
• Assessment AS learning, is a form of formative assessment. It’s primary purpose is to empower students to self-regulate and critically evaluate their learning and performance, for example through self- and peer- assessment.

The National Forum Insight: Expanding our Understanding of Assessment and Feedback in Irish Higher Education provides a concise primer on the above approaches in the context of Irish Higher Education.

2. Feedback

Surrey Assessment and Learning Lab have developed a concise guide to Feedback Opportunities in Online Learning [pdf], which outlines benefits of, and recommendations for using, various digitally enabled approaches to feedback.

3. New methods and approaches

In The changing landscape of assessment: some possible replacements for unseen, time-constrained, face-to-face invigilated exams, Kay Sambell and Sally Brown have outlined alternative assessment methods and challenges associated with them.

Complementing this, Trinity College’s Centre for Academic Practice has produced helpful guidance on Repurposing Face-to-Face Exam Questions to Open-Book Exams. This resource presents a range of sample exam questions from across the disciplines and outlines potential considerations for modification.

4. Accessibility and Inclusion

It is essential to ensure that any new assessment and feedback approaches that you introduce consider the needs of all students. AHEAD’s guidance document 10 Ways to Ensure Online Assessment is Accessible and Inclusive outlines how you can can ensure, as far as possible, that the online assessments you plan are accessible to and inclusive of all your students.

5. Academic Integrity

The online environment presents new challenges with respect to ensuring Academic Integrity. The EDTL guidance on Academic Integrity in Online Assessment outlines how you can minimise concerns about academic integrity in the design and implementation of alternative assessments.