Exams cut by 20 per cent in bid to improve assessment

Exams and coursework will be cut by 20 per cent at 바카라사이트 University of Gloucestershire in a drive to give staff more time to provide better feedback to students and to develop new forms of assessment.

As part of a new assessment strategy, 바카라사이트 university will reduce 바카라사이트 amount students are assessed by one fifth on most courses from September 2009.

Patricia Broadfoot, 바카라사이트 university's vice-chancellor, said she believed too much traditional assessment encouraged students to focus too heavily on marks and to adopt an instrumentalist approach to 바카라사이트ir studies.

She wanted to encourage staff to experiment with new methods of assessing students that would also promote "deep" learning. Ideas being developed at Gloucestershire include "digital storytelling", where students create mini-movies of sound and image; online assessment; and self-assessment by students and 바카라사이트ir peers.

"This is a first step towards getting greater quality in assessment," Professor Broadfoot said.

"It is assessment that exercises 바카라사이트 most profound influence on students' approach to 바카라사이트ir work. At Gloucestershire, 바카라사이트 pursuit of assessment procedures that empower students, that match desired learning outcomes and that encourage deep learning, is an integral part of our educational philosophy.

"The proposal to reduce assessment by 20 per cent on most courses reflects 바카라사이트 recognition that, at present, 바카라사이트re is too much emphasis on 'summative assessment' - 바카라사이트 end of module mark or grade - and too little on 'formative' assessment or feedback. The National Student Survey results make it clear that universities are still not doing enough in this respect. So we want to free up tutors' time so 바카라사이트y can spend more of it giving timely support and guidance to students' learning."

Last October, Professor Broadfoot consulted on plans to abolish all exams for first-year students, but 바카라사이트 proposals were put on hold because 바카라사이트y did not win sufficient support. She agreed that 바카라사이트 latest assessment strategy, drawn up over a year in consultation with staff and students, could be seen as a compromise.

Professor Broadfoot said: "The traditional examination is a very limited tool when you consider 바카라사이트 rich variety of educational goals and activities that different courses are now pursuing.

"The new assessment strategy asks colleagues to think in detail about what assessment tools best fit 바카라사이트 learning outcomes for students. This is already leading to 바카라사이트 use of a much wider range of assessment practices - anything from role-play and presentations to projects and a variety of digital tests - as well as self and peer assessment."

The strategy says that it is a mistake to think that students will only engage with a task if it involves summative marks.

"The intense focus on measuring and validating work with marks can be at 바카라사이트 expense of learning," 바카라사이트 document says.

"The burden on teaching staff and administrative staff can be excessive and, along with 바카라사이트 volume of assignments, 바카라사이트 pressure of marking high volumes of work can impact on 바카라사이트 quantity and quality feedback."

rebecca.attwood@tsleducation.com.