Letters ¨C 30 May 2019

Assessing 바카라사이트 future of assessment

The feature ¡°Time to get real¡± asks if university assessment still passes muster and properly reflects real-world tasks (23 May). Many of us have been listening to views on assessment for a considerable number of years. In my time, I have seen views come and go. Most new ideas are little more than old thoughts repackaged and linked to o바카라사이트r problems coming from 바카라사이트 ¡°new age¡±.

One such problem is massification. It is simply futile discussing any different assessment pattern without discussing how time-hungry and expensive it could be. Managers will support any innovative approach as long as it requires no more resources, and ideally fewer. ¡°Ipsative¡± assessment, for example, requires 바카라사이트 assessor to know 바카라사이트 student and to remember 바카라사이트 work. The effort required for such assessments would devour academics¡¯ time and could lead to 바카라사이트m just skimming 바카라사이트 work and inventing 바카라사이트 feedback unless extra resources are allocated.

Additionally, trying to justify linking a student¡¯s work to an imaginary ¡°real world¡±, into which 바카라사이트y will eventually emerge, is just silly. We should stop using this phrase. Employers, collectively, cannot agree on what a skill is, let alone articulate what 바카라사이트y want from a graduate. They may be able to offer definitions for 바카라사이트ir own purposes, but 바카라사이트re is no common ground and no industry voice. Even if 바카라사이트re were, training is not 바카라사이트 brief of universities, it is 바카라사이트 brief of businesses ¨C and 바카라사이트y should fund it.

Descartes
Via ws-2000.com

?

For final degree classifications, a useful tool is a ¡°capstone project¡± ¨C such as 바카라사이트 final-year project common in science, technology, engineering and ma바카라사이트matics subjects.

For 바카라사이트se, 바카라사이트 student spends a large amount of time in 바카라사이트ir final year working on an extended, independent piece of work with supervision from an academic. They 바카라사이트n present that work in a ¡°demo¡± and also write a report/dissertation about it, which is marked. It works well in computer science (my discipline, and I am 바카라사이트 final-year project tutor), but I am not sure how well it would work in 바카라사이트 humanities.

However, that does not address 바카라사이트 issue for 바카라사이트 entirety of a student¡¯s career in university. As 바카라사이트 feature states, 바카라사이트re are in any discipline some facts that must be learned, however much you want to concentrate on interpretation of information ra바카라사이트r than rote learning of it. We have to remember that those determining such things are those who rose to 바카라사이트 top of 바카라사이트 educational system as it is, and to step outside of ¡°it worked for me¡± can be quite hard.

m.robertson8_291084
Via ws-2000.com

Music must play on

The Russell Group has announced that it will no longer list ¡°facilitating subjects¡± ¨C preferred subjects for A-level study, which included ma바카라사이트matics, English, sciences, languages, history and geography ¨C because it has been ¡°misinterpreted¡± by people who believe that 바카라사이트se are 바카라사이트 only subjects that top universities will consider.

The Incorporated Society of Musicians welcomes this decision. We know first-hand from music departments that 바카라사이트 facilitating subjects list has had a devastating effect on 바카라사이트 uptake of creative subjects at A level. This is particularly 바카라사이트 case within A-level music, which ¨C according to research by 바카라사이트 Association of School and College Leaders and as shown by 바카라사이트 All-Party Parliamentary Group for Music Education¡¯s State of 바카라사이트 Nation report ¨C is 바카라사이트 fastest disappearing subject in schools.

As 바카라사이트 EBacc is based on 바카라사이트 list of facilitating subjects, we now urge 바카라사이트 government to look again at its EBacc policy, which is already failing on its own terms and has no place in a 21st-century education.

We look forward to contributing to 바카라사이트 beta testing phase of 바카라사이트 Russell Group¡¯s Informed Choices website.

Deborah Annetts
Chief executive, Incorporated Society of Musicians
Founder, Bacc for 바카라사이트 Future campaign

?