Assessment Workshops: ‘Feeding forward, backward and side-to-side’

As practitioners, we are constantly aware of the importance of proactively feeding-forward into assessment whilst also using feedback assessments to help shape tailored support. As a conduit for this, I run a dedicated ‘assessment workshop’ for every assessment component that features on my modules.

The purpose of the assessment workshop is not only to provide key information relating to upcoming assessments but also to ensure transparency in assessment. By using a dedicated session to focus on each particular component, students are immediately equipped with the facts and overarching requirements. The assessment workshops also have the benefit of addressing consistent issues that affect the whole group as these can be fed into subsequent workshops for upcoming assessments.

The model behind these assessment workshops is fairly standard but it can be specifically tailored to the nature of any given assessment. Indeed, it has proven useful for reports, essays, presentations and summative examinations just by modifying the content.

In this discussion with Lucy Blakemore, I share my model for assessment workshops and hope to encourage colleagues to share their experiences from their own classrooms.

To continue the discussion or to share your own practice, please do not hesitate to contact me at: elur@learning.eic.navitas.com.