Pete Alston School of Life Sciences Pete Alston

Pete Alston School of Life Sciences @Pete. Alston Transformative Teaching: A Virtual Event (June 2016) 1 World Shaping Lessons Learned & Top Tips LIFE CHANGING Implementing Continuous Online Assessment

• Context – The role of online assessment – Tutor perspective • Case Study – The rationale for School of Life Sciences • Challenges faced … – … lessons learned & ‘top tips’ Overview What’s coming up in the next 15 minutes …

• Plethora of research into the importance of assessment & the integral part it plays in the student experience – Yet lowest scores in National Student Survey (UK) are reserved for assessment and feedback practices (Beaumont, O'Doherty, & Shannon, 2011; Nicol, 2009; Williams & Kane, 2009) • Many studies have reported on the positive effect of online assessment (cf. Bond, et al. , 2013; Orsmond & Merry, 2013; Smith, et al. , 2005; Voelkel, 2013; Walker, Voce, & Ahmed, 2012) – “. . the potential for online assessment to contribute a desirable shift from teacher to student centred learning is high” (Gunn, 2006, p. 255) • Innovative assessment practices can help to increase student engagement & motivation – Alternatives to the exam/essay/MCQ format are available and have the potential to “significantly reduce demand on staff time” (Gunn, 2006, p. 269) Context What does the literature say?

• Assessment is time consuming and problematic • Tutors need to be engaged in pedagogical research, in addition to their subject research – We need to consider the expertise of staff & the different ways in which students learn – Over-reliance of particular forms of assessment • CPD should also encompass the increased use of technology in teaching and learning • Issues concerning ‘plagiarism’ • Accessibility & reliability of the technology plays an important role ‘The Tutor Perspective’ (Alston, 2015)

“ • The ‘original’ red-brick university • Research-led institution (Russell Group) • 30, 000+ students on 400 programmes across 54 subjects – UG/PGT/PGR/LOE • Only UK university with full clinical coverage – Clinical Medicine, Dentistry, Health Sciences, Life Sciences, Tropical Medicine & Veterinary Sciences • History of excellence – – Public radio transmission (1894) Surgical use of X-rays (1896) Chemotherapy for cancer treatment Eradication of smallpox & use of gas and air in childbirth • XJTLU (China) & Global Collaborations University of Liverpool (2016) http: //images. liv. ac. uk

“ • Wide range of programmes – Anatomy & Human Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Microbiology, Physiology, Tropical Disease Biology, Zoology, and many more … – Practical (Lab) and Theoretical content • One of the largest departments in the University – Over 1600 students (undergraduate/postgraduate) – Over 100 academics contributing to teaching • Curriculum Review - 2013 – Continuous Assessment forms a key component of all new modules across the three years – Online assessment a substantive component of Year 1 • Move towards electronic submission, marking & feedback http: //images. liv. ac. uk

• Adopted in 15 modules across two semesters – Blackboard (VLE) – Mc. Graw-Hill Content • Level of usage depends on module assessment strategy – Competency/Health & Safety – Formative/low-stakes summative assessment • Range of assessment methods adopted – – Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) Extended Matching Item (EMI) Extended Questions Plus the more ‘traditional’ types … Online Assessment in the Life Sciences Typical Implementation

• Staff engagement – Deciding on questions and making them available – Resorting to ‘old practices’ • Facilities – 400+ students taking a test at any one time will always lead to problems! – Smaller modules (100) are no different … • Technology limitations/failure – ‘Downtime’ (Systems/Wi. Fi) – Devices – ‘Force completion’ • ‘Irate’ students Challenges faced What we were up against …

• Staff engagement (or lack of …) – Deciding on questions and making them available – Resorting to ‘old practices’ • Facilities – 400+ students taking a test at any one time will always lead to problems! – Smaller modules (100) are no different … • Technology limitations/failure – ‘Downtime’ (Systems/Wi. Fi) – Devices – Force completion • ‘Irate’ students • Maintaining different systems at the same time Challenges faced What we were up against …

• Previous experience can guide you – But be careful! • ‘Prepare for the worst’ – Communication is important with both staff and students • Guidelines/policy to set expectations – Consistency is essential • Learn from each other – What is going on elsewhere? Lessons learned So you don’t have to go through what we have!

• Be clear about the purpose of assessment – Stating the obvious! – Ensure that colleagues are on the same page • ‘High level’ assessment timeline – Where are the ‘pinch’ points? Top Tips for Online Assessment What would I recommend to you?

Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4 Week 2 4 6 8 10 12 Assessment Patterns ESCAPE (2010)

• Be clear about the purpose of assessment – Stating the obvious! – Ensure that staff are on the same page • ‘High level’ assessment timeline – Where are the ‘pinch’ points? • How will the technology be supported – Staff (development) – Student (implementation) • Guidelines/policy in place before you begin – Evolve over time Top Tips for Online Assessment What would I recommend to you?

Top Tips for Online Assessment Guidelines/Policy to empower students

• Impetus on staff to use a variety of instructional and assessment methods – “Natural affinity with technology” (Waycott, Bennett, Kennedy, Dalgarno, & Gray, 2010, p. 1202) But … • Lack of adequate support is one of the major factors for non-engagement in online teaching and learning (Hiltz, Kim, & Shea, 2007) • Online assessment ≠ add on to traditional assessment! – (Unreliable) technology demands a rethink as to how students are assessed • Hard to plan for all possible scenarios at the ‘start’ – Keeps you on your toes! • An awareness of innovative practice in other areas is ‘invaluable’ – Which makes events like this incredibly useful! Summary What’s the take home message?

Alston, P. (2015). "How many legs does a dog have? " - Continuous online assessment in the Life Sciences. 2015 SOLSTICE Conference. Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK. https: //www. edgehill. ac. uk/solstice/files/2014/11/Peter-Alston-How-many-legs-does-a-dog-have-Continuous-Online-Assessment-in-the. Life-Sciences. docx Beaumont, C. , O'Doherty, M. , & Shannon, L. (2011). Reconceptualising assessment feedback: a key to improving student learning? Studies in Higher Education, 36(6), 671 -687. doi: 10. 1080/03075071003731135 Bond, E. , Bodger, O. , Skibinski, D. , Jones, D. , Restall, C. , Dudley, E. , & van Keulen, G. (2013). Negatively-Marked MCQ Assessments That Reward Partial Knowledge Do Not Introduce Gender Bias Yet Increase Student Performance and Satisfaction and Reduce Anxiety. PLo. S One, 8(2). doi: 10. 1371/journal. pone. 0055956 ESCAPE. (2010). ESCAPE - Assessment Timelines. http: //jiscdesignstudio. pbworks. com/w/page/30631817/ESCAPE%20 -%20 Assessment%20 timelines Gunn, C. (2006). Engaging Learners Through Continuous Online Assessment. In D. Hung, & M. Khine, Engaged Learning with Emerging Technologies (pp. 255 -273). Netherlands: Springer. Hiltz, S. , Kim, E. , & Shea, P. (2007). Faculty motivators and de-motivators for teaching online: Results of focus group interviews at One University. 40 th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Hawaii. Retrieved from http: //web. njit. edu/~hiltz/publications/HICSS_Hiltz. Kim. Shea. pdf Nicol, D. (2009). Quality Enhancement Themes: The First Year Experience. Transforming assessment and feedback: enhancing integration and empowerment in the first year. Mansfield: Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. Orsmond, P. , & Merry, S. (2013). The importance of self-assessment in student's use of tutors' feedback: a qualitative study of high and non-high achieving biology undergraduates. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 38(6), 737 -753. doi: 10. 1080/02602938. 2012. 697868 Smith, A. , Stewart, R. , Shields, P. , Hayes-Klosteridis, J. , Robinson, P. , & Yuan, R. (2005). Introductory Biology Courses: A Framework To Support Active Learning in Large Enrollment Introductory Science Courses. Cell Biology Education, 4(2), 143 -156. doi: 10. 1187/cbe. 04 -08 -0048 University of Liverpool. (2016). About the University of Liverpool. https: //www. liverpool. ac. uk/about/ Voelkel, S. (2013). Combining the formative with the summative: the development of a two-stage online test to encourage engagement and provide personal feedback in large classes. Research in Learning Technology, 21(19153). doi: 10. 3402/rlt. v 21 i 0. 19153 Walker, R. , Voce, J. , & Ahmed, J. (2012). UCISA 2012 Survey of Technology Enhanced Learning for higher education in the UK. Retrieved from UCISA: http: //www. ucisa. ac. uk/~/media/groups/ssg/surveys/TEL_survey_2012_with%20 Apps_final. ashx Waycott, J. , Bennett, S. , Kennedy, G. , Dalgarno, B. , & Gray, K. (2010). Digital divides? Student and staff perceptions of information and communication technologies. Computers and Education, 54(4), 1202 -1211. doi: 10. 1016/j. compedu. 2009. 11. 006 Williams, J. , & Kane, D. (2009). Assessment and Feedback: Institutional Experiences of Student Feedback, 1996 to 2007. Higher Education Quarterly, 63(3), 264 -286. doi: 10. 1111/j. 1468 -2273. 2009. 00430. x Questions?