Rethinking Assessment and Feedback Professor David Nicol Centre

Rethinking Assessment and Feedback Professor David Nicol Centre for Academic Practice University of Strathclyde d. j. nicol@strath. ac. uk University of Glasgow, March 2008 1

• Nationally only 55% of students think feedback is prompt and had helped to clarify things they did not understand [Scotland: 48%] • Nationally only 63% of students agree that have received detailed comments on their work [Scotland: 49%] 2

This presentation The background Concepts and ideas Framework and 12 assessment and feedback principles Recommendations for implementation Case studies of practice from the University of Glasgow 3

Background Research: HE Academy 2004: Literature review: 7 principles of good assessment and feedback practice in relation to development of learner self-regulation (Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick, 2004: 2006) Local Implementations: Scottish Funding Council 20057: The Reengineering Assessment Practices (REAP) project (£ 1 m) www. reap. ac. uk Policy and strategy: University of Strathclyde Assessment Policy and Practice Guidelines Synthesis: QAA Scotland 2007 -8: First Year Experience: Assessment and Feedback publication 4

Re-engineering Assessment Practices REAP project Scottish Funding Council (£!m) Strathclyde, Glasgow University, Glasgow Caledonian Business School Large 1 st year classes (160 -900 students) A range of disciplines (19 modules ~6000 students) Many technologies Learning quality and teaching efficiencies Assessment for learner self-regulation 5

First Year: The academic experience What is important in the first year? Coping with transition Understanding what is required Engagement with academic programmes Receiving support and feedback Experiences of success Feeling in control of own learning Belief that you can succeed A sense of belonging within the academic and social culture Based on research by Yorke (UK) and Tinto (US) 6

EMPOWERMENT/ SELF-REGULATION ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE SOCIAL EXPERIENCE ENGAGEMENT Figure 1: Framework for the analysis of assessment and feedback practices 7

Rethinking assessment and feedback 1. Consider self and peers as much as the teacher as sources of assessment and feedback l Tap into different qualities than teacher can provide l Saves time l Provides considerable learning benefits (lifelong learning) 2. Focus on every step of the cycle l Understanding the task criteria (Sadler, 1983) l Applying what was learned in action 3. Not just written feedback l Also oral, computer, vicarious, formal and informal 8

Black, Harrison, Lee, Marshall and Wiliam (2005) As well as assessing and marking (through discussion and clear guidance) their own work they also assess and mark the work of others. This they do in a very mature and sensible way. …. The students know that homework will be checked by themselves or another girl in the class at the start of the next lesson…. They take pride in clear and well presented work that one of their peers may be asked to mark. Any disagreement about the answer is thoroughly and openly discussed until agreement is reached. Alice, Teacher at Waterford School, UK 9

12 Principles of Good Assessment and Feedback Practice 10

Good formative assessment and feedback practices should: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Help clarify what good performance is (goals, criteria, standards) Encourage ‘time an effort’ on challenging learning tasks Deliver high quality feedback information that helps learners self-correct Provide opportunities to act on feedback Ensure that summative assessment supports formative learning processes Encourage interaction and dialogue around learning (peer, teacherstudent) Facilitate the development of self-assessment and reflection in learning Give choice in the topic, method, criteria, weighting or timing of assessments. Involve students in decision making about assessment policy and practice Support the development of learning groups and communities Encourage positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem Provide information to teachers that can be used to help shape the teaching 11

Good formative assessment and feedback practices should: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Help clarify what good performance is (goals, criteria, standards) Encourage ‘time an effort’ on challenging learning tasks Deliver high quality feedback information that helps learners self-correct Provide opportunities to act on feedback Ensure that summative assessment supports formative learning processes Encourage interaction and dialogue around learning (peer, teacherstudent) Facilitate the development of self-assessment and reflection in learning Give choice in the topic, method, criteria, weighting or timing of assessments. Involve students in decision making about assessment policy and practice Support the development of learning groups and communities Encourage positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem Provide information to teachers that can be used to help shape the teaching 12

Good formative assessment and feedback practices should: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Help clarify what good performance is (goals, criteria, standards) Encourage ‘time an effort’ on challenging learning tasks Deliver high quality feedback information that helps learners self-correct Provide opportunities to act on feedback Ensure that summative assessment supports formative learning processes Encourage interaction and dialogue around learning (peer, teacherstudent) Facilitate the development of self-assessment and reflection in learning Give choice in the topic, method, criteria, weighting or timing of assessments. Involve students in decision making about assessment policy and practice Support the development of learning groups and communities Encourage positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem Provide information to teachers that can be used to help shape the teaching 13

Good formative assessment and feedback practices should: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Help clarify what good performance is (goals, criteria, standards) Encourage ‘time an effort’ on challenging learning tasks Deliver high quality feedback information that helps learners self-correct Provide opportunities to act on feedback Ensure that summative assessment supports formative learning processes Encourage interaction and dialogue around learning (peer, teacherstudent) Facilitate the development of self-assessment and reflection in learning Give choice in the topic, method, criteria, weighting or timing of assessments. Involve students in decision making about assessment policy and practice Support the development of learning groups and communities Encourage positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem Provide information to teachers that can be used to help shape the teaching 14

Good formative assessment and feedback practices should: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Help clarify what good performance is (goals, criteria, standards) Encourage ‘time an effort’ on challenging learning tasks Deliver high quality feedback information that helps learners self-correct Provide opportunities to act on feedback Ensure that summative assessment supports formative learning processes Encourage interaction and dialogue around learning (peer, teacherstudent) Facilitate the development of self-assessment and reflection in learning Give choice in the topic, method, criteria, weighting or timing of assessments. Involve students in decision making about assessment policy and practice Support the development of learning groups and communities Encourage positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem Provide information to teachers that can be used to help shape the teaching 15

Dynamics of Implementation 16

EMPOWERMENT/ SELF-REGULATION ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE • Students create criteria • Students add own criteria • Students identify criteria from samples of work • Exemplars of different performance levels provided • Students rephrase criteria in own words • Provide document with criteria SOCIAL EXPERIENCE ENGAGEMENT Principle 1: Clarify what good performance is 17

EMPOWERMENT/ SELF-REGULATION ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE 2. Encourage time & effort on challenging learning tasks + 6. Encourage interaction and dialogue around learning (peer and teacherstudent) SOCIAL EXPERIENCE ENGAGEMENT 18

EMPOWERMENT/ SELF-REGULATION ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE 3. Deliver individual written feedback on students’ work + 6. Encourage group discussion of how that feedback might be used in tutorials SOCIAL EXPERIENCE ENGAGEMENT 19

EMPOWERMENT/ SELF-REGULATION Students create MCQs and feedback for wrong and right answers ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE Students self-assess using MCQ and provide confidence ratings + 6. Encourage interaction and dialogue around learning (peer and teacherstudent) SOCIAL EXPERIENCE Students self-assess own performance using MCQs ENGAGEMENT Principle 7 Principle 6 20

MCQ and Confidence-Based Marking Ref: Tony Gardner-Medwin (2006), Confidence-based marking: towards deeper learning and better exams. Degree of certainty C=1 Low C=2 Medium C=3 High Mark if correct 1 2 3 Penalty if wrong 0 -2 -6 Scoring regime for confidence-based marking 21

Guidelines for Implementation 1. A single principle or many 2. Active involvement of students 3. Tight-loose – maintain fidelity to the principles (tight) but encourage disciplines develop their own techniques of implementation (loose) 4. Clarify students’ responsibilities 22

Guidelines for Implementation 5. Alternate solo and group work 6. Consider programme coherence 7. Use the principles as quality enhancement tool 8. Share your learning designs 9. Evaluate changes (process indicators) 10. And where ICT can add value 23

www. reap. ac. uk/resources www. enhancementthemes. ac. uk/themes/First. Year Transforming assessment and feedback: Enhancing integration and empowerment (published by QAA Scotland) Recommendations: how to implement at module, course and institutional level A Literature review: how assessment and feedback can support empowerment and integration 12 principles of assessment and feedback practice (+ questions to enhance quality) 100+ examples and case studies illustrating implementation across the disciplines 24

Rethinking Assessment and Feedback Questions 25

My Publications Nicol, D (2008), Transforming assessment and feedback: Enhancing integration and empowerment in the first year, to be published by Quality Assurance Agency, Scotland (June) Nicol, D (in press), Assessment for learner self-regulation: Enhancing achievement in the first year using learning technologies, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, Nicol, D (2007), Laying the foundation for lifelong learning: cases studies of technology supported assessment processes in large first year classes, British Journal of Educational Technology, 38(4), 668678 Nicol, D (2007) E-assessment by design: using multiple-choice tests to good effect, Journal of Further and Higher Education. 31(1), 53 -64. Nicol, D. & Milligan, C. (2006), Rethinking technology-supported assessment in relation to the seven principles of good feedback practice. In C. Bryan and K. Clegg, Innovations in Assessment, Routledge. Nicol, D, J. & Macfarlane-Dick (2006), Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice, Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 199 -218. See also www. reap. ac. uk 26