Moving other Assessments online
This page provides advice and guidance to support academic colleagues to convert other forms of assessment to an online environment.
Start with the learning outcomes
Your starting point is the learning outcomes for your modules. The alternative assessment should align with these outcomes. Speak to students about the alternative assessment, perhaps even offer them a choice of assessment method where appropriate. Existing assessment criteria may need to be adapted to align with the alternative assessment.
Assessment equivalence
The alternative assessment methods outlined below should take account of equivalence of effort on the part of the student, estimated, for example, by student effort in terms of hours on the assessment task, length of time or word count. For Assessment Equivalence guidelines, please see this comprehensive guidance from University College Dublin. The below examples have been devised by S. Brown and K. Sambell (2020) and adapted to UoR context.
In-class presentations
If you currently use... | You could instead consider using... | To assure standards you need to consider... |
In-class presentations where students speak to an audience of their peers/others and are assessed not only on the content but also their presentation techniques. | Ask students (individually or in groups) to submit a narrated presentation in electronic form which can then be tutor-marked and peer-reviewed. PowerPoint is familiar to most students, and offers a slide-by-slide voice-narration recording facility. Ask students to prepare a podcast on the topic to be submitted electronically. |
You will need to take account of the fact that, given the recorded presentation format, students can have multiple opportunities to prepare the item they are submitting, rather than having to cope with the one-off nature of a live presentation. |
Portfolio, logbook or assessment notebook
If you currently use... | You could instead consider using... | To assure standards you need to consider... |
Portfolio, logbook or assessment notebook | It is likely that the best solution here is to move hard-copy portfolios to e-portfolios. | Where these have been partially completed already, assessors will have to use professional judgment to decide whether sufficient evidence of achievement of the learning outcomes has been achieved already by the time of university closure. For some students without ready internet access or lacking digital confidence the move to e-portfolios might be quite challenging, and they may need extra guidance. |
Viva Voce exams
If you currently use... | You could instead consider using... | To assure standards you need to consider... |
Viva Voce exams, e.g. for PhD examinations in person, or other forms of oral assessment (e.g. in language learning). | These could be undertaken using web conferencing software, Blackboard Collaborate or MS Teams Meeting (as indeed they already are on occasions when Doctoral examinations are undertaken transnationally). | Students may need significant support in developing confidence to work virtually where they have no prior experience. |
Assessed seminars, group discussions
If you currently use... | You could instead consider using... | To assure standards you need to consider... |
Assessed seminars, group discussions and other similar activities |
These could be undertaken using web conferencing software, Blackboard Collaborate. |
Staff as well as students may need to be supported to learn how to use this approach if it isn’t currently part of their normal learning experience. |
Lab work
If you currently use... | You could instead consider using... | To assure standards you need to consider... |
Lab work | It may be possible to replicate some aspects of lab work through simulations in which students are presented with data sets and required to interpret them. Often this means focusing on interpretation of data rather than working in the lab to achieve the results personally. Simulations can also be used remotely so students can ‘see’ data produced elsewhere and be asked to comment/ interpret. | If students can be provided with different data sets for personal interpretation, this can mitigate the risk of unauthorised assistance. |
Posters
If you currently use... | You could instead consider using... | To assure standards you need to consider... |
Posters | You can potentially use a digital info-graphic, mind map or other visuals which can be electronically submitted or posted in shared spaces, particularly if peer review is required. | To confirm authenticity of the submitter, you may wish to supplement this with a short online oral. |
Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE)
If you currently use... | You could instead consider using... | To assure standards you need to consider... |
Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) and other tests requiring students to demonstrate a range of skills. | It may be possible for students to submit digital portfolios containing, for example, videos of themselves performing a range of practical tasks. | This may be problematic in professional disciplines where the achievement of specific capabilities is required at 100% e.g. Nursing, drugs calculations.
Please note, the handling and submission of large video files may present issues for students. |
Peer assessments and support
If you currently use... | You could instead consider using... | To assure standards you need to consider... |
Peer assessment and support | Peers can email each other drafts for comments or use a virtual space within Blackboard. |
Theatre, dance and other performances
If you currently use... | You could instead consider using... | To assure standards you need to consider... |
Theatre, dance and other performances | Individuals can be asked to submit videos of their work, alongside reflective commentaries/ accounts. | Group performances may well be discouraged. Videos cannot replicate the authentic live performance element but may suffice in crisis times.
Please note, the handling and submission of large video files may present issues for students. |
Face-to-face feedback
If you currently use... | You could instead consider using... | To assure standards you need to consider... |
Face-to-face feedback | Individual and generic group feedback can be delivered by tutors via audio or online means. |