Electronic Management of Assessment (EMA) at the University of Reading is all the processes that come together to facilitate electronic submission, feedback and grading (eSFG) of summative assessment. Formative assessment does not need to follow these processes.
EMA Programme 2017/2020
An extensive project, the EMA Programme, ran from January 2017 until January 2020 resulted in more consistent, effective and efficient approaches to electronic management of assessment were developed across the University to help improve the student and staff experience. This included, as standard:
- The majority of summative coursework being graded, moderated and feedback provided online.
- Improvements to key systems and processes, including movement towards greater integration between Blackboard and RISIS, to allow information to flow between systems more easily.
- Individual assessment data (or sub modular marks data) being available online, to be used in a variety of ways to support the assessment and feedback process, including the development of a range of new assessment reports.
- A consolidated view of individual student progress being available to students and appropriate staff.
EMA Integration
EMA Integration involves
- the automatic transfer of assessment and reassessment records from RISIS to Blackboard
- the automatic transfer of sub modular marks from Blackboard back to RISIS.
In practical terms this involves the programme administrators working in RISIS and Blackboard or coordinate this integration.
In RISIS
- Administrators adding the submodular assessment details into RISIS
- Assessment type
- Deadline
- Points Possible
- Mode of submission
- Administrators flagging in RISIS that the submodular assessment is ready for integration
In Blackboard
- Integration provides a weighted column or submission point in Blackboard, depending of the Mode of Submission
- Assessment happens in Blackboard – Students submit, Markers mark
- Administrators ensure the RISIS columns (Gradebook columns with the prefix [IC]) are populated with the marks
- Administrators approve and extraction of the marks
In RISIS
- Integration extracts the marks from Blackboard and transfers them to RISIS
- Any late penalties etc. are added to individual marks directly in RISIS, by the administrator
Modes of Submission
There is a list of Modes of Submission, which attempt to cover most types and routes of assessment in the University.
The Mode of Submission dictates what is provided in Blackboard for that specific assessment. This will be either a weight column in the Gradebook with the prefix [IC] or a Blackboard Assignment submission point with the prefix [IC].
Guide last updated on August 16, 2024
