How to build assessment literacy with students

An awareness of standards

Programme design helps students to understand the recognised standards. This understanding will not come through summative assessment but through formative assessment activities. These activities will encourage students to work with assessment criteria and learning outcomes, engage in self and peer assessment activities, work with materials that model standards, rehearse and reflect on complex formative assessment like group presentations.

An awareness of staff expectations

Taking time to show students, talk with students and share with students what you mean by: an essay; critical analysis; referencing; using Turnitin; working as a group; writing a lab report. Compiling a list of FAQs, devising a screencast, adding a podcast to Blackboard might be useful. This is particularly important for Part One students who will have a variety of assessment experiences prior to joining the programme. This will also help towards making student learning more inclusive at university.

Knowledge of how assessment activities link and build on one another (feed-forward) across a Part or programme

This can be done through an assessment map that shows how the aims or learning outcomes for a programme are assessed across a Part or across the whole programme. It can be signposted in feed-forward statements that explain how students can act on feedback in future summative assessment opportunities.

Understand the 15 day turnaround feedback policy

Part One students will be puzzled why it takes up to 15 days to provide feedback. It is important to explain to students why this is the case and refer them to the University policy.
Students should be aware of the quality assurance processes, including the role of the external examiners.

Consider the needs of joint honours students

Guidance needs to be clearly written or described and in a timely fashion as joint honours students may be wrestling with two different assessment cultures. Expectations must be clear plus the opportunities to ask for guidance clearly signposted.