Experience of EMA: Luisa Ciampi (SPA)
Previous experience of electronic management of assessment:
I have worked in seven different departments across the university in an administration capacity and each department has previously dealt with assessment differently which means a lot more learning is required on all fronts should one ever work outside more than one department. It has also been my experience that this varying practice makes it more difficult to efficiently support staff – both administrative staff and academic staff – and students because there is a lot of room for misinformation and incorrect communications.
What I like about EMA:
The standardisation and therefore transparency of all sorts of processes linked to EMA really supports the administration teams in terms of being clear on what is required, but also in terms of being able to provide accurate and helpful information to the various people that they work with. As a manager of a team of 10 people and 5 departments, this has also helped me in supporting and training current and new staff.
What I’ve found more challenging:
Implementing and encouraging the change that EMA brings with it has been the biggest challenge for me. Administration sits in the middle of the academic structure and therefore plays a key role in supporting and communicating new processes to staff and students, which often means we find ourselves helping people overcome change which is not always easy.
My top tip for EMA beginners:
Go to all the training you can – it will save you time in the long run!