The pre-session video featuring Prof David Boud was brilliant with many important points to take home. As David says, feedback should be ongoing and not just an end product. His suggestion on putting more effort towards providing feedback during the course of the semester rather than at the end when it is mostly pointless is very valid and logical. David's other suggestion about moving feedback from an act performed by teachers to that done by students would not just activate students due to the change in dynamic but also enhance the overall learning and teaching experience as well as foster a sense of community and belonging.
I agree with the point about students not always wanting feedback and it being imposed on them. However, feedback is an important part of learning, even if it is not always welcome. Maybe it would be helpful to evaluate how much and how often students want feedback at the beginning of the course? It is definitely wise to avoid emphasis on reminding students about assessments and focus on enriching their learning and overall experience, which takes us back to the concept that has resounded in every module - it is all about student-centred learning.
Reviewing the five principles of the UNSW draft assessment policy made me reflect on the assessment practices of my current teaching course based on the following prompts:
a. What do you think is the intent of this principle?
b. In what way do your current assessment practices reflect this principle?
a. To emphasise the importance of providing constructive and meaningful feedback to not only achieve optimal learning outcomes for the course/program but translate students' learning into real-world practice in future.
b. When marking assignments through the Turnitin GradeMark tool, I provide students feedback not just on what they have done wrong/not done for the purpose of the assignment, but also pointers for improving their analytical and presentation skills, and other relevant information.
a. To ensure integrity of the assessment process.
b. Confidentiality of the students' assignments and results as well as strict deadlines for submission of assignments via the Moodle platform ensure security and equity of the assessment process. Also, review of the course assessment by the faculty education committee at the end of the semester provides the assessor(s) feedback on their work.
a. To promote peer and self-assessment of students' work towards cultivating independent learning.
b. In the class discussions I facilitate, the students relate to and build upon their peers' ideas. Feedback on their class performance halfway through the semester as well as the individual written assignment provides opportunity for self-evaluation. The third assessment task in the course is a group assignment, which provides students a platform for analysing and commenting on the work of their peers.
Following Module 5, I revised my flipped learning lesson plan from Module 2 to include a self and peer-assessment component, which was inspired by the pre-session activity of reviewing assessment methods as well as the post-session standards-based rubric activity. I created an assessment rubric for the first time during this module and found the constructive feedback from peers very encouraging and helpful, which I used to revise the rubric.
I agree with the point about students not always wanting feedback and it being imposed on them. However, feedback is an important part of learning, even if it is not always welcome. Maybe it would be helpful to evaluate how much and how often students want feedback at the beginning of the course? It is definitely wise to avoid emphasis on reminding students about assessments and focus on enriching their learning and overall experience, which takes us back to the concept that has resounded in every module - it is all about student-centred learning.
Reviewing the five principles of the UNSW draft assessment policy made me reflect on the assessment practices of my current teaching course based on the following prompts:
a. What do you think is the intent of this principle?
b. In what way do your current assessment practices reflect this principle?
1. Assessment
is designed to guide and enhance student learning.
a. To emphasise the importance of providing constructive and meaningful feedback to not only achieve optimal learning outcomes for the course/program but translate students' learning into real-world practice in future.
b. When marking assignments through the Turnitin GradeMark tool, I provide students feedback not just on what they have done wrong/not done for the purpose of the assignment, but also pointers for improving their analytical and presentation skills, and other relevant information.
2. Student
learning is assessed against learning outcomes and expected standards of
performance.
a. To set guidelines for equal assessment of student performance, especially across multiple assessors.
b. Clear assessment and grading criteria have been set by the course
convenor for expected outcomes in the class group discussions I
facilitate, as well as for the individual written assignment I mark via
Moodle. These criteria put the students and assessor on common ground
for understanding and providing performance results, respectively.
3. Assessment
provides credible information on student achievement.
a. To ensure integrity of the assessment process.
b. Confidentiality of the students' assignments and results as well as strict deadlines for submission of assignments via the Moodle platform ensure security and equity of the assessment process. Also, review of the course assessment by the faculty education committee at the end of the semester provides the assessor(s) feedback on their work.
4. Assessment
is fair and provides all students an impartial opportunity to demonstrate their
learning.
a. To ensure equal opportunity for students to demonstrate their learning irrespective of their differences as individuals.
b. All students in the course are required to do the same assessment tasks,
guided by clear criteria and marking rubrics. Sufficient preparation
time and ample opportunity for discussion and clarification with the
instructor prior to completion allow for students to alleviate possible
shortcomings in the assessment tasks. The tasks have been designed
taking into consideration with their workload and level of understanding
in relation to the assessment topic.
5. Assessment
develops students’ abilities to evaluate their own and peer’s work.
a. To promote peer and self-assessment of students' work towards cultivating independent learning.
b. In the class discussions I facilitate, the students relate to and build upon their peers' ideas. Feedback on their class performance halfway through the semester as well as the individual written assignment provides opportunity for self-evaluation. The third assessment task in the course is a group assignment, which provides students a platform for analysing and commenting on the work of their peers.
Following Module 5, I revised my flipped learning lesson plan from Module 2 to include a self and peer-assessment component, which was inspired by the pre-session activity of reviewing assessment methods as well as the post-session standards-based rubric activity. I created an assessment rubric for the first time during this module and found the constructive feedback from peers very encouraging and helpful, which I used to revise the rubric.
