In 2017, the Assessment Working Group recommended using a common approach in measuring the extent to which our students have attained the graduate qualities through their study at the University.
Endorsed by the Academic Board, this approach involved the development of a suite of University-level assessment rubrics to measure each student's achievement in their progression toward the graduate qualities.
Nine working parties (one for each graduate quality) were established to develop the generic rubrics, composed of staff with relevant expertise from across the University. Draft rubrics were developed. Following feedback from international and local experts, the draft rubrics were revised and approved by the Academic Board at its final meeting of 2018.
In 2019, the Assessment Advisory Committee and Education Portfolio are working closely with faculties and University schools to pilot the rubrics in units of study to validate their effectiveness.
The rubrics will be used to:
The Assessment Advisory Committee is conducting a suite of validation activities to ensure that the common University rubrics measure what they aim to measure. These activities include:
The Education Portfolio is working closely with unit coordinators to help them pilot the graduate quality rubrics in their units of study. This will help the Assessment Advisory Committee to build a strong evidence base over time to ensure the validity of the graduate quality rubrics. At the same time, the pilot allows rubric users to provide feedback, and make revisions as necessary.
Specific questions we are asking pilots to feedback to us include:
There are plans to pilot the rubrics in over 30 units of study across the University in 2019 and 2020, with the list growing by the day. A list of broad categories are listed below (as at January 2020):
If you would like to get involved, please submit an Expression of Interest and we will be in touch with you to discuss further.
We are particularly interested in sourcing pilots from one of the following categories:
As part of the work in refreshing assessment to reduce burden on staff and students, an ongoing workstream of the Assessment Advisory Committee is to develop a compendium of assessments that may be measured by the common University rubrics.
By starting with the targeted graduate quality, assessment tasks are designed to produce evidence that can be measured by the components and stage descriptors in the graduate quality rubrics.
This is the reverse approach to the typical development of assessments, where assessment rubrics are developed based on the assessment task and criteria.
The aim of the compendium is to provide a resource for staff to help them develop and design assessment tasks will provide evidence that may be measured by the graduate quality rubrics.
In May 2019, the Education Portfolio held a workshop to commence this work. Over 100 assessment tasks were brainstormed at this workshop.
The Education Portfolio has developed a Canvas page where staff can collaborate to brainstorm and develop assessment tasks that measure the graduate qualities. The page uses tools to facilitate collaboration and aims to eventually list fully developed tasks into a compendium of assessment tasks that measure the graduate qualities.
An assessment plan is a document which:
Assessment plans may apply to an entire degree (eg, a tightly structured professional degree) or within a component (eg, a major in a liberal studies degree). This planning will make it possible to ensure that the balance of assessment tasks gives appropriate priority to the learning outcomes most valued by students, staff and employers.
Assessment plans ensure that every student has the opportunity to develop the graduate qualities which are assessed during their degree, with feedback along the way.
Assessment plans aim to assist academic staff, faculty committees, and boards to manage and coordinate assessment across an entire curriculum. They assure faculty and academic staff that students are achieving learning outcomes and graduate qualities.
Additionally, the plans provide a means of balancing assessment types to avoid duplication between units. Overall, they are a planning tool to maximise assessment effectiveness across an entire curriculum while managing and, where appropriate, reducing assessment volume.
Assessment plans:
In general, assessment plans should:
The Assessment Advisory Committee will provide ongoing feedback to faculties that produce draft assessment plans prior to the deadline. If you would like some feedback on a draft assessment plan, please contact the committee's secreatariat Christine Lacey on [email protected].
All course and component coordinators will be engaged in this process and may reach out to unit coordinators for relevant input in the design of assessment plans for their curriculums.
Faculties have nominated staff to coordinate the process internally and if you have any questions, you should reach out these staff. If you are unsure about who to contact in your faculty, you should enquire with your Faculty Curriculum Manager or equivalent, or your Associate Dean (Education).
Curriculums exempt from the development of assessment plans are:
From January 2020, the Assessment Advisory Committee will begin reviewing and recommending assessment plans for all curriculums to the Academic Board for approval.