Currently viewing the tag: "SHED"
“For 3 years now I have run an assignment in my 2nd year SPO2002 Sport and Society module which originated as a ‘digital storytelling’ idea for a group project assessment. Students are asked to complete a small scale social research project on a topic related to inequalities in sport. I take them through each ‘stage’ of the research process (we have 7), and every week the seminars become group meetings in which students are asked to make decisions related to each stage. I set up a NILE journal tool for each group, and they are required to write a formal journal entry for each of the 7 weeks where they document and justify (with the aid of appropriate references) the choices they are making in relation to topic, methodology, design etc.
Upon completion of their journal diaries, I ask them to create a 5-10 minute movie documentary which should present their research project using these 7 stages as ‘chapters’ in their movie. I offer 30% of the mark for creative communication of their work, and students have come up with some fantastically original ideas (last year’s highlight was the use of Lego figures to present a group meeting with Emile Durkheim, a famous sociologist).
Attendance for this part of the module is always high, and students often comment that they have never worked harder than on this assignment (a good thing?!), and take a lot of pride in getting their movie just right.”
For more information about this assessment, please contact Dr Jim Lusted, Senior Lecturer in Sports Studies (Jim.Lusted@northampton.ac.uk)
This case study is taken from the Institute of Learning and Teaching’s 2015 publication ‘Outside the Box Assessment and Feedback Practices’, available from the University’s Assessment and Feedback portal.
The Department of Engineering within the School of Science and Technology offers a unique course in non-destructive testing both at a foundation and bachelor degree levels. Since its inception, the course has been delivered in distance learning mode to accommodate the cohort of students who are interested in the course. They usually work in full time jobs in different parts of the world. Moreover, their jobs involve travelling to remote places for long periods of time at short notice.
While the provision of learning packages has been facilitated and organised through NILE (the University’s Virtual Learning Environment), the assessment posed a number of challenges in terms of quality and rigour. This is evident from the high portion of students who achieve grades exceeding A-. One may argue that this is a testament to our quality of tuition of this course. However, it is difficult to reconcile these results with the assessment conditions where students are offered six weeks or more to answer a set of questions in an open book style and without the usual exam type time constraint. Furthermore, the external examiners have often expressed a concern about the distribution of grades. Professional accreditation bodies such the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) would not accredit a course where standard type exams do not represent a large proportion of the assessment.
Our aim and that of the accreditation institutions is to ascertain that a student with a mere pass is able to function as an engineer and the assessment should reflect that. In order to address this issue, we have sought to harness the capabilities of NILE to improve the quality of our assessment for distance learning students. We created assessments that include a range of question types from formulae to essays to cater for students with different skills. We also generated the same question with a different set of numerical values for each student using regular expression on NILE. Despite our best efforts, this has not resulted in a distribution of grades that is representative of students with different capabilities, albeit, there is a marked improvement. On a close inspection though, the essay type questions seem to produce a range of grades from a simple pass to distinction.
We have then generated a case study in non-destructive testing and invited students to submit an academic report discussing their approaches to the problem. In order to make the problems more interesting and thought provoking, we suggested using non-destructive testing methods that are non-standard and ask students to use their creative minds to make it work. We expect the distribution of the overall grades to change as a result of these changes. Thus far, it has proved to be instructive for students and lecturers alike. We intend to solicit some feedback from the current cohort of students to learn about their experience.
For more information about this assessment, please contact Dr. Abdeldjalil Bennecer, Senior Lecturer in Engineering (Abdeldjalil.Bennecer@northampton.ac.uk) or Professor Phil Picton, Professor of Engineering (Phil.Picton@northampton.ac.uk)
This case study is taken from the Institute of Learning and Teaching’s 2015 publication ‘Outside the Box Assessment and Feedback Practices’, available from the University’s Assessment and Feedback portal.
In the Paramedic Science division we use Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) to assess practical application of skills. For example, advanced life support can be demonstrated on mannequins using all of the actual equipment required. In practice sessions we asked the students to video their attempts on SMART phones, iPads or other devices, which can then be uploaded to NILE (the University’s Virtual Learning Environment). These could then be viewed for self, peer and tutor review as formative assessment and feed-forward to improve performance. Initially, the students found this to be daunting but eventually came to value the opportunity to self-assess and refer back to their performance on past videos.
For more information about this assessment, please contact Sarah Cross, Senior Lecturer, Paramedic Science Division (Sarah.Cross3@northampton.ac.uk)
This case study is taken from the Institute of Learning and Teaching’s 2015 publication ‘Outside the Box Assessment and Feedback Practices’, available from the University’s Assessment and Feedback portal.
In LAW3019 (European and International Human Rights Law) assessment is by coursework. The first essay (40%) is a set question analysing technical aspects of treaty law. The remainder of the assessment is a research project split into an individual presentation (20%) and an essay (40%).
Students are free to choose their topic, as long as it broadly relates to a current human rights issue. This year, students covered a diverse range of topics including Australian asylum policy and law, extraordinary rendition of terrorist suspects, forced marriage, and discrimination on the grounds of sexuality.
The feedback from the students has been positive as this allows them to research a topic of particular interest to them, sometimes linking into other modules studied, sometimes to outside interests and future career plans. The external examiner has commented at last year’s exam board and in her report on the creative and topical nature of the assessment. In terms of key skills, the assessment facilitates the development of higher level skills in relation to research, analysis, and written and oral communication.
For more information about this assessment, please contact Kirstie Best, Subject Leader in Law (Kirstie.Best@northampton.ac.uk)
This case study is taken from the Institute of Learning and Teaching’s 2015 publication ‘Outside the Box Assessment and Feedback Practices’, available from the University’s Assessment and Feedback portal.
In the module Crime and Criminality, part of the assessment is to produce a 30 second video and supporting leaflet around a crime prevention strategy. This could be something already operating, so to raise awareness or a completely new idea about how the public can protect themselves from being a victim of a particular crime. Once assessed, Superintendent Dave Hill reviews them to choose one that will feature in the Northants Police Website.
The first group to be chosen to feature on the Northants Police Website devised a blog for victims of Anti-Social Behaviour which was both innovative and contemporary. Feedback from students who participated in the assessment was that they enjoyed putting their theoretical learning into a practice.
For more information about this assessment, please contact Anne Eason, Senior Lecturer in Criminal Justice Services (Anne.Eason@northampton.ac.uk)
This case study is taken from the Institute of Learning and Teaching’s 2015 publication ‘Outside the Box Assessment and Feedback Practices’, available from the University’s Assessment and Feedback portal.
In the autumn 2012, a local General Hospital approached its local Higher Education Institution (HEI), the University of Northampton (UoN), to propose that pre-registration nursing students become involved in working with its Audit Department. Following extensive discussions and negotiations, it was jointly agreed to ‘pilot’ an opportunity for two third year adult student nurses to work on a pressure ulcer care audit as part of their third year dissertation. Supported by members of the Audit Department at the local hospital, and supervised by academic tutors with experience in primary research data collection techniques, the specially selected students embarked on a journey which was to revolutionise their own views of audit, as well as demonstrate to both the audit team and academic team the need to develop their own experiences of supporting student nurses who elect to undertake audit work.
Throughout the duration of the ‘pilot’ project, all parties involved in the process received extensive support from within both organisations. The students were supported in the ‘hub’ placement learning opportunity by their practice assessor, who had been extensively briefed by the Module Leader (ML) prior to the students’ arrival in their designated clinical area. The practice assessors were also in frequent communication with their University Clinical link person throughout the duration of the project. These Academic Links worked with the Practice Assessors to facilitate changes to the students’ working shift patterns as required to support the audit process. In addition, regular local meetings were undertaken between the ML and members of the audit department, clinical supervisors, to address concerns and queries as they arose and clarify both the communication mechanisms for the pilot and the academic requirements of the dissertation.
On completion of the project, the students were formerly invited to evaluate their unique experience via standard academic reporting mechanisms; and informally invited to meet with the Head of Nursing Developments (HoND) and ML to provide more detailed verbal feedback on the strengths and challenges of the pilot. Having completed the first phase of the audit pilot, the ML and HoND reviewed the project with the aim of identifying both the positive aspects and potential areas for improvement should the project be extended into a second phase with multiple-sites. After successfully completing their undergraduate dissertation and achieving their award, the student participants who participated in the pilot expressed both their satisfaction and enjoyment in being given the opportunity.
For more information about this assessment, please contact Dr Jacqueline Parkes, Associate Professor/Head of Nursing Developments (Jackie.Parkes@northampton.ac.uk) or Cindy O’Dell, Senior Lecturer Adult Nursing (Cindy.Odell@northampton.ac.uk)
This case study is taken from the Institute of Learning and Teaching’s 2015 publication ‘Outside the Box Assessment and Feedback Practices’, available from the University’s Assessment and Feedback portal.
At the end of a session ask students to draw a diagram, graphic organiser, model (you do have to explain these at first) to show their learning: what new knowledge, skills and ways of learning they have developed. Share and discuss models.
For more information about this assessment, please contact Elaine Batchelor, Subject Leader—Initial Teaching Training (Elaine.Batchelor@northampton.ac.uk)
This case study is taken from the Institute of Learning and Teaching’s 2015 publication ‘Outside the Box Assessment and Feedback Practices’, available from the University’s Assessment and Feedback portal.
“First year BA Advertising are given a live brief to deliver. Last year it was wrapping a taxi – see article here http://www.northampton.ac.uk/news/advertising-students-
take-part-in-a-taxi-wrap-challenge-to-promote-the-university-of-northampton.
This year they are working on developing a Mascot for the University and using it in a number of promotional situations, such as a Saints game or an awards ceremony. Next year, it will be something different. The main point is that it is real and they have to deliver everything from pitching for funding, through to execution.
I refer to the assessment as ‘Reportage’. A group report documents the steps in the process, with an emphasis on the role their team played. Also, this piece of work includes an individual reflection. I’m not sure that it is earth-shattering in terms of process, but it is authentic, very organic (full of challenge and uncertainty) and the student feedback has been very good”.
For more information about this assessment, please contact Kardi Somerfield, Senior Lecturer in Marketing (Kardi.Somerfield@northampton.ac.uk)
This case study is taken from the Institute of Learning and Teaching’s 2015 publication ‘Outside the Box Assessment and Feedback Practices’, available from the University’s Assessment and Feedback portal.
The BA in Policing programme uses an extended role play involving a robbery incident. This assessment requires students to deal with an incident from first report through to appearing in court to give evidence. The exercise requires them to devise their own investigative strategy and if they make the right enquiries, they are fed extra snippets of information that should lead to an arrest of the suspect. Students interview the suspect using the tape-recorded interview method and then submit the file to the Crown Prosecution Service for a decision as to whether or not to charge the suspect.
For more information about this assessment, please contact Bob Lyman, Senior Lecturer in Criminal Justice Practice (Bob.Lyman@northampton.ac.uk)
This case study is taken from the Institute of Learning and Teaching’s 2015 publication ‘Outside the Box Assessment and Feedback Practices’, available from the University’s Assessment and Feedback portal.
“First Year Education Studies students have been participating in a joint project with students at HAN University in Nijmegen and Arnhem in the Netherlands. An ongoing email correspondence with regard to preconceptions of and stereotyping within England and the Netherlands culminated on Wednesday 25th March with a SKYPE seminar and conversation between students at the two institutions.
Contributions and discussions were lively and both cohorts of students were able to expand on cultural and social traditions in their respective countries. The UoN students will form part of a group travelling on a study visit to Nijmegen in June – it is intended that a meeting with the Dutch students who participated in the SKYPE seminar will form part of their itinerary.” (Tony Smith-Howell)
The students reported that talking with their peers oversees in this way it felt no different from being in the classroom. The tutors are already planning further meetings and online mentoring. They captured their feedback of using SKYPE for the session, via the magic of iPad….. http://www.kaltura.com/tiny/marig
Please contact the Learning Technology Team if you would like to find out more about using Skype for your students.
