Assessment policy: from requirements to agreements
“The assessment policy’s goal is to go back to assessments to improve learning, instead of learning to improve assessments,” Jelle explains. The faculty assessment policy framework describes the agreements made in regards to goals, quality, and responsibilities for assessment. “The framework contains 16 requirements which assessments in our study programmes have to meet. These can be requirements for content, such as the quality of an exam, but they can also be related to the process: for instance, who is checking the exams, and who is supervising the entirety of it?” Even though the faculty has determined the general assessment framework, programmes are free to shape the 16 requirements. This causes each programme to maintain control over its assessments. The project team helps programmes to improve assessment and to revise it where necessary.
For student and teacher
Both students and teachers benefit from a well-devised assessment plan. For instance, students suffer less from peak load if there is a focus on formative action. “This prevents situations where students have to study large amounts of material in one exam week, which then only lingers for a short while,” Jelle explains. “Students and teachers get a better view of which topics have been mastered and which still need some extra attention by dividing the focus more equally across the learning process.” Regardless, the transition to formative action is not easy. “Students mainly put effort into a summative assessment instead of into assignments that are not graded,” Jelle says. “This causes tensions and teachers therefore view formative action as ineffective. Developments and mutual agreements thus remain necessary.”
Assessment projects in action
“Due to the great variety of responsibilities, teachers experience high levels of working pressure. I’m extremely pleased that they pay increasing attention to assessment despite of this,” Jelle says. “Currently, we are supporting three programmes in updating their assessments. We handle their questions together with exam committees, teachers, education experts, and students. These questions are very diverse: one programme discusses the organisation of assessments, whereas another discusses the development of an accessible and complete policy, and the third programme investigates how often and at what level certain learning goals are being tested. As a project team, we have offered advice to six programme coordinators and the director of education in regards to the desired changes to the current manner of assessment, which programmes can now use as they see fit. A milestone!"