3.14 Assessment Glossary

Glossary of Assessment Terms

Assessment

A general term for processes that measure students’ learning, skills, knowledge and understanding. Assessment can be diagnostic, formative or summative. The purpose of assessment is to:

i. help students to perform to the best of their abilities through assessment that is inclusive and enhance their learning and future employment success

ii. encourage, motivate and involve students in extensive learning

ii. provide a fair and reliable measure of students’ performance, knowledge and skills against the learning outcomes and style of teaching in your subject

iv. help students develop, through timely and constructive feedback, and

v. give our stakeholders confidence that a student has achieved the necessary standards giving a reliable and consistent basis for the award.

Alternative Assessment

Alternative assessment helps students to meet learning outcomes and assessment criteria using a different assessment approach. This terminology is only used for assessments in place for students with additional support needs on the advice of Student Support and Careers service.

Assessment in Lieu of Examination (AILOE)

i. End of module assessment set during the end of semester assessment period, usually with several days to complete the assessment. It will not appear on the examination timetable and students may have more than one end of module assessment due during the same period.

ii. ‘Seen’ AILOEs may be set before the assessment period so that they can be discussed during the end of the Semester teaching period.

iii. Extensions will not be granted for Assessments in Lieu of Exams.

iv. Additional Time: students with a study needs assessment (SNA) are not usually entitled to additional time due to the extended time available for this type of assessment.  By default, additional time should be built into AOILEs to ensure assessments are inclusive.  In exceptional cases, students in receipt of an SNA may discuss the need for further reasonable adjustments with Student Support, who in turn will liaise with the Faculty if they believe the case to be compelling. This must be identified in advance of the start of the assessment period and will be considered by the Associate Dean, in conjunction with the relevant Exam Board Chair and Student Support.

Class Tests

Continuous assessment, which usually take place within the teaching period during each semester.

Coursework

Assignments set during the module, to assess one or more of the learning outcomes, for example (this list is not exhaustive):

i. written assignment, including essay

ii. report

iii. dissertation (an extended piece of written work, often the write-up of a final-year project)

iv. portfolio (a collection of work that relates to a given topic or theme, which has been produced over a period of time)

v. project output (output from project work, often of a practical nature, other than a dissertation or written report), and

vi. set exercise (questions or tasks designed to assess how knowledge is applied, and analytical, problem-solving or evaluative skills). It includes tests (written or computer-based) of knowledge or interpretation that are not carried out under examination conditions.

Dissertation/Research Project report

A substantial piece of writing deriving from research that a student has undertaken. Dissertations are the result of a student's independent work, carried out under the guidance of a supervisor. Different subject areas may follow different conventions in relation to producing dissertations.

Examination

Written exams usually occur at the end of a period of learning and assess whether students have achieved the intended learning outcomes. They may be 'seen', where the student knows beforehand the question (or questions) they are expected to answer, or 'unseen', where the questions are only revealed on the day of the exam. In an 'open book' exam, a student is allowed to use a selection of reference materials during the assessment. The questions asked as part of a written exam may be essay, short answer, problem or multiple choice. Written exams usually (but not always) take place under timed conditions.

Examination – types

There are many different types of examination, including oral, written, seen, open book, multiple choice, essay, short answer, problem based and case study.  The list below is not exhaustive.

i. Hall Examination – a timed examination that takes place in an examination hall. This will be timetabled as part of the semester examination timetable. Students with study needs assessment (SNA) may be entitled to additional time subject to the recommendations of the SNA.

ii. Online Examination – a timed examination that is completed online and submitted through Turnitin or Blackboard assignment, including MCQ type examinations (an MCQ is a form of assessment where a student will need to choose the correct answer from a list). It will appear on the examination timetable but does not necessarily take place in an examination hall (also see v below). Students with an SNA may be entitled to additional time subject to the recommendations of the SNA. Extensions cannot be granted for online examinations.

iii. Oral Examination/Viva – a examination where a student answers orally rather than in writing.

iv. Open Book Examination – a timed examination where students are permitted to take specific information into an examination hall.

v. Computer Based Examination – a timed examination that takes place on a computer room in an examination hall. This will be timetabled as part of the semester examination timetable. Students with an SNA may be entitled to additional time subject to the recommendations of the SNA.

Feedback

The principles of feedback apply equally to written and oral feedback and should be formally recorded. Meeting should be scheduled as part of the Personal Tutor programme to discuss feedback and develop individual student improvement plans.

i. Feedback on coursework - AQH 3.2 para 18. Comments on coursework indicating a student’s performance against the marking criteria. Feedback should include the strengths and weaknesses identified by the marker in relation to the criteria and a clear and separate statement as to how a student can improve in future assessments and how they can seek clarification on any aspect of the feedback.

ii. Feedback on written examinations - AQH 3.2 para 19.  Students cannot retain their examination papers; however they should be able to seek feedback and clarification on any aspect of the feedback. Feedback may be generic to a module or examination question and students should be aware that it may not be available on individual questions.

Formative assessment

An assessment task with a developmental purpose. It is designed to help students learn more effectively by giving them feedback on their performance and on how it can be improved or maintained (or both).

Interview to determine Authenticity of Work – see AQH B Regulation on UAP para 10

Where there is uncertainly if work submitted by a student is their own, for example if it is suspected the work has been obtained from an essay bank or generated through AI software, the Chair of Examination Board may determine that an interview to determine authenticity of work is held. The purpose of the interview is to test the student’s knowledge of the work they have submitted and to provide the student with the opportunity to demonstrate the work is their own, prior to a UAP panel investigation.

Moderation - AQH3.5 para 2 (i)

Internal moderation of assessed work is the process of ensuring that assessment criteria are applied consistently by examiners, that students are being treated fairly through the assessment process, and that there is a shared understanding of the academic standards students are expected to achieve. Moderation is the process of ensuring that the marks awarded for an assessment task within a module are within reasonable limits, in the context of the criteria against which students’ work is being assessed. Note that separate assessment criteria should be in place for each different component of assessment within a module. Moderation may be limited to sampling and second marking a representative number of pieces of assessed work across the marking range from a cohort of students; or it may involve second marking the work of the whole cohort (double marking); or it may involve scaling of marks for a component of assessment.

Multiple-choice questions (MCQ)

MCQ is a form of assessment in which students are asked to select the best possible answer (or answers) out of the choices from a list. Multiple-choice exams are designed to test knowledge and are usually run using Blackboard.

Presentations

Students may be required to give an oral presentation, this could be in person or on Teams, or submit slides and a narrative. Presentations should be marked independently by two members of staff, the mark agreed between the markers and clear feedback provided to a student.

Practical Assessment/Examinations

Arrangements for practical assessments and examinations will be set out by the relevant department.

Second marking - see AQH 3.5 para 2 (ii)

Second marking is the process in which a second allocation of marks is given to a piece of work by a second internal examiner. This process may either be carried out blind (where the second examiner does not have access to the marks and comments of the first marker) or sighted (where the second examiner can view the marks and comments of the first marker and adds their own).  Dissertations are typically second marked.

Summative assessment

A form of assessment used to certify that students have achieved an appropriate level of performance. It is used to indicate how far a student has met the assessment criteria used to judge the intended learning outcomes of a module or programme. The marks from summative assessments contribute to the final mark for the module.

Test

A question or set of questions relating to a particular area of study, taken in a similar way to a formal examination but held in the normal timetabled slot.

 

08/2024