ASKe was established as a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) based at Oxford Brookes University Business School (2005-10). It was set up with a £4.5 million award from HEFCE in recognition of good practice based on pedagogic research into aspects of assessment. The project focused on developing an evidence base and good practice to support HE communities in sharing understandings of assessment standards. ASKe's work now continues in conjunction with the Pedagogy Research Centre, based in the Faculty of Business.
ASKe produces an ongoing series of 1,2,3 leaflets which highlight some practical ways in which teaching staff can improve their students' learning. Each leaflet focuses on a piece of assessment-related research and clearly states how that research can be applied to teaching practice in three easy steps. There are others specifically for students which give clear, practical advice and encourage students to take responsibility for their own learning. For more information see the ASKe website.
Face-to-face feedback can be formal or informal, received from tutors or peers and take place within class or outside class. This helpful leaflet focuses on formal feedback from tutors and aims to simplify its complexities.
The aim of this leaflet is not to prescribe one best method for the assessment of groupwork. Instead it attempts to set out the complex set of factors that need to be considered in designing and implementing groupwork assessment.
Do you feel that your students are underperforming due to their poor understanding of your assessment standards? Are you concerned that they don't really understand your assessment criteria? Have you ever experienced blank looks when students read your feedback comments on their work? If so, try our pre-assessment intervention!
Why should you encourage peer feedback? Would you like to enhance your students’ active engagement with their studies? Would you like to increase the amount of feedback your students receive? Would you like to increase your students’ disciplinary understanding? If so why not try our three easy steps to making peer feedback work…
Why should we cultivate community? Evidence from the literature and practice shows that student involvement and a strong sense of community are highly significant factors in students’ academic success.
Assessment is more complex than most people think. This leaflet is designed to help students understand their entitlements under the Oxford Brookes Assessment Compact and the part they need to play to ensure they get the most from assessment.
Do you believe there’s more to assessment than passive transmission of standards? Would you like to actively engage your students in the assessment process? Would you like to help your students improve their learning for themselves? If so, why don’t you try a social constructivist approach to assessment? It doesn’t take up much time, and it works…
How can students be encouraged to do better on their assignments? This leaflet gives three easy steps to help students tackle an assignment as well as useful tips on ‘Doing better; what you need to know’, including explanations of assessment requirements, assessment criteria and assessment standards. A really helpful guide for students.
Do you want to reduce the risk of inadvertent plagiarism in your students’ work? Would you like to educate your students, before assessment, about the meaning of plagiarism and how to avoid it? Can you see the value of using the latest tools and techniques to provide feedback for your students? If so, why don’t you try this three-step exercise? It doesn’t take up much time, and it works...
Do you want to avoid spending hours searching for plagiarism in your students' work? Do you want to design out easy opportunities for copying and 'faking' learning? Do you want to encourage your students' activity as a way of encouraging their learning? If so, try our three-step exercise!