Abstract:

In Higher Education (HE), students are expected to begin their studies ready equipped with study skills, however, we have identified that the “assessment literacy” skills of new students should not be assumed due to the varied routes taken to access HE and meet entry requirements including exams, coursework portfolios, or international qualifications. Not only are there these potential differences, but also that of students’ expectations of degree level assessment, at a new educational institute. It is with this in mind that we focused on assessment literacy to design an inclusive workshop series aimed for closing an identified awarding gap for Biomedical Sc. students between Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and non BAME students in our cohort.

The UK Higher Education Authority (HEA) defines assessment literacy as an “understanding of the language of assessment and assessment processes,”[1] highlighting the importance in developing this in students to improve outcomes. Prior work on pre-assessment support have identified areas of concern with deadlines, format and content [2]. Sambell et al (2019) pointed out that uncertainty around requirements in assessment is implicated in students' ability to succeed in assessments, stating that “it is essential that we get students actually involved in how assessment works, so they feel ownership of the task of proving the success of their learning, knowing really well how assessors’ minds work when making judgements on their work.” [3]. It is with these principles that a series of workshops were designed and delivered to specifically teach students following metacognitive principles of learning in student self-regulation and independence as well as explicit instruction [4].

The three sessions promoted inclusive teaching practice and fostered student development and ownership in their approach to assessments at university, through use of exemplars and modelling use of marking schemes, in addition to explicit instruction explaining assignment briefs throughout degree units. We surveyed students for their confidence in taking assessments before/after the session, including questions on the student demographics and previous experience of assessments.

Sessions were embedded in the first year undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PGR) units in the first month of the semester. The demographics of students engaging in these two cohorts were 68% (59/87) and 88% (44/56) BAME students for UG and PGR respectively. Following sessions included use of feedback as well as revision and cycles of success coaching activities. We found that overall 60% UG and 59% PGR students reported an increase in confidence taking assessments, however, comparisons between BAME and non BAME students' scores revealed differences of 54% to 70%, and 59% to 70%, respectively. Further, there were some differences for styles of delivery with small increase for face-to-face sessions over online, and one to one appointments rather than lectures or small group tutorials between BAME and non BAME students, highlighting the diversity in learning styles.

References:
[1] HEA (2012). York: Higher Education Academy.
[2] Sambell, K., et al (2019) All Ireland Journal of Higher Education 11(2), pp. 1-15
[3] Swann, N., et al (2021) In Baughan, P., Assessment and Feedback in a Post-Pandemic Era: A Time for Learning and Inclusion Advance HE [Online]
[4] EEF (2018) ‘Metacognition and Self-regulated Learning’ [Online]

Keywords:

Assessment literacy, inclusive learning, awarding gap, student experience, student feedback, BAME.