Abstract:

A recent exploration of pre-assessment support for students, in light of a persistent awarding gap, has revealed differing preferences for support between White and BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) students [1]. The understanding of assessment criteria is potentially an area where improvements can be implemented to take into account preferences cited by all students. While academic staff offer drop-in sessions and tutorials to help with assessments, traditionally take up is low, particularly among BAME students [2]. One issue related to not accessing academic support is availability and location, with BAME students being more likely to have longer journey times to University and therefore less time to engage in optional face-to-face support activities. [1]. In the current study we produced short films of verbal instructions for students that addressed the implicit assessment criteria used by academics when marking work. These short films were made available to all students in their virtual learning environments, supplementary to traditional written coursework guidelines. The films were designed to mirror a one-to-one advice session such as might be requested by individual students, and featured staff talking informally to camera and offering tips for higher marks in assignments based on implicit criteria that academics use when marking. Final module marks were compared for two runs of the same module – one from a previous year in which the films had not been developed, and one which used the films as supplementary pre-assessment information. Student focus group suggestions and initial data analyses of assessment marks and number of times the films were accessed, suggest a positive response to this initiative. Future plans include expanding the use of supplementary assessment advice films within all first-year undergraduate modules and possible implementation for second year modules in time.

Keywords:

Pre-assessment information, BAME, widening participation.