Worldwise News

Centre for the Study of Higher Education

The way in which students engage with and learn from the multiple sources of feedback available to them is a key issue in the enhancement of student learning in higher education. Well-designed assessment tasks and associated feedback can yield large learning gains compared to a variety of other educational interventions, yet the National Survey of Students consistently reveals the lowest student satisfaction for assessment and feedback. Although students struggle to understand what is expected of them on academic tasks, formal statements of assessment criteria are typically insufficient to build the task understanding and evaluative expertise that students need to monitor their own learning. Increasing opportunities for dialogic feedback (i.e. interactions between lecturers and students, students and students, and students own self assessments as students are doing the assessment task) may result in better learning outcomes.

This research symposium brings together five assessment and feedback researchers who will discuss their own research findings in relation to these key concepts and consider implications with delegates. Sponsored by the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Kent, the event is free to participants both within and external to Kent, though places are limited.

Attendees are encouraged to use public transport where possible as parking spaces on campus are limited.

Canterbury Campus Maps https://www.kent.ac.uk/transport/maps/index.html

If you have any queries regarding this event please email cpdbookings@kent.ac.uk

Event Programme

12.30 – 13.00 Registration - Sibson Atrium

13:00 – 13:15 Welcome Address – Dr Kathleen M. Quinlan, Director, Centre for the Study of Higher Education, University of Kent.

13:15 – 14.15 The Assessment-for-learning (AfL) movement in primary and secondary education: Lessons for higher education. Dr Therese Hopfenbeck, Director, Oxford University Centre for Educational Assessment, University of Oxford.

14.15 - 14:45 From alienation to engagement through programme approaches to assessment. Professor Tansy Jessop, Professor of Research Informed Teaching, Solent Learning and Teaching Institute, Southampton Solent University.

14:45 – 15:00 Refreshment Break - Sibson Atrium

15:00 – 15:30 University students’ development of evaluative expertise for essay writing in literature through peer assessment activities. Ms Natalie Usher, PhD Candidate, Oxford Centre for Educational Assessment, University of Oxford.

15:30 – 16:00 How university students receive and cognitively process feedback. Dr Naomi Winstone, Senior Lecturer, Department of Higher Education, University of Surrey.

16:00 – 16:30 Researching models of dialogic feedback between lecturers and students. Dr Edd Pitt, Director PGCHE, Centre for the Study of Higher Education, University of Kent.

16:30 – 17:00 Panel Discussion facilitated by Dr Kathleen M Quinlan

17:00 – 17:30 Drinks Reception - Sibson Atrium

Full programme with abstracts available https://www.kent.ac.uk/cshe/events/Programme-Assessment-and-Feedback-Symposium-160518.pdf 

Register via Eventbrite