Clearly and transparently communicating assessment
A student who is the first person in their family to go to university (a ‘first-generation’ student) struggles to understand what is expected from them in an assessment. They are unsure about the level of guidance that students should receive during an assessment and are afraid to ask questions that may expose them as ignorant of the ‘unwritten’ rules or practices of higher education. This causes them confusion and they hesitate to seek guidance about the assessment that remains unclear to them.
A student comes to the Netherlands to do an English language Master course. The student body is half Dutch and the other half comprises students from all over the world. In the first introductory course, students are tasked to complete an individually written essay. This student is very nervous as she only had (oral) exams at her previous university and does not know how to write an essay. She is afraid that she cannot complete this assignment and will fail the first course.
Assessment expectations differ across disciplines, university cultures, and countries. Therefore, it is essential not to assume that all students are familiar with the forms of assessment typically used in a programme or as part of the university tradition. Therefore, communicating and providing detailed guidance on what is expected in any assessment is key Higher Education Academy . (2014) Assessment and feedback .
Tools
Communicate what the assessment will look like
- Provide all the information about assessment in a course handbook, in a detailed assessment brief, or even via a short video or structured seminar Higher Education Academy . (2014) Assessment and feedback .
- Provide information on the type of assessment (e.g., exam with open-ended questions, essay, group presentation) that will be used. Even if most students are familiar with this assessment (see Designing Equitable Assessment), make sure that detailed information is provided to students and that they have an opportunity to ask questions.
- Give examples of the type of assessment (i.e. previous exam questions) or assignments completed by other students, that are illustrative of what is expected of students. Discuss how students approached the assessment, and how they might approach the task themselves.
- List what additional resources are available for (certain) students. For instance, if students have been given additional time to complete exams or if they are allowed to use a dictionary.
Communicate how students will be graded
- Design a rubric that specifies the critical milestones and learning outcomes that students are expected to achieve. Provide this rubric to students and take them step-by-step through the meaning or intention of the criteria: what kind of achievement is expected? Build a common understanding of what constitutes a poor, satisfactory or high-level performance of each of the critical milestones Higher Education Academy . (2014) Assessment and feedback .
- Be specific about the criteria and avoid generic phrases such as ‘use wide range of high-quality sources’. Instead, stipulate the expected range of sources (between 10 and 15) and specify what ‘high-quality’ entails (‘peer-reviewed academic journals’) Higher Education Academy . (2014) Assessment and feedback .
- Finally, grading systems differ across countries with some using letters, percentages, or numbers on different scales. For example, in Austria or Germany, grades range from 5 to 1 with 5 being the lowest grade possible. The Dutch grading system also uses numbers but in the opposite order with 10 being the highest and 1 the lowest. Provide students with a detailed explanation about the grading system including the pass requirements and resit opportunities (see this document)
