The Assessment
Manifesto
in Practice

The Assessment Manifesto in Practice

ASKe has been working to identify current institutional and programme assessment strategies which demonstrate alignment with its Assessment Manifesto in universities. It is clear that assessment is high on institutional agendas and there is much activity directed towards defining assessment standards on a global basis in order to enhance the role and purpose of assessment in the student experience.

For example, internationally, the American Association of Colleges and Universities is spearheading a strategic development, the Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) (see Example 4 below). This is an initiative that is championing the value of liberal education for students and focuses on fostering a shared set of programme level essential learning outcomes for students across all institutions, and nationally agreed rubrics for the assessment of this learning through the Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education (VALUE) project (see Example 3 below).

In contrast, in the UK, work on assessment standards appears to be largely undertaken within institutions and programmes rather than at a national level.  An excellent example of an institutional approach is provided by the University of Bedfordshire, which implemented a major Curriculum Review for 2008 (CRe8). This approach is designed to meet the needs of students in the 21st Century (see Example 5 below).

Examples of how each Tenet of the Manifesto is being implemented through a variety of projects and initiatives are given below.  Many of the documents contain links which elaborate on the projects further.  Please let us know if you would be interested to contribute an example, or if you have any questions about these examples or, indeed, the Assessment Manifesto by emailing ASKe.

Example	Summary	PDF link
1.  Introduction of an Assessment Compact at Oxford Brookes University	Explains the introduction of university wide Assessment Compact designed to give direction to the enhancement of assessment practice across a university.	Example 1
2.  Enhancing the Assessment of Learning in Australian Higher Education: Biological Sciences	Provides an overview of the assessment related elements of a website designed to support learning, teaching and assessment in the Biological Sciences.	Example 2
3. Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education (VALUE) in the USA	Through the VALUE project community developed rubrics, which are being used across institutions, for the assessment of generic learning outcomes have been developed.	Example 3
4.  Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) initiative	The Liberal Education and America’s Promise  (LEAP) initiative has, through extensive consultation identified essential learning outcomes that have been widely adopted in American higher education institutions.	Example 4
5.  Curriculum Review 2008 (CRe8) at the University of Bedfordshire	Outlines the development of assessment as part of an institution wide curriculum review.	Example 5 and Cre8 Table
6.  Discussion of assessment with Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism HE Academy Subject Centre	Describes consideration of approaches to assessment at a subject level across institutions through a workshop.	Example 6
7.  Introduction of a standardised approach to assessment at the University of the Arts London	Explains work at a university level to define and enhance assessment practice through utilisation of an assessment criteria matrix.	Example 7
8.  Using podcasting for assessment guidance and feedback with distance learning students at the University of Leicester	Describes how podcasting has been used at a programme level to increase student engagement with assessment criteria.	Example 8
9.  Enhancing student engagement with feedback at Staffordshire University	Describes how audio feedback has been used at a modular level to provide formative feedback to students and the student response to this feedback method.	Example 9
10.  Building capacity for assessment leadership at the University of Queensland Australia	Demonstrates how building capacity for assessment leadership via professional development and mentoring of course coordinators can be achieved.	Example 10
11. Introduction of a new assessment policy at Macquarie University Australia	Explains how the introduction of a university wide assessment strategy provided direction to the enhancement of assessment practice across the university.	Example 11
12.  Implementation of the Assessment Compact within the School of Life Sciences at Oxford Brookes University	Outlines how an institutional level assessment strategy was implemented at a school level within an institution.	Example 12
13.  Introduction of an assessment policy for the undergraduate degree in medicine and surgery at James Cook University, Australia	Outlines how assessment practice was enhanced within a large medical school.	Example 13
14. The Assessment Plus (A+) Project by London Metropolitan University, Liverpool Hope University and Aston University	Provides an overview of resources that have been designed to support enhancement in the understanding and application of assessment criteria with staff and students.	Example 14
15. Assessment for Learning in Schools in Scotland	Outlines an assessment development programme in schools and early years’ establishments in Scotland, the principles of which closely align to the Assessment Standards Manifesto.	Example 15
16. Assessment for Learning (AfL) Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Northumbria University	Provides a comprehensive overview of assessment for learning and how this can be successfully embedded in assessment practice.	Example 16
17. The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) in the USA	Outlines a national level programme which focuses on supporting institutions in improving teaching and learning using diagnostic testing and task academies.	Example 17
18. Assessment Futures - a website to inform development in assessment	Provides a host of information regarding how assessment can contribute to student learning and help students to become effective assessors of their own work and that of others.  It also provides information on proposals for assessment reform.	Example 18
19. Sheffield Hallam University	Outlines how assessment practice and feedback was enhanced in a large business school.	Example 19