This comes back to an earlier discussion on tweeting. I raised the spectre of Ernest Hemingway (or was it Mark Twain, or was it Blaise Pascal, or was it Cicero, or someone else entirely?) who was writing a long letter because he didn't have time to write a long one? I can remember raising this on a course with ten 500-word essays as the assessment, which to me seemed far more arduous than a couple of 2500-word essays.
Sincerely
Bland
C Bland Tomkinson BSc BA MEd PFHEA FAUA
Visiting Lecturer, School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
University of Manchester
Special Consultant, Southeast University, Nanjing
Joint Principal Editor, Perspectives
Associate Editor, HERD
Co-Editor, IETI
________________________________________
From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Susan Orr [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 30 August 2019 08:44
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: SEDA Digest - 28 Aug 2019 to 29 Aug 2019 (#2019-199)
Dear Mandy,
Chris makes a really important point. I arrived to work at one university some years ago that required course leaders to state word equivalency for dance and performance work in the studio- for example a module document assessment section had to specify that a 10 min choreography was equivalent to n number of words. We were able to get rid of this requirement- for me this was about making sure that word lengths weren't regarded as the currency against which everything else (typically creative practice) was measured...
But even in a word based assessment environment this is very tricky - for example words lengths in the context of an essay versus a poem in creative writing....
An interesting point to explore....thank you!
Best wishes
Susan
Professor Susan Orr (HEA PF, NTF, FRSA)
Dean of Learning and Teaching Enhancement
Professor of Creative Practice Pedagogy
University of the Arts London
272 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7EY
0207 514 8051
Editor: Art, Design and Communication in Higher Education Journal
https://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/view-Journal,id=139/
Orr and Shreeve (2017) Art and Design Pedagogy in Higher Education: Knowledge, Values and Ambiguity in the Creative Curriculum
https://www.routledge.com/Art-and-Design-Pedagogy-in-Higher-Education-Knowledge-values-and-ambiguity/Orr-Shreeve/p/book/9781138219410
On 30/08/2019, 00:03, "Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association on behalf of SEDA automatic digest system" <[log in to unmask] on behalf of [log in to unmask]> wrote:
There are 4 messages totaling 2321 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Assessment Equivalencies in Higher Education (4)
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Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2019 07:54:09 +0100
From: Chris Rust <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Assessment Equivalencies in Higher Education
Mandy, if the issue is equivalence of workload I would suggest the only meaningful comparison is student hours and providing the total identified learning hours for the module (including the assessment activities) aren’t over 10 per unit credit there’s no problem. The other key question is the validity of the particular assessment activity to assess the module’s learning outcome/s at the appropriate level
Anything beyond this is likely to be a bureaucratic nonsense making phoney comparisons using ludicrous metrics like nominal word lengths - to be avoided at all costs!!
Best wishes
Chris
Chris Rust
Emeritus, Oxford Brookes University
Sent from my iPhone
> On 28 Aug 2019, at 4:00 pm, Jack M.J. <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Hi Everyone,
> We are currently in the process of an assessment and feedback review in our University and I have been asked to look at developing an assessment equivalency table to help academic staff develop more flexible and varied assessments for their students. Do you provide tables like this? Is it a good idea or is it too prescriptive? Do you go into detail, so how a blog (how many words or posts) might compare to a presentation, or essay? How does a group presentation compare to an individual presentation?
>
> Should there be different expectations depending on the year of study too. For example what might be equivalent to a 1000 word essay, or 1 hour exam at level 4 (UG Year 1), might be different at level 5 or 6.
>
> Dymuniadau gorau | Best wishes
> Mandy
> <image001.png>
> Mandy Jack [MA Ed, BA Ed (Hons) SFHEA] <image002.png> <image004.jpg>
>
> Uwch Ddatblygydd Academaidd | Senior Academic Developer
> ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
> Academi Dysgu ac Addysgu Abertawe | Swansea Academy of Learning and Teaching (SALT)
> Gwasanaeth Gwybodaeth a Systemau | Information Services and Systems
> Prifysgol Abertawe | Swansea University
> Parc Singleton | Singleton Park
> Abertawe | Swansea
> Cymru | Wales
> SA2 8PP
>
> Ffôn | Phone 01792 513282
> Ebost | Email [log in to unmask]
>
> http://salt.swan.ac.uk
> www.abertawe.ac.uk | www.swansea.ac.uk
>
> <image005.jpg><image006.png>
> Rhowch wybod i ni os hoffech dderbyn eich gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg. Rydym yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg neu yn Saesneg. Ni fydd gohebu yn Gymraeg yn arwain at oedi.
>
> Let us know if you would like to receive correspondence in Welsh. We welcome correspondence in Welsh or English. Corresponding in Welsh will not lead to a delay.
>
>
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Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2019 10:20:45 +0100
From: George Roberts <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Assessment Equivalencies in Higher Education
Hi Chris and Mandy.
Hours are most easily countable (and even that is not easy). There are also
the number of assessment points and the "weight" given to each assessed
point. Chris, could you clarify your view of 10% "total identified learning
hours"?
This is a slight diversion, but the question of equivalence is becoming
increasingly important.
Toetenel and Rienties (2016)
<http://oro.open.ac.uk/45016/9/__userdata_documents4_ctb44_Desktop_BJET%20Learning%20Design%20manuscript%20revised_ORO_Edit.pdf>
analysed 157 Open University course designs by all levels and activity
types. Assessment (as designed or intended by those course teams) hovered
around 25% of the time for all 3 UG "levels" and about 21% for PG. I do not
know how much time the students actually did put in to each activity.
Galvez-Bravo
(2016) <https://openjournals.ljmu.ac.uk/index.php/iip/article/view/94>,
"... found that modules with more assessments had higher feedback (module
appraisal) marks." Simpson *et al*
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Pzm-qkWG69uzj5v60C_L6CbkNTbjVK7p/view> (2019)
in a UK/US comparison found more assessment (both in number of assessment
points and total volume) led to higher grades.
So a should a 15 credit course (150 hours) be expected (or designed) to
have about 30-40 hours of assessment arranged over between one and as many
as eight points in a semester? Two to four assessed tasks of 10-20 hours
each? where "exam revision" counts towards the total assessment hours (two
or three hours of exam and 10 hours of cramming the day before?).
Thank you.
George
On Thu, 29 Aug 2019 at 07:54, Chris Rust <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Mandy, if the issue is equivalence of workload I would suggest the only
> meaningful comparison is student hours and providing the total identified
> learning hours for the module (including the assessment activities) aren’t
> over 10 per unit credit there’s no problem. The other key question is the
> validity of the particular assessment activity to assess the module’s
> learning outcome/s at the appropriate level
> Anything beyond this is likely to be a bureaucratic nonsense making phoney
> comparisons using ludicrous metrics like nominal word lengths - to be
> avoided at all costs!!
> Best wishes
> Chris
>
> Chris Rust
> Emeritus, Oxford Brookes University
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On 28 Aug 2019, at 4:00 pm, Jack M.J. <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Hi Everyone,
>
> We are currently in the process of an assessment and feedback review in
> our University and I have been asked to look at developing an assessment
> equivalency table to help academic staff develop more flexible and varied
> assessments for their students. Do you provide tables like this? Is it a
> good idea or is it too prescriptive? Do you go into detail, so how a blog
> (how many words or posts) might compare to a presentation, or essay? How
> does a group presentation compare to an individual presentation?
>
>
>
> Should there be different expectations depending on the year of study too.
> For example what might be equivalent to a 1000 word essay, or 1 hour exam
> at level 4 (UG Year 1), might be different at level 5 or 6.
>
>
>
> Dymuniadau gorau | Best wishes
>
> Mandy
>
> <image001.png>
>
> Mandy Jack [MA Ed, BA Ed (Hons) SFHEA] <image002.png> <image004.jpg>
>
> *Uwch Ddatblygydd Academaidd | Senior Academic Developer*
>
>
> *–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Academi Dysgu ac Addysgu
> Abertawe | Swansea Academy of Learning and Teaching (SALT) *
>
> Gwasanaeth Gwybodaeth a Systemau | Information Services and Systems
> Prifysgol Abertawe | Swansea University
> Parc Singleton | Singleton Park
> Abertawe | Swansea
> Cymru | Wales
> SA2 8PP
>
> *Ffôn |* *Phone *01792 513282
> *Ebost* *| Email *[log in to unmask]
>
>
>
> http://salt.swan.ac.uk
> www.abertawe.ac.uk | www.swansea.ac.uk
>
> <image005.jpg><image006.png>
>
> Rhowch wybod i ni os hoffech dderbyn eich gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg. Rydym yn
> croesawu gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg neu yn Saesneg. Ni fydd gohebu yn Gymraeg yn
> arwain at oedi.
>
>
>
> Let us know if you would like to receive correspondence in Welsh. We
> welcome correspondence in Welsh or English. Corresponding in Welsh will not
> lead to a delay.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> To unsubscribe from the SEDA list, click the following link:
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>
>
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--
George
Dr George Roberts
Principal Lecturer, Educational Development (MA Ed HE
<https://www.brookes.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/ma-in-education-higher-education/>,
PG Cert Teaching in HE PCTHE
<https://www.brookes.ac.uk/OCSLD/Courses/Teaching-and-learning/Postgraduate-certificate-in-teaching-in-higher-education-(PCTHE)/>
)
Chair Brookes Learning and Teaching Conference
<https://www.brookes.ac.uk/ocsld/conferences/brookes-learning-and-teaching-conference/>
(BLTC)
Editor, Higher Education Journal of Learning and Teaching
<http://hejlt.org/> (HEJLT)
Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development (OCSLD
<https://www.brookes.ac.uk/OCSLD/>)
+44 7711 698465
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Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2019 11:38:59 +0100
From: Chris Rust <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Assessment Equivalencies in Higher Education
Sorry George but I don’t understand the reference to 10%? Learning hours should be all the assigned hours for the course/module surely. And I’m totally against the ridiculous notion of trying to separately identify assessment hours. Good assessment should involve learning
Chris
Sent from my iPhone
> On 29 Aug 2019, at 10:20 am, George Roberts <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Hi Chris and Mandy.
> Hours are most easily countable (and even that is not easy). There are also the number of assessment points and the "weight" given to each assessed point. Chris, could you clarify your view of 10% "total identified learning hours"?
> This is a slight diversion, but the question of equivalence is becoming increasingly important.
> Toetenel and Rienties (2016) analysed 157 Open University course designs by all levels and activity types. Assessment (as designed or intended by those course teams) hovered around 25% of the time for all 3 UG "levels" and about 21% for PG. I do not know how much time the students actually did put in to each activity. Galvez-Bravo (2016), "... found that modules with more assessments had higher feedback (module appraisal) marks." Simpson et al (2019) in a UK/US comparison found more assessment (both in number of assessment points and total volume) led to higher grades.
> So a should a 15 credit course (150 hours) be expected (or designed) to have about 30-40 hours of assessment arranged over between one and as many as eight points in a semester? Two to four assessed tasks of 10-20 hours each? where "exam revision" counts towards the total assessment hours (two or three hours of exam and 10 hours of cramming the day before?).
> Thank you.
> George
>
>
>
>> On Thu, 29 Aug 2019 at 07:54, Chris Rust <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> Mandy, if the issue is equivalence of workload I would suggest the only meaningful comparison is student hours and providing the total identified learning hours for the module (including the assessment activities) aren’t over 10 per unit credit there’s no problem. The other key question is the validity of the particular assessment activity to assess the module’s learning outcome/s at the appropriate level
>> Anything beyond this is likely to be a bureaucratic nonsense making phoney comparisons using ludicrous metrics like nominal word lengths - to be avoided at all costs!!
>> Best wishes
>> Chris
>>
>> Chris Rust
>> Emeritus, Oxford Brookes University
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>> On 28 Aug 2019, at 4:00 pm, Jack M.J. <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi Everyone,
>>>
>>> We are currently in the process of an assessment and feedback review in our University and I have been asked to look at developing an assessment equivalency table to help academic staff develop more flexible and varied assessments for their students. Do you provide tables like this? Is it a good idea or is it too prescriptive? Do you go into detail, so how a blog (how many words or posts) might compare to a presentation, or essay? How does a group presentation compare to an individual presentation?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Should there be different expectations depending on the year of study too. For example what might be equivalent to a 1000 word essay, or 1 hour exam at level 4 (UG Year 1), might be different at level 5 or 6.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Dymuniadau gorau | Best wishes
>>>
>>> Mandy
>>>
>>> <image001.png>
>>>
>>> Mandy Jack [MA Ed, BA Ed (Hons) SFHEA] <image002.png> <image004.jpg>
>>>
>>> Uwch Ddatblygydd Academaidd | Senior Academic Developer
>>>
>>> ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
>>> Academi Dysgu ac Addysgu Abertawe | Swansea Academy of Learning and Teaching (SALT)
>>>
>>> Gwasanaeth Gwybodaeth a Systemau | Information Services and Systems
>>> Prifysgol Abertawe | Swansea University
>>> Parc Singleton | Singleton Park
>>> Abertawe | Swansea
>>> Cymru | Wales
>>> SA2 8PP
>>>
>>> Ffôn | Phone 01792 513282
>>> Ebost | Email [log in to unmask]
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> http://salt.swan.ac.uk
>>> www.abertawe.ac.uk | www.swansea.ac.uk
>>>
>>> <image005.jpg><image006.png>
>>>
>>> Rhowch wybod i ni os hoffech dderbyn eich gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg. Rydym yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg neu yn Saesneg. Ni fydd gohebu yn Gymraeg yn arwain at oedi.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Let us know if you would like to receive correspondence in Welsh. We welcome correspondence in Welsh or English. Corresponding in Welsh will not lead to a delay.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> To unsubscribe from the SEDA list, click the following link:
>>> https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=SEDA&A=1
>>>
>>
>> To unsubscribe from the SEDA list, click the following link:
>> https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=SEDA&A=1
>>
>
>
> --
> George
>
> Dr George Roberts
> Principal Lecturer, Educational Development (MA Ed HE, PG Cert Teaching in HE PCTHE)
> Chair Brookes Learning and Teaching Conference (BLTC)
> Editor, Higher Education Journal of Learning and Teaching (HEJLT)
> Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development (OCSLD)
> +44 7711 698465
>
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Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2019 15:54:18 +0000
From: "Turner, Paddy" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Assessment Equivalencies in Higher Education
Hi Mandy,
I don't have a table, I'm afraid - but your post got me thinking about equivalencies and how to work them out, as I am keenly involved with developing inclusive practice and flexibility in approaches to assessment.
It got me to thinking about whether having an equivalent assessment method on a universal basis, is missing the point somewhat. It seems to me that it should be more to do with what outcomes you are measuring and then working out what different ways there are of asking the students to demonstrate them. Those different ways would depend on and vary according to the discipline and subject matter at question and thus universal equivalents e.g. 1,000 word essay = a 1hr exam would defeat the object, wouldn't it?
Similarly, how can you base equity of assessment on student effort? Students are different and the time/effort required for any given task will vary hugely from student to student. In any event, if students are given the choice over which assessment method they use then the time/effort equation becomes moot.
A prescriptive approach to flexibility is kind of ironic but very seductive when trying to support staff across the institution with something I know is difficult for many to grapple with. In the end it may cause more problems than it is worth however.
I've not done this, I'm thinking aloud effectively, but would a set of exemplars of alternatives given in previous situations with a description/commentary on how the choices were made, be more helpful? Let people see the principles involved and how they might be applied but leave the application of which equivalents to employ, to them.
A really tricky one this, thanks for raising it Mandy
Best wishes
Paddy
Paddy Turner SFHEA| Education Developer | Academic Professional Development | LEAD | Sheffield Hallam University | City Campus | Oneleven Building | Tel: 0114 225 4491
LEAD website - https://blogs.shu.ac.uk/lead
From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jack M.J.
Sent: 28 August 2019 16:00
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Assessment Equivalencies in Higher Education
Hi Everyone,
We are currently in the process of an assessment and feedback review in our University and I have been asked to look at developing an assessment equivalency table to help academic staff develop more flexible and varied assessments for their students. Do you provide tables like this? Is it a good idea or is it too prescriptive? Do you go into detail, so how a blog (how many words or posts) might compare to a presentation, or essay? How does a group presentation compare to an individual presentation?
Should there be different expectations depending on the year of study too. For example what might be equivalent to a 1000 word essay, or 1 hour exam at level 4 (UG Year 1), might be different at level 5 or 6.
Dymuniadau gorau | Best wishes
Mandy
[cid:image001.png@01D46217.4CF1EC80]
Mandy Jack [MA Ed, BA Ed (Hons) SFHEA] [cid:image002.png@01D46217.4CF1EC80] [http://www.comisiynyddygymraeg.cymru/hybu/SiteCollectionImages/Baneri/bathodyn%20dysgwyr.jpg]
Uwch Ddatblygydd Academaidd | Senior Academic Developer
------------------------------------------------
Academi Dysgu ac Addysgu Abertawe | Swansea Academy of Learning and Teaching (SALT)
Gwasanaeth Gwybodaeth a Systemau | Information Services and Systems
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Abertawe | Swansea
Cymru | Wales
SA2 8PP
Ffôn | Phone 01792 513282
Ebost | Email [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
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End of SEDA Digest - 28 Aug 2019 to 29 Aug 2019 (#2019-199)
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