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Dear John We have a rule of thumb that assessment should take up 25% of the student's allocated time for the unit - so for a 10 credit unit which should take 100 hours, they would spend 25 hours working on the assignment. There are obviously exceptions (dissertations, for example). However, we have always resisted the idea of a tariff for the size assignment tasks; there is just too much variety in the type of task and the processes involved in their completion. We do provide guidance here on trying to determine an assignment size http://www.celt.mmu.ac.uk/assessment/design/size.php Consistency is really important, but we think that should come in the way in which information is provided. I think it's up to staff to explain why there might be differences between assignment sizes, even on the same programme. I'm sure this isn't very helpful for what you want! Best wishes Rachel R Forsyth BSc MBA PhD SFHEA Associate Head Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching 1st Floor, All Saints Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester M15 6BG [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> +44 (0) 161 247 1128 rachel.forsyth (Skype) @rmforsyth (Twitter) http://www.celt.mmu.ac.uk/ From: learning development in higher education network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of John Knight Sent: 15 February 2017 09:21 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Assessment workload and assessment tariffs Hi all We are looking to increase consistency in assessment workload across our courses to ensure parity and avoid over-assessment I wondered if any of you had standardised institutional practices re the way that assessment activities and related student work are linked to credits? For example, an approach whereby a Level 3-7 module worth 15 credits is linked to coursework of 3000-word equivalent and 30 credits to 6000-word equivalent seems something of a sector norm. Also, do you have institutional approach to the proportion of the notional working hours of a module that it would be normal to expect to be spent on the completion of assessment tasks. For example, Bloxham and Boyd (2007) suggest 20-30% of learning hours Any thoughts, suggestions or examples would be very much welcomed Best wishes John John Knight Academic Developer & Learning Development Tutor Bucks New University Queen Alexandra Road High Wycombe Bucks HP11 2JZ Room N1.03 01494 522 141 ext. 4550 bucks.ac.uk "Before acting on this email or opening any attachments you should read the Manchester Metropolitan University email disclaimer available on its website http://www.mmu.ac.uk/emaildisclaimer "