Improving Assessment and Feedback through Digital Tools: Can we? Should we? How do we even...?

Providing effective, fair and robust assessment and feedback to students is a high priority for all Higher Education Institutions. In the digital age, some - if not all – assessment and feedback processes are completed online for many of our disciplines, requiring our organisations to provide access to effective, fair and robust digital assessment tools.   

The process of writing assessment requirements, identifying possible solutions, piloting those solutions, and then either discontinuing or scaling up their use is familiar to many of us. Despite this familiarity, it often feels like we alone are facing an uphill battle of bureaucracy, staff engagement, and student expectations.  

This webinar aims to open the door to the frustrations and opportunities experienced by academics, and professional services staff, who are implementing digital assessment tools in their institutions. While specific tools will be mentioned, the webinar will be tool agnostic – the aim is not to advocate for or against specific platforms but to discuss the steps taken with regards to their implementation.   

*Please note, during the 2023/24 academic year, the University of Birmingham is using two new assessment tools, at scale, in an effort to improve student and staff experience of assessment and feedback. These tools, alongside others we have previously piloted, will be discussed, however that is not the main aim of this webinar. That journey will be shared via our HEFi Digital Assessment Team monthly podcast. Please subscribe to the assessment team mailing list to be kept up to date. 

Should you have any questions or queries in advance, please contact Alison Gibson.

Names of facilitators/panellists

Marieke Guy (UCL)

Marieke Guy is the Head of Digital Assessment at University College London (UCL). She leads a team of Digital Assessment Advisors and Learning Technologists, collaborating with Faculties to support the design and delivery of online assessments and feedback. Before joining UCL, Marieke held senior digital learning positions at the University College of Estate Management (UCEM) and the Royal Agricultural University (RAU). Her earlier professional experience includes 13 years as a researcher into digital information at the University of Bath and time spent as a data analyst at the Quality Assurance Agency.

Dr Jon Tandy (Kent)

Dr Jon Tandy is a Lecturer in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Kent with a broad range of research interests spanning chemical tracking to planetary science. He also has a keen interest in innovative assessment strategies and tools for use within Chemistry and Forensic Science. Jon was recently part of the JISC national pilot for the AI assisted marking system Graide in HE and was a 2021 LearnSci Teaching Innovation Award winner with colleagues from London Metropolitan University.

Linda Lefievre (UoB) 

Dr Linda Lefievre is an Associate Professor in Endocrinology and the Deputy Director of Education for Digital and Distance Learning as well as Continuous Professional Development (CPD) lead for the College of Medical and Dental Science at the University of Birmingham. Her current roles focus in supporting colleagues with innovative and blended approaches for teaching and learning and in developing the distance learning and short courses portfolio in her College and has experience of digital assessment, having led initiatives to pilot various online assessment platforms and their evaluation. Dr Lefievre is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has been involved in teaching in Higher Education since 2010 and has a wide teaching portfolio with a focus on human physiology and teaches across different programmes.

Nicky High (Manchester) 

Professor Nicky High is lecturer in Microbiology and Director of Education in the School of Biological Sciences (SBS) at the University of Manchester. Her role involves managing the undergraduate and post-graduate taught degrees delivered by SBS. Nicky has recently been involved in trialing Cadmus as an assessment platform, for course work and online examinations. 

Alison Gibson (UoB, Facilitator)

Alison Gibson is part of the Higher Education Futures institute (HEFi) Digital leadership team at the University of Birmingham. She is responsible for building relationships both across the Institution and with external companies, particularly those that supply core institutional tools. She has particular responsibilities for HEFi’s wider priorities around supporting assessment and feedback development, and the department’s CPD offerings both internally and externally.

Where  

Register in advance for this meeting via Zoom Webinar