Enhancing assessment and feedback: A case study compendium

Assessment is a cornerstone of higher education, serving multiple critical functions. It provides a mechanism for measuring student learning, informing teaching and curriculum development, andensuring the quality and standards of programmes. Additionally, assessment data is essential forinforming institutional decision-making, accountability, and external quality assurance processes. In this series, directly aligned to the Advance HE Assessment and Feedback Symposium 2023,

we bring together over a dozen examples of sector practice regarding assessment and feedback.The series continues to outline some of the ways in which institutions have undertaken the necessarynavigation of these critical and multifaceted areas. Enhancing assessment mechanisms within Higher Education (HE) is a constant that we must continue to review. This series looks at a range of activity from across the sector that colleagues are implementing to improve outcomes for all students. Collectively these contributions seek to consider and suggest ideas and future developments for all of us working in learning and teaching in higher education to consider and showcase a variety of activity that can help enhance the success of our students through assessment and

feedback practices. Although it is widely acknowledged within the sector that assessment and feedback practices are pivotal to enhancing student learning, the complex interplay of factors such as rapid technological advancements, evolving student demographics, and economic pressures has necessitated a critical

re-evaluation of assessment approaches. Given the substantial impact assessment has within HE it is essential to consider this in relation to the wider impact on student success. This encompasses not only improving learning outcomes but also addressing broader challenges such as retention, attainment, and inclusivity. Furthermore, assessment should be aligned with the development of graduates equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in the 21st-century world. To achieve this, a sophisticated understanding of the context-specific factors influencing assessment practices is essential. By rethinking and repositioning assessment strategies, processes, and practices across the sector, we can ensure that assessment remains fit for purpose in an ever-

changing landscape. This involves clarifying assessment’s role in meeting the demands of the 21st century and preparing the sector for future challenges.

Ultimately, assessment is an integral component of curriculum design. It has the potential to be a powerful catalyst of change, enabling students to develop the competencies required to succeed in both academic and professional life. By effectively harnessing the potential of assessment, higher education institutions can significantly enhance student outcomes and contribute to the development of a skilled and knowledgeable workforce.

3 Stuart Norton Foreword This collection aims to build on existing scholarship, frameworks, tools, models, and examples of best practice and to showcase and discuss initiatives currently being tested across the HE sector, in a wide variety of institutions and disciplines. What is apparent across the series is that in today’s landscape, passive engagement with assessment and feedback is insufficient; instead, empowering students to cultivate their own learning journey is paramount. This necessitates active learning experiences and authentic assessment methods that encourage students to take ownership of their learner journey

and develop a personal responsibility for their education. This series highlights how transforming students from passive recipients of knowledge into active participants aims to improve their attainment and outcomes. Although we have presented the cases under the broad banners of innovative assessment, assessment and feedback in a digital era, authentic assessment and enhancing assessment and feedback practices, we want to be mindful that we could have categorised these

initiatives under a number of different labels. There are a range of diverse approaches presented, often with overlapping threads that transcend these boundaries. What truly unites them is a shared purpose, that of enhancing student learning, outcomes, and ultimately success.