Icebreaker!

We were asked to take three post-its.

On the first, we wrote down a memorable experience related to assessment, either as a teacher or a learner.

On the second, we summarised a personal insight or valuable lesson you’ve learned about educational assessment.

On the third, we were asked to share a hope or expectation for the future of assessment at UAL.

we then stuck the post-its on the wall.

Experiences, Insights & Expressions.

• we were asked to approach the wall and read through the various entries.

• we were asked in our groups to have a brief discussion by highlighting common themes, surprising insights, or divergent views that emerge from the notes.

• We were encouraged to share more about their thoughts if they feel comfortable.

• Our groups discussion swiftly developed into a debate of the subject of AI in particularly Chatgpt.

• I found this frustraiting as there were a number of interesting post it’s with other topics valid of our time to discuss and debate that we unfortunately didn’t get the time to discuss.

Collaborative Reading Task.

In our group, we shared our selected reading

• What is it and why did you select it? I selected Anon (no date) i selected this becuase i’ve struggled in the past with the terminology of formative and summative assessment in my practice especially when having discussions with peers around timetabling formative assessment points in units timespan.
• What did you find interesting? Formal and informal assessment points. How can we create more opportunities for informal (low stakes) assessment opportunities. The process is a big part of my practice Textiles/Footwear Design, but rarely marked explicitly becuase it’s difficult to assess (according to Anon) How can we formally grade process better as well as celabrate the process more within assessment.
• What action has it inspired you to take? To think more about creating more informal/self assessment points/opportunities within my practice.

Notes taken in our group discussion.

Constructive alignment – the learning outcomes should match what the students are doing in relation to the final assessment

Authentic assessment – emphasis on real-world relevance and application of skills

Formative vs summative assessment –

Chris:

Formative – assessment for learning

Summative – assessment of learning

Summative – good to write future-oriented feedback, particularly if they won’t have much more contact with that material or tutor in the course (Linda)

The crits:

– Nick: show and tell? Rather than a crit – does “crit” sound intimidating?

– People traumatised from crits?

– Exchanging ideas and presenting your thought process, getting feedback from others on discrepancies in the idea/process can help identify areas to work on

– Marysia: struggling with getting students to bring in work in progress during the term – we need something to show to talk about it

– Annie: come with pre-prepared questions rather than ask the class “what do you think about XYZ’s work?”; give the students a few minutes to form their thoughts before asking questions

– Nick: gives students a list of things to bring; make sure the students know that it’s a safe space; even if you didn’t bring anything, make sure the students know they can contribute to the discussion by sharing their thoughts and what they’re trying to achieve; send a pre-session email; get the students prepared for the crit environment before they get into it

– Nick: just talking about the direction the students are going in is often helpful in solidifying that; if you notice the student is going in the right direction or making progress, make sure they know it – acknowledge it aloud; acknowledge the ‘lightbulb’ moments that often occur through verbal communication

– Linda: silent critiques vs crits: silent critiques are more effective (the person presenting is not engaged in the discussion), as they don’t get to decide who gets to speak or the direction in which the discussion is going – it’s more organic and more voices can be heard

– Fo: the importance of fellow students’ feedback should be emphasised, maybe even more than the tutor’s; written student-to-student feedback encourages students who usually don’t speak up to participate; it can be an addition to the discussion rather than a substitute

– Nick: the academic encouraging, hyping up the student dialogue

– Colleague: maybe delegate written feedback to groups of students?

– Colleague: guest feedback is v important

– Linda: a crit is actually co-teaching with the students, creating a democratic space where the hierarchy drops

– Beatrice: the tutor should not talk too much – leave the floor to the students rather that try to fill the space even if it’s silent.