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Not all the same? Assessment achievements of home and international students in STEM disciplines

Physics Education Research The University of Edinburgh. Not all the same? Assessment achievements of home and international students in STEM disciplines. Judy Hardy & Alison Kay School of Physics & Astronomy University of Edinburgh j.hardy@ed.ac.uk. The project.

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Not all the same? Assessment achievements of home and international students in STEM disciplines

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  1. Physics Education ResearchThe University of Edinburgh Not all the same?Assessment achievements of home and international students in STEM disciplines Judy Hardy & Alison Kay School of Physics & Astronomy University of Edinburgh j.hardy@ed.ac.uk HEA STEM Conference Edinburgh 30 Apr - 1 May 2014

  2. The project • Comparison of home and international students’ achievements in assessment tasks in STEM disciplines • University of Edinburgh, 2011/12 – 2012/13 • Focus on undergraduates in first year of study • Especially first semester • Data collection • In-course assessment and end-of-course exam results for selection of core courses • Student surveys & follow-up focus groups before & after first set of exams HEA STEM Conference Edinburgh 30 Apr - 1 May 2014

  3. Student population at Edinburgh HEA STEM Conference Edinburgh 30 Apr - 1 May 2014

  4. First year demographics HEM STEM Conference Edinburgh 30 Apr - 1 May 2014

  5. Assessment tasks HEA STEM Conference Edinburgh 30 Apr - 1 May 2014

  6. Example: Physics 1A Exam 2012/13 EU(151) • Significant differences between groups • Pairwise comparison using Kruskal-Wallace test (N=263) p<0.05 Overseas(112) RUK-I(164) p<0.05 p<0.001 Scotland RUK-I EU OS Scotland(114) HEA STEM Conference Edinburgh 30 Apr - 1 May 2014

  7. Assessments (11/12 & 12/13) Exams (10 courses) EU EU EU 5 9 1 1 2 8 OS RUK-I RUK-I OS OS RUK-I 1 2 12 5 7 1 Scotland Scotland Scotland Essays / projects(3 courses) Weekly Problems(5 courses) HEA STEM Conference Edinburgh 30 Apr - 1 May 2014

  8. Student expectations and experiences • Wide ranging prior experiences of assessments • Type, frequency, formality, organisation etc. • Generally happy with assessment arrangements at Edinburgh but would like guidance on… • What is expected • Where to seek help • Language is not perceived to be a major issue • But technical vocabulary can sometimes be confusing HEA STEM Conference Edinburgh 30 Apr - 1 May 2014

  9. Implications • Gap between perceptions of (new) students and staff • E.g. the ‘mechanics’ of course & exam arrangements may not be self-evident • Challenge of meeting needs of diverse student groups • E.g. possibility of direct entry into 2nd year for high-achieving students HEA STEM Conference Edinburgh 30 Apr - 1 May 2014

  10. Thanks to… • The Higher Education Academy • Teaching Development Individual Grant 2011/12 • The University of Edinburgh • Principal’s Teaching Award Scheme 2012/13 • Participating students and staff at the University of Edinburgh HEA STEM Conference Edinburgh 30 Apr - 1 May 2014

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