House-keeping& Assessment

House-keeping& Assessment Lecture: 4020 Responsive assessment in context

Staff • Dr Peter Grainger M09_.106 p.grainger@griffith.edu.au 37355723 • Ms Lisa Watson (Sessional) • Ms Allison Lulham (Sessional) • Ms AnjaJanosevic ( Sessional)

Formal Course Structure • One lecture per week for one hour for 9 weeks (Published weekly schedule has been changed-please refer to BB) • One tutorial per week for two hours for 9 weeks

Expectations • Attendance at lectures-please initial the attendance sheet each week • Attendance at tutorials-an attendance sheet will be maintained by your tutor. You will be participating in peer assessment so you must attend • Regular Blackboard access for additional readings, assessment related forum, tutorial handouts, announcements, lecture powerpoint (following the lecture) • Textbook-please bring this each week to tutorials, as some tutorial activities will require this resource • Mobile phones and email etiquette

Assessment overview (in sequence) • Tutorial presentation in groups (20%) • Research assignment (50%) • Examination (30%) (Please refer course profile, blackboard and tutorial discussions)

Assessment at Griffith Generic guidelines 4020 Responsive assessment in context

Generic Guidelines Philosophy of Assessment Assessment is the process of forming a judgment about the quality and extent of student achievement or performance, and therefore by inference a judgment about the learning itself. Assessment inevitably shapes the learning that takes place, that is, what students learn and how they learn it, and should reflect closely the purposes and aims of the course of study. (Source: Griffith University Assessment Policy)

Aims of assessment The aims of assessment include: • improving the quality of the curriculum (courses and programs); • evaluating the effectiveness of the teaching process and facilitating continuing improvement; • improving and promoting subsequent learning through feedback that is clear, informative, timely and relevant; • formally certifying achievements for external audiences; and • accountability to the University, accrediting bodies, employers and the wider community.

Criteria-based Assessment should be criteria-based rather than norm-referenced, and may include individual or collaborative achievement or both. The requirements for learner success should be made clear, and the overall strategy should be to develop in students the ability to evaluate the quality of their own work in order to equip them to function as professionals with a commitment to life-long learning.

Good assessment practices • desired learning outcomes are clearly specified • assessment tasks are designed to indicate progress • the assessment grade is a measure of the extent to which the learning outcomes have been achieved • the standard of performance that is required for the award of a particular grade is a judgment that is based on the professional expertise of the various staff who contribute to the assessment process and is informed by experience with accepted standards, including, where appropriate, standards in other institutions • there is no pre-determined distribution of grades as the outcome of assessing a group of students.

Standards-based assessment and grade integrity • The Faculty of Education adheres to the University’s principle of criteria based assessment and assessment tasks are designed using a standards-based framework to ensure grade integrity. • In the design of assessment tasks, constructive alignment is achieved through matching student learning outcomes, teaching and learning activities and assessment tasks. Consequently, students are graded accordingly to their performance relative to pre-determined standards. The Faculty of Education uses standardised cut-offs for grades but does not require a pre-determined distribution of grades.

5 point scale • Students will be provided with a consistent five point scale with one unsatisfactory standard, and four standards ranging from satisfactory to outstanding. • The standards will be presented with the highest level on the left hand side and unsatisfactory on the right hand side

Responsibility Where a student enrols in a course after the commencement of teaching or for whatever reason is not present when students are given information concerning the assessment requirements of the course, it is the student’s responsibility to ascertain the information from the Course Convenor.

Attendance and participation • To be able to complete the assessment tasks for this course, deep learning will be required. For deep learning to occur in this course, engagement in all lectures and tutorials is required. If you are unable to attend any of the lectures and tutorials, you will need to explain the reason for your absence and provide a plan of action to explain how you will make up this time. • This course requires peer assessment and self assessment each week that you will be required to participate in. Missing a tutorial will let your group down.

Group work Group assessment tasks are subject to particular scrutiny to ensure that the outcomes are equitable and credible. These can be designed using a shared group mark, group contracts, peer assessment of contributions, and/or individual marks. Shared group marks for an assessment item, where it is impossible to make a distinction and all group members receive the same mark, are not permitted for more than 30% of the summative assessment for that course.

Grading: High Distinction (HD)/Outstanding Complete and comprehensive understanding of the course content; development of relevant skills to a comprehensive level; demonstration of an extremely high level of interpretive and analytical ability and intellectual initiative; and achievement of all major and minor objectives of the course.

Distinction (D)/Very High Very high level of understanding of the course content; development of relevant skills to a very high level; demonstration of a very high level of interpretive and analytical ability and intellectual initiative; and achievement of all major and minor objectives of the course.

Credit (C)/High High level of understanding of course content; development of relevant skills to a high level; demonstration of a high level of interpretive and analytical ability and achievement of all major objectives of the course; some minor objectives not fully achieved.

Pass (P)/Satisfactory Adequate understanding of most of the basic course content; development of relevant skills to a satisfactory level; adequate interpretive and analytical ability and achievement of all major objectives of the course; some minor objectives not achieved.

Non-graded Pass (NGP)/Satisfactory Successful completion of a course assessed on a pass/fail basis, indicating satisfactory understanding of course content; satisfactory development of relevant skills; satisfactory interpretive and analytical ability and achievement in all major objectives of the course.

Fail (F)/Unsatisfactory Inadequate understanding of the basic course content; failure to develop relevant skills; insufficient evidence of interpretive and analytical ability; and failure to achieve some or all major and minor objectives of the course.

Other grades • Pass Conceded – refer to section 5.1 • Fail No Assessment Submitted(FNS) Did not present any work for assessment, to be counted as failure: • Withdraw with failure (WF)

4020 Responsive assessment in context There are 3 assessment tasks in this course: • Group presentation (20%) • Research assignment (50%)-during tutorial time of week beginning 21 April (not 28 April) • Examination (30%)

Assessment task 1 In groups give a professional development (PD) presentation to your peers. • The presentation content must link to the lecture content given, readings, group and individual research • You are able to choose your own topic • Your group has a total of 30 minutes (including preparation and packing up) and a further 30 minutes will be allocated to a moderating activity • The criteria are presented in the Guide to making judgments (criteria sheet).

Written plan • You should present a written plan of your workshop to your lecturer/tutor prior to the workshop (this is one of the criteria). • One group will present each week, beginning in Week 2 until all groups have performed • As this is a group presentation you will be awarded a group mark (not individual)

Assessing the group presentation • The group performing self-assesses their performance after moderating • The audience peer-assesses the performance after moderating • The tutor assesses the performance • The tutor makes an on balanced judgment of the performance based on all the evaluations

Using the Guide To Making Judgments (GTMJ) • Read the criteria on the left of the table • Read the performance descriptors at each level for each criterion • Match the evidence to the descriptions and decide a performance level in each criterion and place a tick on the continuum • Record an on-balanced judgment (A-E) of the overall performance • Justify your judgment • Hand this GTMJ to your tutor

Late submission • The assessment policy specifies that late submission will be penalised at a rate of 10% per day initially (weekend counts as 1 day) but • If the assignment has not been handed in by the end of the 5th day no grades are awarded for the assignment

Task 2: Research essay • More discussion of this and detailed guidelines will be forthcoming shortly

Assessment related forums Please access the forums on BB/Learning@ Griffith for any questions related to the assignment. I will be monitoring these forums and providing information as required. Please check the forum before emailing me specific questions regarding assessment tasks as there is a good chance that the question will already have been asked by someone else (and answered).

House-keeping& Assessment