Rethinking Assessment
A new course on assessment and examination in higher education
The overall aim of this course is to support course participants’ understanding and exploration of various aspects of assessment and examination in higher education through both guided discussions and individual project work.
Description
This thematic course on assessment and examination in higher education is based on research about how the design of assessment and examination affects students' learning. The course explores how, as a teacher, you can support students' learning through conscious design and communication regarding assessment, while also ensuring a fair and legally sound evaluation of students' knowledge and competencies.
As a teacher in higher education, you often design the assessment tasks for your students. This offers significant freedom regarding both content and format – a freedom that also comes with great responsibility. Designing effective assessment requires careful consideration and a solid understanding of how to create reliable and fair assessment tasks. It is also important to understand how different forms of assessment and examination impact student learning.
A key part of the course is the development of an individual project, where course participants will design an assessment and/or examination task for a course they teach or will teach, taking into account the specific conditions within their disciplinary subject or field.
The course consists of mandatory workshops as well as preparatory work, both individually and in groups. Alongside the meetings, you will work on your own project aimed at developing assessment and examination practices that can be implemented in your own teaching environment. The project shall be presented during the course and within your own department.
The primary language of instruction is English, but your individual work can be conducted in either Swedish or English.
Course Dates
Scope & Assessment
The course equals two weeks of full-time work, i.e. 80 hours. Learning outcomes are assessed through a portfolio to be produced individually throughout the course, containing written and oral/audio/video elements, as well as a new/revised assessment plan and plan for implementation.
To receive a course certificate the participant must also:
- Actively participate in mandatory workshops and seminars (minimum 80%).
- Submit approved individual assignments.
Note: The first workshop is of fundamental importance for your success throughout the course. Your presence is crucial as it contributes to a shared understanding of the course goals, pedagogical methods, and the creation of a learning community. In case of absence from other course sessions, there are supplementary tasks available (but no more than 20% of the time for the teacher lead meetings). However, if you miss the first workshop, you will need to take the course in a future session.
In the event that a course participant does not complete the course within the given time frames, all components must be completed within three years from the start of the course for the participant to pass.
In order to pass the course, the participant shall have demonstrated the ability to:
- Evaluate the assessment and feedback process in respect to student learning, inclusive practices and sustainability.
- Design an assessment plan, situated in pedagogical literature as well as in one’s own teaching context.
- Communicate the rationale for a revised assessment plan and how it supports building students’ assessment competence and application to their own learning.
Applicants for this course shall have completed five weeks of pedagogical training before the course start (e.g., ‘Introduction Course: Teaching and Learning in Higher Education', or equivalent, and 'Course Design in Higher Education', or equivalent). Preference is given to those who already have an examining role.
The course book used is Confident Assessment in Higher Education by Rachel Forsyth (Sage, 2023). The book is designed to work across various academic disciplines. It serves as a practical, theory-based resource for everyone in higher education. It provides an in-depth insight into assessment and examination, exploring current practices and contemporary challenges. It offers guidance on the contextual design of assessment and the teaching that can support this, as well as a detailed analysis of grading, feedback, and other common challenges in assessment and examination.
The course book will be provided at the start of the course. Additional course literature in the form of articles and governing documents will also be included.
Who is this course for?
The course is open to all teaching staff at Lund University who meet the entry requirements. The course is particularly suitable for individuals who are involved in examining and assessing students' performances.
This course is suitable for anyone who:
- Wants to develop their assessment competence and pedagogical practice
- Wishes (or is expected) to become course responsible or an examiner
Note: The course content partially overlaps with the course 'Perspektiv på bedömning' offered by the Faculty of Medicine. For more information contact Magnus Hillman (magnus.hillman@med.lu.se).
Progression
The thematic course ‘Rethinking Assessment’ is offered by the Department of Higher Education Development (AHU) in collaboration with Unit for Educational Services and MedCUL. The course is a thematic course that follows a minimum of 5 weeks of higher education pedagogical courses (e.g. ‘Introduction’ and ‘Continuation’ courses, or equivalent). After this course, participants can advantageously continue with one of our other thematic or project-based courses.
Learn more about AHU's course offerings - ahu.lu.se
Learn more about MedCUL's course offerings – med.lu.se
Learn more about the Unit for Educational Services – education.lu.se