Trinity Education Project - Assessment Ideas Exchanges

Date: April 24th 2017

Time: 10:00 - 16:00

Venue: Innovation Academy, 3-4 Foster Place

This event was sponsored by the National Forum

“The Long Table” - an Ideas Exchange on Assessment

Facilitators: Trinity Education Fellows

Colleagues and students are invited to join the Trinity Education Fellows for The Long Table, a public conversation about pedagogy and assessment, with a focus on the future of Trinity College Dublin’s undergraduate education. The Fellows will share some insights they have gained over the course of the project this year, as well as gather input from other members of the college community.

The idea behind The Long Table is to mimic some of the circumstances of a dinner party, in this case with light snacks and coffee/tea provided, inviting participants either to speak/write at the table, or to listen/observe from beyond the table. There are four sittings, each focused on a set of broad but defined topics, and each session is hosted by a team of fellows. Participants may come and go freely throughout the day, or attend full sessions (or multiple) if they wish. By gathering in this stylised forum, we hope to bring an open, innovative, and democratic energy to the conversation in College around new forms of assessment.

9:00 - 10:30: Beyond the University?
    The Trinity Graduate Attributes and assessing for the twenty-first century

1:00 - 2:30 / Beyond Essays and Examinations?
    FOR STAFF: Creative, reflective, and authentic assessments

3:00 - 4:30 / Beyond Dissertations?
    Capstone projects and integrated assessments

Assessment Ideas Exchanges

Date: Thursday 9th February 2017

Time: 10:00 - 16:00

Venue: Innovation Academy

Developing programme approaches to assessment and feedback through TESTA: From zoom to wide-angle lens

Facilitator: Dr Tansy Jessop, Professor of Research Informed Teaching, Southampton Solent University       

This workshop will explore why a programme focus to assessment and feedback is important for student learning. Taking a programme view adjusts the lens from ‘my’ module to ‘our’ programme, and from a teacher perspective to a student vantage point. TESTA is a research and change process which has been used in more than 50 UK universities and internationally to engender a culture shift in assessment and feedback. In this workshop, participants will take a hands-on approach to mapping assessment across the programme, and to interpreting data from the TESTA audit (the planned curriculum).

The planned curriculum meets the ‘lived experience’ of students in data from the Assessment Experience Questionnaire (AEQ) and student focus groups, which participants will explore in the workshop. Finally, the workshop will scope out the key changes that have occurred through TESTA, and how to effect these changes.

Dates:

Feb 20th 2017 (Science and Medical Faculties)

Feb 21st 2017 (Arts Faculty)

Feb 22nd 2017 (Open to All)

Time: 12:00 - 13:00

Ideas exchange on the diversity of assessment techniques 

Facilitators: Prof Nicola Marples; Dr Noirin Nic A'Bhaird

Audience: Academic staff teaching undergraduate programmes; Teaching support staff.

This workshop provides an opportunity for college lecturers to exchange ideas and expertise in a range of assessment techniques. In this workshop you will select a group to join, which will discuss a particular approach to assessment. We will arrange for each grouping to include members with different amounts of experience in using the relevant assessment technique. The session will allow you to move on to at least one other grouping discussing a second, and if time, a third technique.

Dates: March 6th & 8th 2017

Time: 13:00 - 14:00

The "Capstone" Project

Facilitator: Dr Nicholas Johnson, Department of Drama

Audience: All staff

This workshop will explore the opportunities and challenges presented by the "Capstone" component of the common architecture. Going beyond existing practices that sometimes presume that a capstone can only be a long dissertation and requires time-intensive individual supervision, this workshop will address alternative approaches to "integrative" assessment, including fieldwork, creative or practical components, and associated teaching opportunities.

Date: March 9th 2017

Time: 10:00 - 11:30

Online Tests & MCQs Using Blackboard (Webinar)

Facilitators: Catherine Kane & Kevin O'Connor, eLearning, Academic Practice & eLearning (APEL)

Audience: All staff

The aim of this webinar is to outline the benefits of online tests and quizzes for both formative and summative assessment. The webinar focuses on creating test and questions, choosing appropriate settings and adding tests to modules. The webinar also covers best practice for using tests as a teaching tool and encouraging academic honesty.

Date: March 14th 2017

Time: 12:30 - 14:00

Initialising a Programmatic Approach to Assessment

Facilitators: Dr Ciara O'Farrell, Academic Practice & eLearning (APEL) & Dr Cicely Roche, School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences

Audience: This session will target primarily Directors of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning, Programme directors, year-coordinators and those involved in integrative assessment and/or Interprofessional learning.

This workshop will explore why a programme focus to assessment and feedback is important for student learning.  Aimed at those involved in leading curriculum at programme level, this workshop will explore strategies for implementing programme-focussed assessment and for influencing assessment practices across the programme.

Date: March 16th 2017

Time: 13:00 - 14:00

Reading Circle: Graduate Attributes

Facilitator: Dr Michael Wride, Academic Practice & eLearning (APEL)

Audience: Academic staff teaching undergraduate programmes

This series of reading circles will focus on an aspect of assessment outlined in (a) peer reviewed journal article(s). Participants will be assigned a relevant paper a week ahead of the reading circles along with appropriate prompt questions. The paper will be summarised by the facilitator at the beginning of each of the three sessions and then a wider discussion will be held in which participants reflect on the paper in relation to their own experience and development of their practice.

Time: 12:00 - 14:00

Assessing creativity in the curriculum

Facilitator: Dr Michael Wride, Academic Practice & eLearning (APEL)

Audience: Academic staff teaching undergraduate programmes

Creativity is becoming an increasingly important transferrable skill and graduate attribute in the complex 21st century world where flexibility and adaptability are valued. It is relevant to all subjects and disciplines, not just the traditional ‘creative disciplines’. In this workshop, after an initial consideration of the role of creativity in higher education in general, we will explore the challenges and opportunities for assessment of the creative process and product.  Best practice from various disciplines will be shared and discussed and opportunities for reflection on possible actionable changes to practice will be provided.

Date: March 22nd 2017

Time: 12:00 - 13:00

Assessing Graduate Attributes (emphasis on ‘think independently’; ‘communicate effectively’)

Facilitator: Prof Daniel Faas, Department of Sociology

Audience: All staff

This session will discuss possible ways of operationalising the four main graduate attributes in the framework of the new Trinity undergraduate education. This includes curricular and extra-curricular learning environments as well as mobility opportunities in an increasingly globalised 21st century.

Date: March 28th 2017

Time: 13:00 - 14:00

Assessing Reflection

Facilitators: Dr Ciara O'Farrell, Academic Practice & eLearning (APEL) & Dr Cicely Roche, School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences

Audience: We welcome anyone who is contemplating introducing reflection as a form of assessing learning, those who are grappling with it, and those who can share their experiences or successes in this area.

This discussion seeks to explore the benefits and challenges of reflection as both a learning mechanism and an assessment tool.

Date: March 30th 2017

Time: 13:00 - 14:00

Self-Assessment for Student learning

Facilitator: Dr Michael Wride, Academic Practice & eLearning (APEL)

Audience: All staff

This seminar will provide an overview of student self-assessment and provide opportunities for discussion and reflection for academic staff, including reflection on how to develop their own practice in this area.

Date: April 12th 2017

Time: 14:00 - 16:00

Peer Feedback and Assessment for Student Learning

Facilitator: Dr Michael Wride, Academic Practice & eLearning (APEL)

Audience: All staff

This workshop will provide opportunities for discussion and reflection for academic staff around the themes of self- and peer assessment. Self- and peer-assessment encourage and enable students to discuss, critique and feedback on each other’s work, thus developing transferrable skills and graduate attributes.

Dates: April 13th or April 20th 2017

Time: 12:30 - 14:00

The use of posters in teaching and assessment in undergraduate programmes

Facilitator: Dr Michelle Share, School of Education

Audience: Academic staff teaching undergraduate programmes

This workshop provides a case study of how posters can be successfully used in undergraduate programmes as an authentic forward-facing learning and assessment tool to enhance student engagement; research and communication skills; teamwork and interdisciplinary knowledge.

Date: April 18th 2017

Time: 13:00 - 14:00

Reading Circle: Diversity in Assessment

Facilitator: Dr Michael Wride, Academic Practice & eLearning (APEL)

Audience: All staff

This series of reading circles will focus on an aspect of assessment outlined in (a) peer reviewed journal article(s). Participants will be assigned a relevant paper a week ahead of the reading circles along with appropriate prompt questions. The paper will be summarised by the facilitator at the beginning of each of the three sessions and then a wider discussion will be held in which participants reflect on the paper in relation to their own experience and development of their practice.

Date: April 19th 2017

Time: 12:30 - 14:00

Assessing ‘troublesome’ attributes: competencies underpinning ethical dilemma resolution

Facilitator: Dr Cicely Roche, School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences

Audience: Academic staff teaching undergraduate and post-graduate students.

This workshop provides an introduction to and ‘hands on’ experience of a teaching and assessment methodology known as an ‘Intermediate Concept Measure’ (ICM). The objective is to drive independent thinking when faced with a dilemma scenario, force decision-making through ambiguity, and enable peer debate and collaboration regarding how best to resolve ethical dilemmas.  The blended learning approach permits assessment of these ‘troublesome’ attributes in a (relatively!) objective manner.  Samples from undergraduate and post-graduate programmes in Trinity will be viewed on Blackboard. Template rubrics and marking schemes will be provided.

Date: April 20th 2017

Time: 10:00 - 13:00

STEM-ERC Developing Effective Science Communication through Peer Feedback and Assessment

Facilitator: Dr Michael Wride, Academic Practice & eLearning (APEL)

Audience: All staff

This workshop will provide opportunities for discussion and reflection for science academic staff around the theme of integrating peer feedback and assessment into their teaching as a means to develop communication skills in science students. The ability to communicate science well is a transferrable skill applicable to careers in scientific education and research both in academia and industry. Furthermore, communication of science to the general public is a responsibility of scientists. Peer learning and assessment encourage and enable students to discuss, critique and feedback on each other’s work, thus developing skills in science communication.

Date: April 25th 2017

Time: 13:00 - 14:00

Integrative Assessment for Student learning

Facilitator: Dr Michael Wride, Academic Practice & eLearning (APEL)

Audience: All staff

Participants will discuss and reflect on their own undergraduate programme focused assessments. They will identify where these are integrative in nature; i.e. assessment that demonstrates achievement of programme/learning outcomes across modules/semester/years. Integrative assessment provides opportunities for students to synthesise their learning and stimulates new and creative ways of assessing between and beyond traditional module boundaries. This seminar will be particularly useful for those staff engaged in developing programme curriculum and programme learning outcomes.

Date: May 3rd 2017

Time: 12:00 - 13:00

Assessing Graduate Attributes (emphasis on ‘develop continuously’ and ‘act responsibly’.)

Facilitator: Prof Daniel Faas, Department of Sociology

Audience: All staff

This session will discuss possible ways of operationalising the four main graduate attributes in the framework of the new Trinity undergraduate education. This includes curricular and extra-curricular learning environments as well as mobility opportunities in an increasingly globalised 21st century.  

Date: May 4th 2017

Time: 13:00 - 14:00

How can we teach and assess analytical skills more creatively?

Facilitator: Dr Michelle D’Arcy, Department of Political Science

Audience: Academic staff

Usually in teaching analytical skills we put more emphasis on critical thinking than on creativity, even though creativity is a central part of the research process and useful for many different jobs. How can we teach and assess analytical skills more creatively and using creativity? What are the benefits of doing so? 

This seminar will provide a forum for discussion of these questions, with opportunities to hear about and share experiences of using and assessing creativity.

Date: May 10th 2017

Time: 10:00 - 11:00

Using Rubrics and Groups for Assessments in Blackboard (Webinar)

Facilitators: Catherine Kane & Kevin O'Connor, eLearning, Academic Practice & eLearning (APEL)

Audience: Academic staff

This webinar examines some of the advanced functionality in Blackboard’s assessment tool. The first half of the webinar will cover how to create and use an online rubric for marking assessments. The second half will cover how to set up and use groups for online assignments.

Date: May 17th 2017

Time: 12:00 - 13:00

online Assignment - Going paperless

Facilitators: Catherine Kane Academic Practice and eLearning and Jennifer O’Toole Social Work and Social Policy

Audience: All Staff

This session will present on the many options available for running online assignments followed by an update from the school of Social Work and Social Policy on the implementation of a paperless assignment policy in 2016/17. A questions and answer session will follow.

Date: May 24th 2017

Time: 10:00 - 12:00

Formative feedback is not for the fainthearted: Exploring the challenges of giving and receiving formative feedback

Facilitators: Dr Mairead Brady, School of Business and Dr Ann Devitt, School of Education

Audience: Academic staff teaching on undergraduate, post graduate and doctorate programmes

This workshop provides a case study of how formative feedback challenges both the academic as the producer and provider and the student as the receiver of the feedback. This session will explore challenges and suggest techniques to support both the academic and the student in how best to negotiate the face to face formative feedback encounter, its inputs and outcomes.

Date: May 30th 2017

Self & Peer Assessment in Blackboard (Workshop)

Facilitators: Catherine Kane & Kevin O'Connor, eLearning, Academic Practice & eLearning (APEL)

Audience: Academic staff

The aim of this workshop is to introduce participants to the self & peer assessment options in Blackboard in line with Academic Practice & eLearning (APEL)’s recently published guide. Participants will work in teams to investigate, plan, create and evaluate an online self & peer assessment activity within Blackboard. The workshop closes by asking participants to reflect on how they might use self and peer assessment in their own teaching.