‘Students can escape bad teaching, but they can’t escape bad assessment’ (Boud, 1995).
The role that assessment plays in supporting and shaping learning cannot be underestimated. Its importance has increased, particularly at a time when more students are adopting strategic approaches to learning. This guidance has been put together to help staff develop and/or revise assessment strategies within and across modular programmes of study. Following the Guidance will benefit student learning and help ensure that students can develop the high level knowledge, understanding, and skills from engagement with their studies. It will further help the University develop more consistent practice in assessment and enhance the ways in which assessment is managed across programmes of study.
- Programmes should be designed so that there is a clear alignment between teaching, learning and assessment.
- Programmes should be designed so that the volume of assessment is appropriate for both staff and students.
- Programmes should provide a balance between formative and summative assessment.
- Programmes should provide a range of different learning experiences.
Cardiff University Regulations and Guidance
- Guidance on the Design and Structure of Taught Programmes of Study (Approved by Senate 20/03/12)
- Guidance on the Nature and Volume of Assessment (Approved by Senate 22/06/11)
- Barriers in Curriculum Design
- Assessing students with disability related writing difficulties (Policy & Guidance)
- Effective feedback for students with disability related writing difficulties
Links and Resources
- PASS (Programme Assessment Strategies Project)
- REAP (Re-engineering Assessment Practices in Higher Education)
- HEA- A Marked Improvement
- Constructive Alignment- and why it is important to the learning process
- Briefing: Academic Standards & Nondiscrimination
- Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales
Contact for enquiries:
Andy Lloyd (LloydA@cardiff.ac.uk)
Page last updated: 1 August 2013