Delivering the future
We’re making assessment and feedback match the high quality of our teaching.
Professor Clare Mackie, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning)
Teaching and the wider student experience at Sussex consistently rate in the UK’s top 10 as measured by the National Student Survey. But getting our assessment and feedback to students to match this level has continued to elude us.
Over the last two years, our schools have been asked to take the lead in making improvements – and there have been lots of examples of positive, innovative approaches within the current academic framework. But, despite this, we have remained mid table on this key measure, rather than where we should be among the other leading UK institutions.
In practice, there is little more that schools could do on their own without institution-wide structural change to the academic year. This indeed was the conclusion reached under my predecessor as we explored a new structure in 2008. Students welcomed the idea of a mid-year assessment, as did staff, but Sussex was then already engaged in a separate major reorganisation of our schools, so this had to wait.
The issue, in fact, has been not too little assessment, but too much, with a 10/10/6 teaching year that created too many small courses, and no dedicated time for assessments in year, leading to an excessive end-of-year exam load on both students and staff.
From 2012 onwards, the new structure of the academic year contains a mid-year assessment period, allowing schools the option if it fits with the subject and the pedagogy. The evidence is that schools are taking this up – with around one-third of the assessment load due to fall in that new mid-year period.
In relation to feedback to students, the creation of the two longer 12-week teaching periods also improves in-term feedback for students, giving more time to receive feedback, understand and engage with their course within the term itself.
It is important we help students understand why we are making these changes: the students with whom we discussed structural change from 2008 to 2010 are not the students who are now about to benefit.
But I believe they will welcome it. Indeed in a recent lecture I gave, I was pleased to hear students say that the whole experience in their degree was excellent, except for the end-of-year exam load. The idea of mid-year assessment was a very welcome innovation for them.
There are also direct benefits to our staff. More than 100 small 6-credit courses have been removed – their same content now within the new 15-credit modules – meaning fewer timetabling problems, fewer handbooks, fewer exams and so on. This reduced load should improve the staff experience, too.
At the same time as this, we have taken the opportunity to review the whole of our academic portfolio. This has been an enormous job - calling on significant time from academic and professional services staff alike – all aimed at improving the student experience. It has brought positive comment from the 50 external academics involved, too.
Rarely does a university conduct all of its portfolio reviews in one go - but it is worth noting that we would have had to conduct them anyway, because we suspended the process in 2008, and they must be done every six years. But this simultaneous approach has also enabled us to address underpinning systems issues – for example, ensuring common Sussex Direct updates to meet staff and student needs across the University.
Finally, in 2012-13 we will undergo institutional audit by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), a key process for our external standing. Its area of focus will be on periodic review and on student involvement, the national theme for this year. The student voice in portfolio review has been properly heard here - with more than 100 elected student reps involved in formal and informal sessions. This work places us in a very strong position as we approach the external audit.
While the review work continues, I want once again to thank all colleagues for the efforts they have put in. I am confident that from 2012-13 all facets of our student experience will be able to match the very best.