# data[].attributes.body
sev.lee@uwa.edu.au
@severinelee on Twitter
https://www.linkedin.com/in/severinelee/ Linkedin

# data[].attributes.body
The mode of online learning and teaching was still being debated, written about and researched a few months ago. No one had ever come up with a winning formula. The mode was often confused with flipped learning pedagogy and e-learning and online teaching left many neurodivergent students out. One thing is certain teaching and learning remotely isn’t new.

Looking at the point when in February and March many tertiary institutions realised that they had to go fully online,  and did so in a matter of days to a couple weeks was an interesting change to live and work through. Most of  the push back against Online Learning I either read about and encountered as a teacher and as a learning technologist were pretty much  quashed overnight. Some still fought but took the obligatory journey to online teaching as there was no other avenue.

So now, on the other side of this shift what can use, do, change or stop doing to make learning and teaching more efficient for everyone.

# data[].attributes.body
Work Peers

Sites - Apple teacher

Google Education

Microsoft Education

30 days Free LinkedIn Learning Trial

Google teacher podcast

Cult of Pedagogy

TeachMeet On Facebook

# data[].attributes.body
I am  passionate about education and lifelong learning. I thrive on developing, mentoring and supporting people in their growth. My focus is leveraging digital solutions to enable people's personal and professional development.

I  started my educator's career in the UK as a French and Music Production teacher. I taught undergraduate courses until I turned to learning and development.. I have been at UWA for over 5 years, assisting lecturers redesign their units and courses and enabling them to use modern educational technology. My role is is Senior Learning Technology Advisor.

When I am not working you'll find me  at the gym, Dj'ing or doing craft with my daughter.

# data[].attributes.headline
Reference 1 HEA - Transition to learning at University 

# data[].attributes.subject
Reference 1 HEA - Transition to learning at University 

# data[].attributes.body
This a broad structure based on a few models used at UWA.

The most important thing is not to  forget to reflect on your achievements and plan improvement based on your reflections, your students feedback, caregiver feedback and peer observations.

Share your wins back in your support network.

By the end of this, you will be seen as the expert but there will be a new teacher needing all the encouragements they can get.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Kay Sambell and Sally Brown
Welcome to 2023 and here Kay and I would like to give you a kick start if your New Year's Resolution is to spring clean your assessment strategy! We start with what we hope is a convincing case for moving in this direction, without chucking out all your old assessments and starting from scratch. We all know that New Year Resolutions that really stick don't work like that, but rather by gentling nudging us into better practice. A key feature of this post is what we believe is a really useful Table of alternative assessment outputs, giving diverse examples of how you can use these more authentic assessment approaches and what each is particularly capable of achieving. Let us know if you find them helpful.
The article below is long, and can also be read as a word document as attached here: Authentic-assess-blogpost-f1.docx (491 downloads) Also attached: the QQI (Ireland) handout: QQI-handout.docx (422 downloads) Introduction
Assessment for learning, (AfL), is now regarded in many quarters as being beneficial for student learning and engagement, and a key part of this is making assessment activities more authentic and future-facing. For some time, we have been arguing that alternative or innovative assessment tasks can have a key part to play in creating effective Assessment for Learning environments in higher education (Brown and Knight, 1994, Sambell et al, 2013). Assessment for Learning (AfL) is

"when all assessment contributes to helping students learn, both within the university university, but also well beyond it in the longer term... From this perspective, assessment, teaching and learning are closely related, with each one being part of the pedagogical process, and where feedback is used to adjust the learning cycle" (Villarroel et al, 2018).

This blog aims to spark reflection and conversations about the diverse range of alternative assessment tasks we might set to encourage students to become energised and engaged in the kinds of deep, lasting learning that characterise higher education and stand them in good stead in the longer term, once they graduate. We also hope that the illustrative examples table at the end will provide useful to others who want to move towards more authentic assessment.

Whilst AfL includes formative assessment - whereby learning intentions are clarified and shared, evidence of learners' current progress is elicited, and feedback that moves learners forward towards intended achievement is provided (Wiliam, 2022) - it is also a broader concept. In Higher Education this importantly includes the motivating aspects of assignments which students experience as relevant beyond the immediate context of gaining marks and progressing successfully through their programme of study. This feature, which inherently involves tasks which, for example, link knowledge with life beyond the university classroom, or encourage students to apply knowledge in an analytical and thoughtful way to solve a problem or meet a need, is typically referred to as authenticity. Creating assessment tasks which are underpinned by this core condition of AfL (Sambell et al 2013) is the focus of this paper.
What is authentic assessment?
There is an extensive and longstanding body of scholarly work on the value to, and impact of, authentic assessment on learners (see for example, Wiggins 1990, Gulikers et al 2004, McDowell and Sambell 1998, Davison 2007, Ajjawi et al 2019, Hobbins et al 2022). Several influential reviews of the extant literature on authentic assessment have synthesized complex, multi-dimensional models of authentic assessment, highlighting a range of inter-related underpinning characteristics or core dimensions (e.g. Ashford Rowe, 2014; Villaroel, 2018). Yet others have analyzed research into the benefits of authentic assessment for students (Sokhanvar et al 2021, Sotiradou, 2019).

To some degree most of this scholarly work has tended to promote an understanding of authentic assessment in HE as involving what are often labelled ' real world tasks.' Interestingly, too, the sense of 'realism' referred to in this body of research is typically conflated with the world of work and employability. For instance, Villarroel et al (2018), notably frame authentic assessment as follows:

"Authentic assessment aims to replicate the tasks and performance standards typically found in the world of work, and has been found to have a positive impact on student learning, autonomy, motivation, self-regulation and metacognition; abilities highly related to employability." (p840)

In one sense this is unsurprising, given that Villarroel and her colleagues note that authentic assessment began as a response to mitigate some criticisms levelled at higher education, namely, for instance, that students often experienced difficulty in applying their disciplinary content knowledge to different contexts, or struggled to adapt to the complex demands of working life on leaving university with under-developed basic skills and abilities, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, teamwork or communication. Given this context, authentic assessment was endorsed as the opportunity for students to practice skills and competences that they would be expected to exercise in their future jobs, as well as building capabilities that are part of employability such as: coping with uncertainty, working under pressure, planning and thinking strategically, communicating and interacting with others. It is also unsurprising that much of the early empirical research took place in subjects with a strong professional or vocational orientation (e.g. Gulikers et al, 2008).

From this standpoint Villarroel et al (2018) proposed the conceptual building blocks for designing authentic assessment should include:

Realistic tasks that engage students with problems or important questions that are relevant to everyday life beyond the classroom;

Cognitively challenging tasks that prompt students to develop and use higher levels of thinking to use knowledge, process information, make connections and rebuild information to complete a task (rather than low-level recall or reproduction of facts);

Opportunities to develop evaluative judgment and enhance the self-regulation of their own learning (Sadler, 1989) by, for instance, engaging with grading criteria, honing the capacity to appreciate the features of 'quality' or excellence in complex outputs and developing the ability to provide, seek and act upon feedback.

More than just employability
More recently, we have seen scholars such as Jan MacArthur importantly and usefully critique the extent to which authentic assessment is necessarily conflated with the world of work and employability. Drawing upon critical theory, MacArthur (2022) helpfully builds on existing scholarship that focuses on 'real world' tasks which encourage students to develop and apply the kinds of knowledge and skills that graduates would use in the workplace or professions, by potentially broadening the scope of authentic assessment to redirect it, too, at broader social and political transformative agendas. She argues for

a shift in focus from the real world/world of work to a richer understanding of society

a move which transcends a focus on the task, and which considers instead the value of that task

an understanding of authentic assessment as a vehicle for transformation, not one for reinforcing the status quo.

As part of this endeavour, MacArthur acknowledges the important role that 'alternative' or 'innovative' assessment tasks (Sambell and McDowell, 1998; Clegg and Bryan, 2006; Sambell and Brown, 2021) might have to play as catalysts for rethinking assessment to enhance a stronger sense of assessment's relevance in students' minds.

MacArthur cautions against an over-emphasis on a work/real world focus in conceptions of authentic assessment, which might be taken reductively to imply that we have too much focus on knowledge in higher education and instead simply need to foreground skills and competencies that employers want to see. She notes, too, the aim of our posts ( Kay Sambell and Sally Brown: Covid-19 Assessment Collection - Sally Brown Sally Brown (sally-brown.net) during the pandemic:

"A welcome development can be found in the impressive range of examples of authentic assessment compiled by Sambell and Brown (2021). These suggest a return (or continuation) of Sambell and McDowell's (1998) earlier view of authentic in terms of alternative forms of assessment. Sambell and Brown focus particularly on alternatives to the traditional essay and in this sense helpfully transcend the limitations of a real world/world of work approach that often appears to exclude non-vocational subjects from the realm of authentic assessment."

In what follows we will provide what we hope will be useful illustrative examples which demonstrate the value of a diverse range of outputs that students can be invited to produce, rather than just the traditional essay or the timed pen and paper exam answer. They are drawn largely from our compendia of authentic assessment (mentioned by MacArthur above.) Acknowledging the value of MacArthur's broader, enriched view of authentic assessment, we frame this discussion in the light of Lydia Arnold's recent, highly pragmatic thinking about authentic assessment. Recognising the challenges associated with defining authentic assessment, and especially those that emanate from the routine emphasis that many designers place on 'the real world', the world of work or work-based/work-related approaches when designing authentic assessments, Arnold (2022) draws attention to the ways in which others place emphasis, say, on long term personal fulfilment. In her global definition of authentic assessment, she replaces the term 'realism' with an emphasis on 'relevance':

Relevant to future employment;

Relevant to the advancement of the discipline;

Relevant to our collective future;

Relevant to individual aspiration.

We welcome her approach whereby authentic assessment often mirrors real, complex challenges; equips students to work with uncertainty; results in diverse outputs; causes students to reflect meaningfully on their learning; focuses on 'process' as well as product.
So does this mean throwing out all of our current assessment activities altogether?
Not at all! Many of the ideas we propose here can be incorporated into mixed diets of assessment modes. When you look at the tasks you will see that many can form elements of what you already use; hence some of the outputs might be required within traditional timed and invigilated exams, and some could be modified to fit within the essay format.

Nor do they have to be excessively onerous, because workload can be limited by limiting wordage, duration of presentations, audio and video blogs and overall scope of the task.

Neither do they all have to be summatively assessed, with some, for example blogposts or posters, reviewed in class. And not all have to be tutor assessed, with peer review having an important part to play, placement managers, employers and stakeholders potentially making a contribution, and in some data/numeracy-based tasks, the deployment of computer-assisted assessment working well.

In our four compendia of authentic assessment examples on our blogpost at Kay Sambell and Sally Brown: Covid-19 Assessment Collection - Sally Brown Sally Brown (sally-brown.net) you will see that some entries have up to five different outputs in an overall assignment, but how many of these you use depends on what you're assessing and what you are trying to achieve.
Conclusions
In conclusion, we suggest a useful step for assessment designers and module teams to consider is to consider asking for or allowing alternative student outputs. Our aim is mainly to raise awareness of the vast range alternative assessment outputs you might consider setting, which can inspire and engage productive student learning, as opposed to routine, hamster-wheel tasks, which signal to many that they are merely hoops to jump through, with little worth beyond being tested and achieving marks, and which consequently result in surface approaches to learning. Alternative or innovative assessments can therefore have an important role, playing a part in designing assessment which seem more relevant to students, particularly those whose cultural and social backgrounds hasn't equally equipped them to excel in the traditional university assignments requiring a familiarity with unwritten academic mores.

But when you scrutinise these examples, before you adopt or adapt any of them, be sure to ask yourself whether they are fit for your particular purposes and whether they are better than what you already use. These alternative options will only produce more authentic assessment for your students if they are right for your students, right in your discipline and right for your institutional context, aligning with your learning outcomes and adding value to student learning. But if they do, then feel free to modify and make use of them!
A table of alternative assessment outputs

Alternative output Example What could this be useful for? How could I use/adapt this to use in my context/ discipline? Is it better than what I am already doing? Is it more authentic/relevant?

Individual or group video or audio presentation shown in class or submitted virtually

Prepare and record a five-minute input segment for the BBC Radio 4 programme Open Book in which you discuss two recently published novels by a 21 st Century author published in translation

Engaging students by asking them to present their recent learning for a specific audience concisely. The time limit encourages them to be concise while making peer or tutor reviewing or marking of the assignments manageable.

Developing their presentation skills which are regarded as key graduate outcomes

Handbook for equipment

Prepare a step-by-step handy guide for a junior colleague in the pharmacy team outlining the key steps to set up of domiciliary oxygen (of the cylinder and headset) to enable everyone to have a standardized and safe approach in the form of a hard-copy booklet.

Explaining a complex process to a junior colleague: this can be a really valuable way of testing deep understanding of why it is used and how equipment works

Individual or group poster, often A1 or can be as a PowerPoint slide, can be group or individual

Produce a poster for the window display for one of the 21 st century novels you have been studying, (presented as a PowerPoint slide) in which you provide an overview of the text and at least three positive quotes from critics about the text to raise reader interest. Your poster should include at least one image.

Communicating in visual and textual forms and using digital means. This is often prescribed within the learning outcomes for many programmes

Leaflet or guidance document

Prepare a 2-page guide for a kinship carer summarising information based on your pre-readings about rights and responsibilities in a very accessible way to clients that is easily understandable and doesn't over-promise.

Explaining complex information straightforwardly: helping students look at regulatory frameworks from layperson's point of view is a valuable skill because if you can explain it clearly to others you are likely to understand it well yourself

Blogpost

Summarise your evaluation of three documentary films in the form of a 300-word blog post as if for the International Documentary Association blogsite at https://www.documentary.org/blog.

Researching what is required by relevant professional body websites, (which may indeed be published by them)

Writing concisely for a particular context in a non-academic format

Preparation for a job interview

You have been invited to an interview for a lead practitioner role in an Early Years setting. As part of the interview, you are required to deliver a presentation to the interview panel on your own ideas for a new approach/ curriculum to be considered for use in the early years. Your new approach/ curriculum should be informed by research into the needs of young children to best support their learning and development.

Presenting own perspectives (where there is no right or wrong answer)

Using appropriate literature in the field

Practising life relevant skills

Data analysis activity

Analyse the accompanying dataset to determine the nature of the data and identify the optimal method of assessing the stability of the data from this process. Then offer an interpretation of the stability using the method you have identified in Summarise your findings, paying particular attention to recommending corrective action should this be required.

Using data as a basis for decision making.

Presenting and interpreting information appropriately.

Reflective screencast

Record a Patchwork Screencast Assessment (PASTA) in which you explain and evidence your developmental journey as a teacher throughout the first module of the PGCE, demonstrating how you have engaged with theory, literature and best practice to provide innovation and excellence in the learning and teaching, assessment and feedback and support of your students. You should describe how you have developed as a teacher and highlight areas for further development.

Engaging with relevant theory, practice and literature in the field.

Reflecting on practice and synthetising responses in a compact format.

References and useful reading
Ajjawi, R., Tai, J., Huu Nghia, T. L., Boud, D., Johnson, L., & Patrick, C.-J. (2019). Aligning assessment with the needs of work-integrated learning: The challenges of authentic assessment in a complex context. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 45(2), 304-316.

Arnold, L. (2022) Expanded Assessment Top Trumps - Lydia Arnold (lydia-arnold.com)

Ashford-Rowe, K., Herrington, J. and Brown, C. (2014) 'Establishing the critical elements that determine authentic assessment', Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 39(2), pp. 205-222. doi: 10.1080/02602938.2013.819566

Biggs, J. (1996). Enhancing teaching through constructive alignment. Higher Education, 32, 347-364

Davison, G.,2011. Investigating the Relationships Between Authentic Assessment and the Development of Learner Autonomy. Doctoral thesis, Northumbria University

Gulikers, J. T. M., Bastiaens, T. J., & Kirschner, P. A. (2004). A five-dimensional framework for authentic assessment. Educational Technology Research and Development, 52(3), 67-86. http://www.jstor.org. ezproxy.lancs.ac.uk/stable/30220391

Gulikers, J.T., Bastiaens, T.J., Kirschner, P.A. and Kester, L., 2008. Authenticity is in the eye of the beholder: student and teacher perceptions of assessment authenticity. Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 60(4), pp.401-412.

Hobbins, J., Kerrigan, B., Farjam, N., Fisher, A., Houston, E. and Ritchie, K., 2021. Does a classroom-based curriculum offer authentic assessments? A strategy to uncover their prevalence and incorporate opportunities for authenticity. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, pp.1-15.

McArthur, J., 2022. Rethinking authentic assessment: work, well-being, and society. Higher Education, pp.1-17.

Sambell K, and Brown, S. 2021 Kay Sambell and Sally Brown: Covid-19 Assessment Collection - Sally Brown Sally Brown (sally-brown.net)

Sambell, K., Brown, S. and Race, P., 2019. Assessment as a locus for engagement: priorities and practicalities. Italian Journal of Educational Research, pp.45-62.

Sambell, K, McDowell, L and Montgomery, C. (2013) Assessment for Learning in Higher Education. Routledge.

Sambell, K., & McDowell, L. (1998). The construction of the hidden curriculum: Messages and meanings in the assessment of student learning. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 23(4), 391-402.

Sokhanvar, Z., Salehi, K. and Sokhanvar, F., 2021. Advantages of authentic assessment for improving the learning experience and employability skills of higher education students: A systematic literature review. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 70, p.101030.

Sotiriadou, P., Logan, D., Daly, A. and Guest, R., 2019. The role of authentic assessment to preserve academic integrity and promote skill development and employability. Studies in Higher Education, pp.1-17.

Tai, J., Ajjawi, R., Boud, D., Dawson, P. and Panadero, E., 2018. Developing evaluative judgement: enabling students to make decisions about the quality of work. Higher Education, 76(3), pp.467-481.

Tai, J., Ajjawi, R., Bearman, M., Dargusch, J., Dracup, M., Harris, L., and Mahoney, P. (2021). Five ways to develop inclusive assessment in higher education Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning, Deakin University. doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.16543794

Villarroel, V., Bloxham, S., Bruna, D., Bruna, C. and Herrera-Seda, C., 2018. Authentic assessment: Creating a blueprint for course design. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(5), pp.840-854.

Villaroel, V., Boud, D., Bloxham, S., Bruna, D. and Bruna, C., 2020. Using principles of authentic assessment to redesign written examinations and tests. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 57(1), pp.38-49.

Wiggins, G. (1990). The case for authentic assessment. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation, 2, 1-3

Wiliam, D 2022 The role of assessment in promoting social justice, 3 RD Virtual meeting on Higher Education, University del Desarrollo, Chile, 15 th November 2022.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Assessment, learning and teaching in higher education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I got here this time. It only took 10 hours on trains yesterday from Newcastle to Hexham (where I aborted my plan to travel via Carlisle as there were no longer any trains South - or North therefrom), so returned to Newcastle where there were also no trains North or South (all day, they said), but eventually joined one from Aberdeen 4 hours late, which went East, to Sunderland, Harlepool, then York, and apart from two cancelled trains to Manchester and Preston, eventually got there.
I was so glad I did, as you were a great group to work with, and I very much look forward to seeing you again in December. I'm now back in wet Newcastle after a very smooth and punctual journey - via Carlisle again. Here are the main slides I used, and also the word document of the HEA UKPSF stuff. Thanks too for all the Tweets. UCLAN-2018-w-2.pptx (42 downloads) ukpsf-details-on-one-sheet-w.docx (26 downloads)

I helped Sally to run an ANTF-organised writing residential workshop at Cumberland Lodge on 11th and 12th September. The slides we used are here: Cumberland-Lodge-writing-2018-w.pptx (35 downloads)

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to University College, Birmingham today. Not only do you have fantastic new buildings and learning spaces, but one of the most enthusiastic conference audiences I have had the pleasure of working with. Thanks for the lovely comments on Twitter on #philatucb18. I tried in my keynote not to bore you with too many text-only slides, but include more activities - and it seemed to work! The main slides are here: UCB-2018-ww.pptx (163 downloads)
It was very interesting too to experiment with how many different ways a fine large lecture theatre like yours can be used to engage audiences. Will be very happy to come back! Now home in Newcastle - the journey North is always half-an-hour slower than the timetable - gravity perhaps - something to do with travelling 'up' the country compared to 'down' I guess?

mara.fuertes-gutierrez and Juan Muñoz when working at Leeds Beckett University some time ago translated 'In at the Deep End' into Spanish, and have now made this available to all as a Word document or pdf file. These are attached here: In-at-the-deep-end-Spanish-translation_Tirarse-a-la-piscina.docx (71 downloads) In-at-the-deep-end-Spanish-translation_Tirarse-a-la-piscina.pdf (65 downloads) Many thanks to Mara and Juan for translating this.

I'm also posting again the Arabic translation, and the original Leeds Beckett publications here: In-at-the-Deep-End.pdf (57 downloads) Arabic-translation-of-in-at-the-deep-end.pdf (51 downloads)

On Thursday night (after the AHE Conference in Manchester on the 28th June), Sally and I will be travelling across to Oulton Hall in Yorkshire with a contingent of 20 UK and US assessment experts for 36 hour invitational seminar where we will be unpicking the differences and similarities between American and British perspectives on assessment, with a view to future collaborations and publications. Lots of National Teaching Fellows will be taking part including Fabio D'Arico, Kay Sambell, Margaret Price, Peter Hartley, Naomi Winston, Tansy Jessop, Susan Orr, Mark Schofield, Sally Brown and me! Thanks so much to Keston Fulcher Nick Curtis of James Maddison University for involving us in making the arrangements for this.

We will be tweeting from the event and invite colleagues to join us between 6.30 and 7.00 pm on Friday 29th on the hashtag #AngloUsAssessSummit in response to the following three questions:

1. ​​What differences have you noticed between the way Americans and British people talk about assessment?

2. Do you think there are key structural differences between the ways in which we work on assessment, or are our principles very similar?

3. Can you identify any literature, research or projects that would be particularly helpful; to either US or UK colleagues or both (and why do you say that?)

Do join in if you are free at that time.

Here are the main slides I used in my afternoon interactive keynote (but look as I would, I couldn't find the typo for which I lost £1 - please email me regarding which slide it was!). Lincoln-2018-w.pptx (83 downloads)
Thank you for making Sally and I so welcome all day, and for the great presentations during the morning where you shared some of the wonderful things you are doing - very encouraging. And thanks to Debbie and her team for organising such an active day conference.
We got home in late daylight, and enjoyed the sunset in our garden with a cuppa (Sally) and a glass of red wine (me).

(Updated 9th June)
I hugely enjoyed being at this Conference again. The main slides from my morning session on 7th June are here: Edge-Hill-Solstice-2018-w.pptx (134 downloads) (with my typo spotted by Peter duly corrected of course).
Here is a transcript of the great collection of 'what I'd like' on blue post-its: What-Id-like....docx (92 downloads) .
After the conference, I transcribed your inspiring range of 'else' ideas on the yellow post-its, and they are here: what-else-can-we-do.docx (85 downloads)

Thanks for all the sessions I attended - so sorry to miss the parallel ones - I learned all sorts of things with you all. Finally, I'd like to add the wonderful graphic Sarah Wright circulated on Twitter - this is just brilliant. Do go to @Sarah__wright1 on Twitter for the original version to appreciate how good it is.

Here are the main slides I used at Limerick today. I've prefaced them with the slides Dr Gwen Moore used to introduce the session, and put at the end the extra slides I used in answer to your very good questions. Limerick-MIC-2018-w.pptx (131 downloads)
Thanks for making me so welcome, and apologies for having to rush off at the end to get a train to Galway (a lovely run), and thanks again to Gwen and her team for making all the arrangements. I hope you may have me back again before too long - perhaps for 'Towards Inspiring Lectures'.

Thanks for making me so welcome at the RCPI in Dublin, to run a session about fine-tuning assessment for today's students and professions. The main slides I used can be downloaded here: Dublin-RCPI-2018-w.pptx (106 downloads)

A link to the 'content free test' I used to illustrate how showing students 'wrong' things can aid learning - in this case towards the design of good multiple-choice questions, is here: contentfreetest.ppt (104 downloads)
A link to the SEDA blog I wrote some time ago called 'Reflection on Demand' is here: https://thesedablog.wordpress.com/2016/10/13/reflection-on-demand/#more-543

As always, what you can download here is just the slides - the heart of the day was the discussion around things in the slides and far beyond them. The slides themselves are no substitute for having been there, but may trigger thoughts for those who contributed to the discussions and debates. Thanks also for several Tweets.

Here is a link to the main slides I used at our afternoon workshop. GBMet-2018-w.pptx (87 downloads) You were a great group to work with, thanks. There were no Tweets during the afternoon.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Phil Race - Assessment, learning and teaching in higher education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I got here this time. It only took 10 hours on trains yesterday from Newcastle to Hexham (where I aborted my plan to travel via Carlisle as there were no longer any trains South - or North therefrom), so returned to Newcastle where there were also no trains North or South (all day, they said), but eventually joined one from Aberdeen 4 hours late, which went East, to Sunderland, Harlepool, then York, and apart from two cancelled trains to Manchester and Preston, eventually got there.

# data[].attributes.headline
Reference 4 Jisc (Jisc Coronovirus Page) 

# data[].attributes.subject
Reference 4 Jisc (Jisc Coronovirus Page) 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Our third webinar on Friday 3 April was a drop-in. We discussed three key questions that have surfaced from previous sessions. How do we enable our teaching staff to quickly and confidently move to teaching in an online environment? How do you provide a consistent online experience for learners? What synchronous and asynchronous digital activities ... Read more

Posted by on in Uncategorised.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Responding to Coronavirus - Help and information for members.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our third webinar on Friday 3 April was a drop-in. We discussed three key questions that have surfaced from previous sessions. How do we enable our teaching staff to quickly and confidently move to teaching in an online environment? How do you provide a consistent online experience for learners?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
HESA data is collected by the data collection and statistic directorate in Jisc and is the expert provider of data on the UK higher education sector.

# data[].attributes.body
Motivation has changed for students, care givers and for educators.
Acknowledge it.
Provide support and guidance for all - INCLUDING yourself.

Resilience is a critical skill in times of uncertainties how can you support students to develop it?

Before Covid19 we had few unknown. This has changed. During Covid19 people were seeking expertise because that would help reassured them that someone knew what they were doing.

Bottom line we are all SMEs now.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Loretta Charles-Cregan, an 18-year-old A-level student, considers herself lucky because her school gave her a laptop to help her do her GCSEs when she was made temporarily homeless after her house flooded. "It's the only reason I can do my work now," she says. "It was a blessing in disguise."

Many students from low-income families like Charles-Cregan's lack the basic technology they need to study online, including access to a laptop and a reliable broadband connection, along with a quiet place in which to work and complete assessments. But as universities rapidly gear up to deliver their courses online in September if social distancing measures continue, some students are worried about how they will cope.
If universities shift online, we risk more poorer students dropping out | Chris Skidmore
The prospect is already influencing Charles-Cregan's decision-making. While she still plans to attend university in September, the coronavirus crisis has made her consider choosing her offer at a London university to stay closer to her home in Ilford. But this wouldn't solve the problem of how to actually do her work.

"It's made me a bit more anxious," she says. "We have the cheapest WiFi, it drops all the time. When I was doing A-levels I went to the library instead, but you can't do that now. And there's a lot of us in one house, my family's quite big, so it's not somewhere I can get motivated for work."

Social mobility experts are warning that the shift to online learning could severely hold back some students, including those from poorer backgrounds, care leavers, students with caring responsibilities and those with disabilities. A National Union of Students survey suggested that one fifth of students struggle with access, while over half of students who rely on assistive technology felt they lacked the support needed to continue learning.

The NUS is now pressuring universities to better accommodate struggling students through a national approach to exams and assessment. "The most impacted are already the most disadvantaged. This makes no sense when there are solutions available to help them and all students," says Claire Sosienski-Smith, NUS vice-president for higher education.

"We've got to be really careful that digital provision doesn't compound the inequalities we already see in the educational system," agrees Anne-Marie Canning, chief executive of social mobility charity The Brilliant Club.

One solution, Canning says, would be for universities should redirect general bursaries aimed at low income students towards kitting them out with the devices they need for online learning.

Some universities are already starting to do this: York has set up a philanthropic fund to support students with online learning, Coventry is exploring making courses accessible by mobile phone, and one other university plans to provide all its disadvantaged students with WiFi dongles.

But Emma Hardy, the shadow universities minister, says that these hardship loans can be difficult for students to access. "They're limited, bureaucratic and very difficult to get paid out," she says.

Challenges for disadvantaged students extend beyond access to technology. According to research from 2017, these students consistently perform worse through online learning than they do in face-to-face classrooms. "Taking online courses increases their likelihood of dropping out," the authors wrote.

Chris Skidmore, the former universities minister, warns that these students already struggle with feelings of belonging and are already more likely to drop out of university.

"Remote learning must not allow these groups of students to become ever more remote," he says. "We can't afford for care-leavers, estranged pupils, and those from vulnerable and deprived backgrounds to miss out on their potential."

Ian Dunn, deputy vice-chancellor at Coventry, says that his university plans to monitor the extent to which students are participating in their courses to give clues as to their wellbeing.

Martin Weller, professor of educational technology at the Open University, suggests that the mingling that happens naturally on campus can be partly reproduced through incorporating icebreaker and discussion activities into online curriculums. "There's evidence that students who form social bonds tend to stick with a course and not drop out," he says.

Weller adds that universities need to provide far more structured pastoral care. "That might be problematic for lots of universities that [rely] on precarious staff to provide teaching. Are they going to give them appropriate time and payment for providing a half-hour catch up every week with every student?"

Lucy Gill-Simmen, a lecturer at Royal Holloway University, has offered Zoom catchups to all 70 of her personal tutees to make sure they are coping with the shift to online. "It has a huge impact on my workload," she says.

But she considers it essential to support her students' mental health. She's noticed that some are struggling with the lack of a designated study space and proper equipment. "That demotivates them, they don't feel they're able to get up and get working."

Disabled students are also finding support patchy. Piers Wilkinson, NUS disabled students officer, says that although the Disabled Student Allowance funds laptops, it doesn't cover everything.

"People like myself and others that did computer-based modelling or music and media can't run the fundamental pieces of software that are required by their degree. So they would have to use the specialist IT suites in their department or university library. With those being closed, they've lost access to that."

Wilkinson adds that although disabled students have been asking universities to roll out lecture capture for years, many have been slow to do this, and staff have not been trained on how to make video content accessible and inclusive.

Deaf students in particular find it difficult to lip-read on screens and understand seminars in which multiple people are speaking, and report that many universities do not yet supply subtitles or a British sign language interpreter. Autistic students say they are struggling with the anxiety caused by new systems.

One student from Kingston University, who has dyslexia and dyspraxia, says she is struggling to cope. "I have challenges with coordinating and I find using the online portals unfriendly. It takes me a long time to work it out, and this is not factored in when sessions start," she says. "I'm finding the entire ordeal very stressful and I have emailed lecturers, but I've received no reply."

A Kingston University spokesperson said: "Students are able to access learning materials through the university's easily accessible virtual learning environment, Canvas, which is functioning as normal, and we are making additional adjustment for students with statement of special needs, including making available assistive technology and human support during the assessment period."
Topics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'I can't get motivated': the students struggling with online learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Loretta Charles-Cregan, an 18-year-old A-level student, considers herself lucky because her school gave her a laptop to help her do her GCSEs when she was made temporarily homeless after her house flooded. "It's the only reason I can do my work now," she says. "It was a blessing in disguise."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
University students find themselves in strange and precarious circumstances. Fifteen per cent are stuck on campus because travel regulations prohibit them from returning home. The remaining 85% are attempting to work remotely without access to campus buildings or support from peers.

The good news is that if you're able to self-motivate now, it's a skill you can use for the rest of your life. Lockdown has disrupted our normal routines, and the devastating impact of Covid-19 has left many of us contemplating our own mortality. That's inevitably led to some searching questions about what life is all about.

This is actually a valuable use of our time: people who understand what drives them are not only better placed to make choices which will serve their wellbeing and happiness, they're able to motivate themselves even if the task at hand is unappealing, dull or repetitive (see: revision).

Most people never deeply consider what motivates them. After all, society provides compelling goals for us to aspire to from the moment we're born - whether that's earning money above and beyond what we need to survive, buying stuff we don't need, making ourselves resemble society's narrow beauty paradigms, or getting followers on social media. But as any celebrity will tell you, achieving these goals rarely results in genuine fulfilment.

Conversely, if our key psychological needs - purpose, belonging, achievement, love and connection - are being met and whatever we have dedicated our life to honours our driving force, we're much more likely to feel content, energised and motivated.

The most common driving forces I encounter are a desire to make a difference, community and socialising, freedom and independence, fairness and justice, and competition. Most people are galvanised to an extent by all of the above, but they'll have a dominant motivator. If you're having trouble working out which yours is, there are two tests I'd recommend.

First of all: what's your desert island object and what does it represent to you? If, for example, the answer is your phone, it could represent the ability to communicate with others. Your driving force might be socialising and community.

Secondly: when was the last time you were incandescent with rage over something that, in the general scheme of things, didn't matter that much? For instance, if someone pushed in front of you in a queue two weeks ago and you're still having imaginary conversations with them in your bathroom mirror, your key value might be fairness. Once you've identified your driving force, it's a case of making the task you're dreading match your motivation.

Let's say you're driven to make a difference. You could do a shout-out to see if anyone on your course is struggling with an aspect of studying or a particular module, and challenge yourself to explain it to them. You're revising, but also helping others.

If socialising is your thing, three or four of you could pledge to go over the material and present different parts of it to one another over Zoom or Skype. If you can make it entertaining, all the better.
How to study at home during coronavirus - by online students and tutors
Competitive people are most enthused when in competition with themselves, so time yourself doing a past paper and then see if you can beat your own record. If you can get a competitive person into an online social study group they'll also likely ensure you all remain on track.

One day, lockdown will be over and we'll be tasked with attempting to get back to "normal", but it's shrewd to remain aware of your driving force. After all, as a psychologist once told me: "Your key value is freedom. If you're chained to the same desk for 12 hours a day you'll never be happy, no matter how many zeros are on the end of your salary."

Natasha Devon is an author and campaigner who works in schools, colleges and universities throughout the UK. She was previously the government's mental health champion for schools

Topics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Knuckling down in lockdown: how to stay motivated while studying at home

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
University students find themselves in strange and precarious circumstances. Fifteen per cent are stuck on campus because travel regulations prohibit them from returning home. The remaining 85% are attempting to work remotely without access to campus buildings or support from peers.

# data[].attributes.body
Picture credit Lorin Anderson , Adapted Bloom's Taxonomy used on Michigan State University

# data[].attributes.body
Synchronous
Asynchronous

Picture credit Pearsons Online

# data[].attributes.body
Online, blended, Face to face

# data[].attributes.body
Where and how can they communicate with one another on non academic topics.
Ice breakers? Where will they take place?

# data[].attributes.body
How do you create a learning community

# data[].attributes.body
What is changing?
What level is it changing at? Course, unit, year ...)

# data[].attributes.body
In a change of mode people might devalue the new or previous mode. Be prepared,.
Assess quality often and give multiple options for  feedback from students and caregivers to you.

Reflect - start stop continue
What will you start doing?
What will you stop doing?
What will you keep doing?

# data[].attributes.body
Familiarise yourself with who to contact in
IT (If you need tech support)
Colleagues (if you need resources shared or support)
Policies and Procedures (What can you do in this new medium)

# data[].attributes.body
What do the students need to know before learning. Eg: still following the same curriculum, different medium but ticking the same milestones?
What do the caregiver need to know to support learners?

# data[].attributes.body
Synchronous
Asynchronous
Learning Tasks will take a different amount of time to conceive for you and for the students to complete.
Acknowledge and provide framework of acceptable timeline.
This should be addressed at student and caregiver level

# data[].attributes.body
Set expectations and boundaries.
How will you be available and when (time, frequency, medium and context) Booking a time?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This resource is designed to help spark discussion and prompt those that have not considered or started to develop online learning. It is not intended to provide all the answers, or to cover all of the aspects that relate to the development and provision of learning online. The resource should be used as a tool with academics, practitioners and education management, to kick start the essential discussions required to understand critical aspects of online development and provision.

To use this resource, you can access the interactive version or download a PDF.

Tweet this resource

Enabling Online Practice by John Sumpter is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Essential Elements for
Online Practice

This resource is designed to help you focus on three essential elements for online practice. It is intended to help you focus on three aspects that are imperative for successful online delivery and successful online learning.

Explicit - A learning journey that is clearly defined, leaving no room for confusion or doubt.

Social - A community of learners who can share understanding, challenge assumptions, and promote wellbeing.

Simple - Technology used is appropriate for the audience and accessible.

To use this resources you can download a PDF version.
Tweet this resource

Elements of Online Practice by John Sumpter is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

# data[].attributes.body
How, where, when will students communicate on academic subjects with each other?

# data[].attributes.body
Which technology will be used?
Who picked it and why?
How to access it?
Address Safety?
Give early access to students and caregiver to troubleshoot issues and ask questions.

# data[].attributes.body
Set expectations and boundaries.
How will you be available and when (time, frequency, medium and context) Booking a time

# data[].attributes.body
Provide Lesson plan as it is or a simplified version with

Synchronous or asynchronous

Technology use

Learning Outcomes

Learning Tasks

References to standards/theories for HE

Learning context (Prior knowledge and skills needed or to be developed)

Differentiation

Questions

Assessment

Reflection and Feedback