University assessment and quality assurance

Strategies to improve university assessment for students and educators. Here, academics offer guidance on assessment design, covering formative, summative and diagnostic approaches, authentic assessment and how to give useful feedback. You will also find advice on exam preparation, ungrading, managing GenAI, preventing cheating and upholding academic integrity.

By Eliza.Compton, 8 March, 2023

Can asking for students’ perception of assessment improve fairness?

Young woman with laptop looking at paper and gesturing frustration

Clear, fair assignments and grading criteria can improve not only students’ perceptions but also the reputation of the whole university, writes Philipp Sonnleitner

Reading time

4minutes

By Miranda Prynne, 3 March, 2023

The House Cup: promoting qualitative grading in mathematics

A woman writing out equations on a glass screen

Using qualitative instead of numerical grading in mathematics supports meaningful feedback that helps students improve the quality of their work, Jean-Baptiste Gramain explains

Reading time

3minutes

By Eliza.Compton, 1 March, 2023

Hear this: a guide to writing an academic English listening test

Young woman recording audio on her phone

Listening scripts need to replicate authentic lectures – but you also need to factor in subject matter, tone and question types as you go
test

Reading time

4minutes

By Eliza.Compton, 23 February, 2023

Can online oral exams prevent cheating?

illustration of laptop with speech bubbles oral examinations

Online checking tools often flag non-suspicious behaviour along with suspected academic misconduct. Here, educators share lessons learned from using an online oral exam to check students’ understanding

By dene.mullen, 7 February, 2023

Strengthening academic integrity requires action from students and teachers alike

Tips on boosting academic integrity at university

Eunice Costilla Cruz offers recommendations for promoting academic integrity in your students and how to deal with an offence

Reading time

3minutes

By dene.mullen, 3 February, 2023

Everything you always wanted to know about open-book exams – but were afraid to ask

Creatively constructed open-book assessments are increasingly relevant. Preeti Aghalayam offers advice on how to design them for best effect

Reading time

4minutes

By Miranda Prynne, 2 February, 2023

A unique approach to designing robust, calculation-based online assessments

A man doing calculations at his computer

Designing open-book, online assessments for subjects relying on calculation poses a challenge to educators. Amit Navin Jinabhai presents a model he has successfully applied to minimise student collusion

Reading time

3minutes

By dene.mullen, 1 February, 2023

When promoting academic integrity, start at the root of the problem

Spreading academic integrity starts at the root of the problem

Ethical behaviour can be promoted by raising awareness of what constitutes bad practice, enforcing harsh penalties and placing cheating in a wider context

Reading time

3minutes

By dene.mullen, 30 January, 2023

Formative, summative or diagnostic assessment? A guide

Forms of assessment and how to use them in university classes

An introduction to three of the key forms of assessment along with how they can be applied in the classroom

Reading time

4minutes

By dene.mullen, 27 January, 2023

Three steps to accepting failure: recognise, embrace and enculturate

Failure must be celebrated in higher education

Many fail to see the blood, sweat and tears that often go into both successes and failures. We must learn how to celebrate the process as well as the outcome

Reading time

4minutes

University assessment and quality assurance