University assessment and quality assurance

Insight on 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 Miranda Prynne, 12 July, 2022

Assessing science students’ practical skills – can we learn from healthcare education?

Image of medical students being taught using a mannequin patient

Healthcare educators have developed effective ways to assess a range of practical skills in their learners. What can other science educators learn from their example?

Reading time

3minutes

By dene.mullen, 4 July, 2022

Original essays written in seconds: how ‘transformers’ will change assessment

Artificial intelligence that generates original text will be both empowering and disruptive for students and higher education at large, say Mike Sharples and Rafael Pérez y Pérez

Reading time

4minutes

By dene.mullen, 27 June, 2022

Three immediate changes academics can make to close awarding gaps

Academics must take personal responsibility for closing the awarding gap

Tutors have a responsibility to identify and bridge attainment gaps in their programmes and must work proactively to bring about positive impact for their students

Reading time

3minutes

By dene.mullen, 14 June, 2022

I’m a Columbia student, and I don’t want my grade inflated

Grade inflation in universities can have many negative effects, says a Columbia student

Normalising failure could improve students’ mental health, give them the freedom to learn more effectively and make them more resilient all at once, says Jacob Clay

Reading time

4minutes

By sara.custer, 6 June, 2022

Campus webinar: What’s the future of higher education assessment?

Webinar discussion how to reduce student drop out rates in the context of the pandemic and online learning

A panel of teaching and learning experts from Campus+ institutions around the world discuss how can institutions create evaluations that are fair, robust and credible

Reading time

60minutes

By Miranda Prynne, 11 May, 2022

The good, the bad and the way forward: how UK universities should respond to REF results

An image representing the possible outcomes from REF: good, bad and mixed

How should UK universities respond if their REF results are good, bad or offer a mixed picture? New pro vice-chancellor for research Heather Widdows shares her advice

Reading time

3minutes

By Miranda Prynne, 6 May, 2022

Don’t let the REF tail wag the academic dog

Image of a researcher examining a slide through a microscope

Institutions should resist the temptation to use the REF as a tool for competition and self-promotion and, instead, approach the results in ways that support sector-wide efforts to improve research culture

Reading time

3minutes

By dene.mullen, 22 April, 2022

Students are different, so why are you still teaching them all the same way?

Think differently. University students bring different things to the table so academics should use differentiated instruction to reach them all

We know that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t really work. Adriana Plata-Marroquin and Leticia Castaño offer tips on implementing differentiated instruction

Reading time

4minutes

By dene.mullen, 22 April, 2022

Why you should write feedback to your students before they’ve submitted

Working back to front, by writing feedback before students have submitted, can help when teaching large cohorts

Starting at the end seems counterintuitive, but anticipating student strengths and weaknesses and automating your responses comes into its own for large cohorts

Reading time

4minutes

By Miranda Prynne, 21 April, 2022

Teaching history in the 2020s: how can Subject Benchmark Statements help?

Woman perched on a pile of old books representing the traditional view of history teaching

The QAA’s Subject Benchmark Statements can help guide the teaching of specific disciplines. Elaine Fulton explains how to use the recently updated statements to enhance history teaching in a decade fraught with challenges

Reading time

4minutes

University assessment and quality assurance