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 dene.mullen, 19 August, 2022

Zero cheating is a pipe dream, but we still need to push academic integrity

We may never stop university students cheating but we should still encourage academic integrity

David Rettinger and Erica Price Burns offer key points for institutions to consider when creating systems that encourage academic integrity among students

Reading time

4minutes

By Miranda Prynne, 12 August, 2022

Please follow the following: user guidance tasks as assessments

Challenging students to create user guidance manuals relevant to their subject, explaining how something should be used or carried out, is an effective way to assess their applied knowledge, Russ Woodward and Nicola Pattinson explain

Reading time

4minutes

By dene.mullen, 8 August, 2022

21st-century assessment: improve and update the way you evaluate

Videos and podcasts can be useful tools for assessment

Mariana del Sol González offers initial tips and guidance on how to update assessment methods in your classroom

Reading time

3minutes

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

University assessment and quality assurance