{"id":2956,"date":"2015-01-27T12:34:47","date_gmt":"2015-01-27T12:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/elearningteam\/?p=2956"},"modified":"2015-01-27T12:44:54","modified_gmt":"2015-01-27T12:44:54","slug":"supporting-learning-autonomy-and-curriculum-coverage-in-university-teaching-three-case-studies-of-formative-assessment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/elearningteam\/2015\/01\/27\/supporting-learning-autonomy-and-curriculum-coverage-in-university-teaching-three-case-studies-of-formative-assessment\/","title":{"rendered":"Supporting learning autonomy and curriculum coverage in university teaching: three case studies of formative assessment"},"content":{"rendered":"

My thesis is now available at http:\/\/sro.sussex.ac.uk\/51389\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\"thesis\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Abstract<\/h2>\n

This research investigates formative assessment at a UK research-intensive university,
\nconsidering the aims and effects of their deployment. The research spans three
\nacademic disciplines broadly within the sciences and considers the influence of their
\nhistory and culture on the approaches taken.<\/p>\n

It reports on three case studies originally chosen because of their innovative use of
\ntechnology in teaching and assessment methods. Each case included mid-term
\nsummative assessments that were intended to have a formative function for the
\nstudents. A triangulation of research methods was used that included documentary
\nanalysis, interviews and focus groups. Cultural historic activity theory was used to
\ninterrogate the data that emerged from the research. Bourdieusian theory was also used
\nto understand and explain some of the findings.<\/p>\n

The thesis explores commonly held ideas about what constitutes desirable learning
\noutcomes. It concludes that teaching and assessment practices do not always deliver on
\ntheir promises nor support their intended objectives. Even within innovative
\neducational methods it finds deeply rooted practices which fail to support the graduate
\nskill sets that the tutors are hoping to develop in their students. It suggests that
\nformative assessments which only reward curriculum coverage encourage narrow and
\nconformist thinking and such thinking is at odds with the behaviours we should be
\ndeveloping within our educational environments.<\/p>\n

However, this thesis also describes educational practices that do meet their primary
\naims: to develop students\u2019 learning autonomy whilst they cover the course curricula.
\nThese practices are constructed around formative assessments that build community
\nwithin the student cohort, engage the students in authentic tasks requiring critical
\nreflection and give students a chance to develop expertise within niche areas. The thesis
\nsuggests that these practices are applicable in all academic disciplines, independent of
\nthe subject, and provides approaches to teaching and assessment that encourage
\nautonomous learning and develop high-level transferable skill sets. We all forget facts
\nand procedures over time, and so it is our students\u2019\u00a0capacity to know that we must
\ndevelop within education.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My thesis is now available at http:\/\/sro.sussex.ac.uk\/51389\/ Abstract This research investigates formative assessment at a UK research-intensive university, considering the aims and effects of their deployment. The research spans three academic disciplines broadly within the sciences and considers the influence of their history and culture on the approaches taken. It reports on three case studies […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/elearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2956"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/elearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/elearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/elearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/elearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2956"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/elearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2963,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/elearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2956\/revisions\/2963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/elearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/elearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/elearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}