{"id":9543,"date":"2023-06-27T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-27T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/?p=9543"},"modified":"2023-06-06T16:36:18","modified_gmt":"2023-06-06T15:36:18","slug":"the-quest-for-alternative-assessment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2023\/06\/27\/the-quest-for-alternative-assessment\/","title":{"rendered":"The quest for alternative assessment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2023\/06\/Picture1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2023\/06\/Picture1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9544\" width=\"530\" height=\"552\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2023\/06\/Picture1.jpg 825w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2023\/06\/Picture1-288x300.jpg 288w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2023\/06\/Picture1-768x800.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2023\/06\/Picture1-100x104.jpg 100w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2023\/06\/Picture1-150x156.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2023\/06\/Picture1-200x208.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2023\/06\/Picture1-300x312.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2023\/06\/Picture1-450x469.jpg 450w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2023\/06\/Picture1-600x625.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 530px) 100vw, 530px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Formal exams and essays have formed the backbone of academic assessment for centuries, but they are far from perfect, and they don\u2019t suit everyone &#8211; tutors and learners alike.&nbsp;Alternative assessment methods have been growing in popularity. Could it be the accelerating adoption of artificial intelligence that finally forces us to fully embrace them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>What are the alternatives?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Alternative assessment refers to any assessment method that is not a traditional timed exam paper or academic essay. This can take different forms, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Portfolio: a collection of student work that demonstrates their learning over time.<\/li><li>Project: a longer-term assignment that requires students to apply their knowledge and skills in a real-world context.<\/li><li>Presentation: an opportunity for students to share their learning with an audience.<\/li><li>Performance: a task that requires students to demonstrate their skills in a hands-on way.<\/li><li>Media: students submit their work using video or audio recordings.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>There are numerous benefits to embracing alternative assessment. It makes it possible to assess a wider range of learning outcomes, such as critical thinking, problem solving and creativity, thus potentially providing a more comprehensive assessment of student learning. It also increases student engagement &#8211; alternative assessments can be more engaging and motivating for students, which can lead to improved learning outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another benefit would be closing the awarding gap and increasing access. Alternative assessments provide students with a variety of ways to demonstrate their learning, which can be beneficial to those with disabilities or from diverse backgrounds. And, of course, it would help to address the challenge of artificial intelligence, because it is much more difficult to use AI to submit via an alternative assessment method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even before the rise of AI tools such as ChatGPT Dr Carli Rowell, (Sociology and Criminology), approached Educational Enhancement to deliver a workshop highlighting different alternative assessment methods. Dr Charlie Crouch (Academic Developer) and Rachael Thomas (Learning Technologist) were delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate on <a href=\"https:\/\/sussex.box.com\/s\/utm99370htus6ibnf9d0c1el2yru0x6i\">this workshop<\/a> (Sussex login required).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Professional Services collaboration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Educational Enhancement are often engaged in blue-sky thinking with academic colleagues but are also regularly asked about how changes can be made within current university systems. Accordingly, there was great benefit in collaborating with Professional Services colleagues to identify where and how any changes to assessment could be accommodated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A beautiful collaborative relationship was born among the Professional Services teams providing support to the Social Sciences cluster of schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Charlie Crouch (Educational Enhancement) drew from pedagogic literature on the benefits and challenges of alternative assessments, and what has been successful in other institutions, to facilitate the workshop.<\/li><li>Amanda Bolt (Academic Quality and Partnerships) gave practical advice about the School Education Committee process for when, how and whether to make changes to accommodate alternative modes of assessment.<\/li><li>Anna McCall (Academic Regulations) provided information about assessment regulations and common pitfalls in assessment briefs.<\/li><li>Rachael Thomas (Educational Enhancement) provided expert knowledge of specific university systems and instruction on how to set up assignments to accept the different ways students might submit work.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Together, they provided a rounded picture of the process, and were able to respond to queries which arose during the workshop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>The workshop<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The workshop started with an activity, asking participants to add post-it notes to a wall, saying why they think we need to assess students. This was followed by an explanation of why alternative assessments are desirable, what they could look like, some case studies and student feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Participants in the workshop were then asked to play a game (described below), to identify different methods of assessment, and how these might work within Sociology and Criminology. After the game, there was an opportunity for participants to ask questions about the practicalities of how they would implement the assessment types they had discussed and identified as appropriate for their learning outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>The game<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The larger part of the workshop focused on participants taking part in<a href=\"https:\/\/www.advance-he.ac.uk\/knowledge-hub\/assessment-game\"> Assessment: The Game<\/a> &#8211; an activity developed by<a href=\"https:\/\/www.derby.ac.uk\/staff\/ian-turner\/\"> Ian Turner<\/a>, a professor in learning and teaching in higher education at University of Derby, to \u2019break down existing barriers and preconceptions about assessment modes that can be used in higher education.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The workshop attendees were split into small groups, and each member was dealt three cards from<a href=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com\/assets.creode.advancehe-document-manager\/documents\/advance-he\/Assessment%20Mode%20Cards%206%20per%20sheet_1589629046.pdf\"> a deck of 60<\/a>, each showing a different type of assessment mode. They were invited, as groups, to consider one of the learning outcomes associated with their module and create an assessment which aligned with that learning outcome, using one of the assessment mode cards in their group. They were given 45 minutes to discuss this in their groups, with an opportunity to swap their cards if they couldn\u2019t find a match with one of their learning outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Review<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Feedback during and following the workshop included some robust discussions about the concerns that assessment might become less academically rigorous as they became more varied. Inevitably, conversations also touched on the possible implications of ChatGPT for assessment. And there were suggestions for how the skills gap in academic staff and students could be addressed to enable the use of different tools and systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The game was well received, with one participant commenting \u2018it was really great and worked well\u2019 and recognising that it was structured enough to provide direction, but free enough to allow discussion of issues important to the school. As a result, a strong interest in podcasts was identified and a follow up workshop on designing podcasts as assessment has been arranged. Everyone involved enjoyed spending an afternoon together dedicated to exploring the possibilities of alternative assessments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you would like the Educational Enhancement team to deliver this workshop in your school, please contact <a href=\"mailto:tel@sussex.ac.uk\">tel@sussex.ac.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled\"><div class=\"robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon sd-sharing\"><h3 class=\"sd-title\">Share this:<\/h3><div class=\"sd-content\"><ul><li class=\"share-twitter\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-twitter-9543\" class=\"share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2023\/06\/27\/the-quest-for-alternative-assessment\/?share=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Twitter\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-facebook\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-facebook-9543\" class=\"share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2023\/06\/27\/the-quest-for-alternative-assessment\/?share=facebook\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Facebook\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-tumblr\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-tumblr sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2023\/06\/27\/the-quest-for-alternative-assessment\/?share=tumblr\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Tumblr\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-print\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-print sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2023\/06\/27\/the-quest-for-alternative-assessment\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to print\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to print (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-pinterest\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-pinterest-9543\" class=\"share-pinterest sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2023\/06\/27\/the-quest-for-alternative-assessment\/?share=pinterest\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Pinterest\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-pocket\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-pocket sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2023\/06\/27\/the-quest-for-alternative-assessment\/?share=pocket\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Pocket\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-end\"><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Formal exams and essays have formed the backbone of academic assessment for centuries, but they are far from perfect, and they don\u2019t suit everyone &#8211; tutors and learners alike.&nbsp;Alternative assessment methods have been growing in popularity. Could it be the<span class=\"ellipsis\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2023\/06\/27\/the-quest-for-alternative-assessment\/\">Read more &#8250;<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled\"><div class=\"robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon sd-sharing\"><h3 class=\"sd-title\">Share this:<\/h3><div class=\"sd-content\"><ul><li class=\"share-twitter\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-twitter-9543\" class=\"share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2023\/06\/27\/the-quest-for-alternative-assessment\/?share=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Twitter\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-facebook\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-facebook-9543\" class=\"share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2023\/06\/27\/the-quest-for-alternative-assessment\/?share=facebook\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Facebook\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-tumblr\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-tumblr sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2023\/06\/27\/the-quest-for-alternative-assessment\/?share=tumblr\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Tumblr\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-print\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-print sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2023\/06\/27\/the-quest-for-alternative-assessment\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to print\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to print (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-pinterest\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-pinterest-9543\" class=\"share-pinterest sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2023\/06\/27\/the-quest-for-alternative-assessment\/?share=pinterest\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Pinterest\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-pocket\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-pocket sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2023\/06\/27\/the-quest-for-alternative-assessment\/?share=pocket\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Pocket\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-end\"><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":389,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[98269],"tags":[241],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4IWEK-2tV","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9803,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2024\/02\/02\/academic-developers-february-round-up\/","url_meta":{"origin":9543,"position":0},"title":"Academic Developers: February Roundup","date":"2nd February 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Curriculum Framework ready for consultation A Curriculum Framework for Sussex is in development as part of Curriculum Reimagined. The working document has been created from stakeholder engagement, dedicated open meetings and working groups.\u00a0 There are elements that will need to be added as Curriculum Reimagined continues (particularly in relation to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academic Development&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2024\/02\/Round-up-October.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9774,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2024\/01\/18\/five-tips-for-using-portfolios-in-afl\/","url_meta":{"origin":9543,"position":1},"title":"Five Tips for Using PORTFOLIOS in Assessment for Learning","date":"18th January 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Laura Clarke, Academic Developer, University of Sussex When I taught in my previous institution, we used portfolios as a summative assessment for students as well as a means to evaluate instruction. We scored the portfolios based on a rubric and quantitative data was collected for various stakeholders. While this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Educational Enhancement&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2024\/01\/2024-01-18-Portfolio-Picture-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10189,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2025\/02\/10\/academic-developers-february-round-up-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":9543,"position":2},"title":"Academic Developers February round up","date":"10th February 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Welcome to the February 2025 Academic Developers round up, where we share information, events and news. Sussex Education Festival\u00a0 The Sussex Education Festival is back for its third year! On Friday 2 May, colleagues from across the university will come together to share their experiences, research and reflections on teaching\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2025\/02\/Round-up-October.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9654,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2023\/10\/02\/ai-in-teaching-and-assessment-october-2023-update\/","url_meta":{"origin":9543,"position":3},"title":"AI in Teaching and Assessment: October 2023 update","date":"2nd October 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Photo by Tincho Franco on Unsplash\u00a0 Welcome to the first of, what we anticipate will become, regular (monthly-ish) updates on new developments in AI and Higher Education.\u00a0\u00a0 As this is the first such blog post, and one which comes at the end of a summer which has seen some significant\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AI&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2023\/10\/image.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9709,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2023\/11\/09\/academic-developers-november-round-up\/","url_meta":{"origin":9543,"position":4},"title":"Academic Developers November round up","date":"9th November 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"AI CoP The first meeting of the AI Community of Practice is scheduled for 2-3:30 on Monday 4th December.\u00a0\u00a0 The session will feature Professor Michael Luck (UoS Provost and AI expert), quick fire examples of practice in teaching and assessment and a chance to help shape the CoP going forward.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academic Development&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2023\/11\/Round-up-October.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8828,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2021\/10\/12\/feedback-options-in-turnitin-and-canvas-speedgrader\/","url_meta":{"origin":9543,"position":5},"title":"Feedback options in Turnitin and Canvas SpeedGrader","date":"12th October 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"\u2018Assessment and Feedback\u2019 is a somewhat notorious category within National Student Survey data, frequently ranked poorly compared to other areas. This trend is present in most UK universities even when \u2018Student Satisfaction\u2019 is ranked highly. The 2021 Student Academic Experience Survey from Advance HE and Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;feedback&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2021\/10\/Figure_2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9543"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/389"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9543"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9550,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9543\/revisions\/9550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}