Track B3 - Using My Learning in the Assessment Cycle: How Hard Can it Be? Challenges and Benefits of Using VLEs for Assessment

Jas Ahmad, Middlesex University, Business School
Luiza Dantas, Centre for Academic Practice Enhancement (CAPE)

Jas and Luiza provided an energetic presentation on the benefits and versatility of integrating My Learning (Moodle) tools into the assessment cycle.

Luiza opened by describing the various stages of the assessment cycle; 1) specifying requirements, 2) setting assessment criteria and expectations, 3) supporting students through the assessment process, 4) submission of assignments, 5) marking and feedback, 6) returning marks and feedback, and 7) reflection. She identified that more focus and engagement is needed in the first 4 stages than is currently being given.

Jas then walked us through his approach to these 4 stages of the assessment cycle. Jas advocates the use of Breeze presentations.  Breeze is available freely online and allows the lecturer to upload Powerpoint slides coupled with short audio narration for each slide.  This allows Jas’ students to gain the basic information regarding assessment design at home, allowing for richer engagement and more informed questions during his face to face lectures.

Jas emphasised the need to ‘frontload’ your course with information and support.  Jas sets out his expectations early on, providing a recorded lectures, online announcements and engages with online discussions on how students should prepare for seminars, lectures and assignments.  In his experience, students routinely need the same guidance at the start of every term, so providing this information in a pre-recorded format saves valuable time and confusion in the long run.

Challenges to providing online guidance and support can include resistance from students who see more value in receiving the information in a face to face format. Gaining the students ‘buy in’ early on and continuously throughout the course is important for the success of online support.  It is also important to consider necessary adjustments for disabled students, if these students are not considered in the preparation stage of teaching then this can create a lot of back tracking and extra work later.

Jas empathised with colleagues who may be reluctant to try out technologies they are not familiar with due to fear of failure, and the potential for being caught on camera making a mistake. He recommends speaking to the camera as though you are speaking to a student in the room, if you trip up over a sentence or need to correct yourself it is not a big deal, and with time and practice confidence will grow.

Luiza closed the session by reminding the audience that the Centre for Academic Practice Enhancement is on hand to support any members of staff who would like to branch out and explore the potential of using My Learning in their assessment strategies.

Report by Jessica Isaacs, Online Learning Content Developer, Centre for Academic Practice Enhancement (CAPE)