TLC Research.

Phase 1 .  Qualitative Research.  Understanding more about the student and lecturer's experience of assessment in Higher Education. In 2005 the project team ran focus groups at three universities with staff and students to explore their experiences and attitudes towards assessment. 

More about the student focus group research

More about the staff focus group research

Phase 2. Quantative Research - Assessment and the curriculum.  In 2005-6 the project team also undertook an audit of the different modes of assessment taking place in the three universities involved in the project.

More about the audit of assessment

Phase 3. In 2006 the project team investigated themes emerging from the focus group research.  In order to further investigate lecturers' attitudes towards changing their assessments, in depth qualitative interviews were held with eight lecturers who had made changes to their assessments.  These lecturers had developed assessments that they had trialled with students over a period of time.  The assessments then developed into reflective case studies, which can been seen on this website.

In addition Heads of Department and Educational Developers at the universities were also interviewed in order to gain an additional perspective into attitudes towards assessment practice within the institutions.

Why change assessment? Understanding more about lecturers’ attitudes towards innovative assessment. (A report summarizing the findings, Palmer A (2006)

4. Overcoming barriers to change - an emerging theme explored at the HEA conference July 2006.

One of the themes to emerge from our research centred on the difficulties lecturers face in making changes to their assessments.  These themes were explored at the above workshop and an action plan of possible solutions was identified.

Report summarizing HEA workshop

In 2007 the team again returned to focus on the student learning experience.  Students who had experienced an 'innovative' assessment (see examples under the reflective case studies) were interviewed.  The assessments they had experienced were the oral viva and running a live event.

Powerpoint  presentation illustrating final project outputs including research from year three.

Audit

The intention was to repeat the audit in year three of the project (2007), but it was felt that this was too short a time to highlight any significant changes.