As part of our Assessment Feedback Enhancement Theme for 2020/21, a Thinking about Assessment Seminar Series was specially developed to stimulate conversation, debate and thinking around assessment, feedback and academic integrity.
This seminar series was delivered online from 15th October-20th November 2020. and following is a schedule of seminars held with links to recordings and resources - do you know that MTU Library has e-copies the Assessment & Feedback titles by some of the seminar presenters below?
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Date & Time |
Description |
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Thursday, 15th October 2020, 13:00 -14:00 |
Alternative and Authentic Assessment Strategies Presented By:
Seminar Description This seminar looked at alternative assessment strategies and incorporating the idea of authentic assessment. We examined how approaches to assessment can be varied to both engage students and ensure individual students are doing the work. We shared examples on how we adapted face to face exams to the distance learning environment and we also looked at what others in the field suggest. There was time for discussion and questions to help participants consider how they can alter their assessment, give consideration to academic integrity and provide opportunities for students to choose learning over cheating. |
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Monday, 19th – Friday, 23rd October 2020 |
National Academic Integrity Week 2020 This was Ireland’s inaugural National Academic Integrity Week which aimed to share guidance and best practice in upholding and cultivating academic integrity, including issues arising from academic misconduct and cheating, showcasing the voices of teaching and learning practitioners, as well as those of students themselves.
Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) QQI in collaboration with the National Academic Integrity Network (NAIN) organised a programme of 14 online events which featured events organised by the European Network for Academic Integrity (ENAI) and the International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI) as part of International Day against Contract Cheating, in which Ireland was taking part for the first time and included webinars organised and hosted by a variety of Irish higher education institutions and agencies.
Internal MTU Events In addition, MTU Library will hosted its own in-house series of seminars for undergraduate students, the details were as follows: Date: Wednesday, 21st October 2020, 13:00 Title: An Introduction to the Harvard referencing style for undergraduate students Presented By: Finbarr O’Donovan, MTU Library Webinar Description: The Harvard citation style is one of many referencing styles available however it is the preferred referencing style for many academic departments within MTU. The Harvard style of referencing is widely used in all of the following disciplines, Health Sciences, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Biology, Linguistics, Social Studies, Arts& Humanities, Environmental Studies, Business Studies and Economics. This webinar introduced undergraduate students to this particular referencing style and the fundamentals of referencing.
Date: Thursday, 22nd October 2020, 13:00 Title: Understanding & being aware of plagiarism in college - a guide for undergraduate students Presented By: Michael Costello, MTU Deputy Librarian Webinar Description: This webinar introduced undergraduate students to the concept of plagiarism. Issues that were addressed during the course of the webinar included:
Useful Resources In addition, TLU had previously hosted a number of seminars on the topic of academic integrity, the following provides links to resources from these seminars that were thought to be useful:
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Friday, 30th October2020, 09:00-13:00 |
Plagiarism and Collusion – Myth or Reality? Assessment for Future Needs: A Seminar Funded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Presented By:
Seminar Description: This seminar explored concerns around academic integrity in Higher Education and how assessment redesign can eliminate many of these concerns.
The seminar was divided into two elements. The first session explored why, how and when students cheat in Higher Education. It opened up discussion and debate on academic integrity, plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating and the role we play in it as educators. The second part of the seminar focused on re-thinking how we assess and redesigning assessment approaches. The presenter discussed strategies that include encouraging students to see assessment, both, as an opportunity to learn and an opportunity to demonstrate their excellence and skills. Redesigning and rethinking the tasks we ask our students to complete in order to demonstrate attainment of the desired life-long skills in tandem with module and programme learning outcomes can effectively eliminate both the desire and the opportunity to ‘cheat’. Across the two sessions participants were asked to self-reflect, to consider their values and establish why they assess as they do. Traditions and assumptions were challenged & participants were supported in the redesigning of assessment approaches. Slide Decks
Additional Resources |
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Friday, 6th November 2020, 09:00-12:30 |
Redesigning Assessment and Developing Staff and Student Feedback Literacy: A Seminar Funded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Presented By:
Seminar Description This seminar focused on developing feedback literacy in both staff and students and redesigning assessment to build on this new-found understanding. It drew on student and staff expertise across two main strands. Strand 1 took a ‘deep dive’ to explore what learner-focused feedback means and how staff and students can enable impacts from different feedback approaches. Particular emphasis was placed on feedback literacy: the capacities of teachers and students to make the most of feedback opportunities. What capabilities do teachers and students need in order to take up their complementary roles in feedback processes? Strand 2 looked at disentangling assessment and feedback and explored the various forms of feedback used in assessment and in the absence of assessment. Assessment design was highlighted so that opportunities to provide feedback to inform future work are intentionally embedded at the development phase. Slide Decks
Additional Resource |
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Thursday, 12th November 2020 10:00-13:00 |
Working on Reflection - Supporting Students to Reflect on Work Placement A Seminar Funded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Presented By:
Seminar Description Reflective practice is a key skill in many professions including education. but is particularly relevant to students in the context of work placement. We as educators expect students embarking on work placement to have, at some point in their studies, developed sufficient reflection skills to enable them effectively capture their learning from the placement experience. However, this is not always the case as students often receive little explicit instruction, practice or guidance about how to reflect. In this seminar participants were guided through the process of reflection and themselves engaged in reflective practices. There were opportunities for discussion in breakout rooms. Discussions covered how other colleagues are engaging students on reflection in placement settings.
Workshop Materials Additional Resource |
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Friday, 20th November 2020, 13:00-14:00 |
Digesting New Ideas around Assessment, Academic Integrity and Feedback Facilitated By:
Session Description The TLU Team hosted a virtual coffee and digestive where we reflected on, discussed and contextualised the key learnings from this seminar series and considered the broader implications for our own practice. The TLU is keen to help you, as individuals and/or groups, take these learnings and translate them so that they are relevant to your own area and discipline. It is imperative that we understand your questions and concerns as these will inform the development of future seminar series. |
