Cecilia Lowe (ASO); Kathryn Arnold (Environment); Benjamin Poore (TFTV); Celine Kingman (TFTV); Scott Slorach (York Law School)

Abstract | Presentation: Session C | Forum magazine article | Recording (University of York login required)

Report
If, like me, you were at workshop C entitled ‘Power to the people – student autonomy and assessment’ you will understand why I left with an urge to go onto Youtube and look for a clip of a student pitch to produce a soap opera about a smooth talking parrot. If you weren’t, I’ll explain why…

The session was introduced by Cecilia Lowe and grounded in learning, assessment and motivational theory but the emphasis was very much on sharing practice.The four presenters, in individual concise and thought provoking presentations, explained a range of assessment techniques they had trialled and their rationale for doing so. Kathryn Arnold talked about planning and creating Youtube videos in her environment and society module; Benjamin  Poore and Celine Kingman from TFTV explained the use of pitch presentations and a groupwork exercise to create a scene from a soap opera respectively; and Scott Slorach from YLS emphasised the importance of programme level assessment design to avoid the over assessment of skills performance, which has the by-product of creating those ‘smooth talking parrots’.

The open discussion focussed on the management of innovative assessment design and the importance of ensuring that learning outcomes are linked to the medium of assessment as well as the substantive content. There was also a fascinating discussion about the ‘anxiety of authenticity’ which, as always at these events, was cut short by the need for refreshment. What this session proved to me was that there is definitely a rich source of future forum workshop events in sharing practice about student autonomy and innovative assessment design. Watch this space..

Jenny Gibbons, York Law School