The Assessment for the Future project (AFF) was established in 2021 under the leadership of Gabrielle Finn, Associate Vice President for Teaching, Learning, and Students. Assessment is among Gabrielle's top areas of priority. AFF recognises that assessment is integral to the student journey and experience, with Assessment and Feedback among the University's key operational and strategic priorities.
Projects within AFF:
- Assessment Framework Review
- Cadmus
- AI Working Groups
- Differential Attainment
- Assessment and Feedback Change Project (Students' Union)
- Groupwork Project
- Enhancing Assessment Review
- Assessment Census
Please click on the links below for more information on these areas.
Assessment Framework Review
The aims of the review are:
- To update the University’s Assessment Framework ensuring relevant, inclusive, and trustworthy assessments for the future
- To simplify the framework and make the content more accessible for staff and students
Watch the following background presentation/video for information about the Assessment Framework Review and consultation process.
Methods of Feedback:
For each section, three different methods of feedback are being used:
- Individual feedback via online forms
- Attendance at a group focus meeting on different sections of the Assessment Framework
- Collated feedback via Schools/Faculties (for FSE, the preferred method of colleague consultation is via the Teaching College) - please send to teaching-policy@manchester.ac.uk
The consultation process incorporates feedback and input from both staff and Student Partner Interns.
Consultation Process:
| Policies and Procedures available to read on Sharepoint | [1] Individual Feedback (online Microsoft Form) | [2] Attend focus group meeting | [3] Collated through School/Faculty TLSE teams | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Definition and Principles | 13th November 2023 | 19th January 2024 | ||
| Conducting Assessment | 13th November 2023 | 19th January 2024 | 19th January 2024 | |
| Outcomes of Assessment | 5th January 2024 | 29th Feburary 2024 | 29th February 2024 | |
| Designing Assessment | 15th February 2024 | 5th April 2024 | 5th April 2024 |
Cadmus
For the 2023/2024 academic year, there are 104 units using Cadmus across all three faculties.
For more information about Cadmus, please see the Cadmus case study which went live on 18th September 2023.
If you are interested in using Cadmus, please email teaching.learning@manchester.ac.uk
AI Working Groups
The AI Working Groups met in May, June, and July 2023. Recommendations from those working groups have been fed into the AFF steering group and will also feed into the Assessment Framework Review. AI Teaching Guidance was released in October 2023, and summaries of the AI Teaching Guidance for staff and students have been created.
The AFF steering group are also feeding into the new AI strategy group - Artificial Intelligence in Teaching and Learning Strategy Subgroup (AITLSS).
Students may find the library resource on AI guidance useful.
Differential Attainment
Differential Attainment is a cross-faculty project, led by Aseih Yousefnejad Shomali (Research Associate) alongside Adam Danquah (Vice Dean for Teaching, Learning, and Student Experience, FBMH) and Gabrielle Finn (AVP for Teaching, Learning, and Students). Further details about the Differential Attainment project are available on their website.
The final report is due to be completed by January 2024, and outputs will be fed into the Assessment Framework Review and subsequent training that is released.
New AFF Projects
Assessment and Feedback Change Project (Students' Union)
The Assessment and Feedback Change Project is a multi-year project led by the Students' Union, aimed at transforming assessment and feedback practices across the University. The project started in October 2023 and is a collaborative effort between the University and the Students' Union elected Officers to address key student concerns and enhance the overall assessment experience.
The Assessment and Feedback Change Project was initiated based on consistent feedback from students that assessment and feedback were major areas requiring reform. The project outlines a series of recommendations to be implemented over the next few years.
Recommendations are informed by extensive data from sources like the National Student Survey (NSS), the 'BuildYourMCR' (BYMCR) survey, focus groups with School Representatives, and the new 'EducateMCR' survey.
This is a collaborative, student-focused initiative. The Students' Union is welcoming feedback and involvement from students, staff, and faculty throughout the process.
Their vision is to create a fair, timely, and effective assessment and feedback system that supports student success and enhances the overall educational experience at the University of Manchester.
Their 'What Matters: Assessment and Feedback' paper is now complete and available to read.
If you would like to contact the project team for further information, please email your query to the SU Officers:
- humsofficer.su@manchester.ac.uk
- fbmhofficer.su@manchester.ac.uk
- fseofficer.su@manchester.ac.uk
Groupwork Project
Groupwork has been widely reported and identified as a source of anxiety and inequity by students, and this project seeks to investigate how groupwork can be enhanced and made to be more effective. The project is in its infancy and proposes three potential outputs:
1. Materials for students to support with groupwork.
2. Materials to support colleagues with developing effective groupwork for students.
3. Develop resources to show the value of groupwork.
Enhancing Assessment Review
The Enhancing Assessment Review is a small-scale pilot with a specific current focus on the School of Biological Sciences, taking a holistic view of assessment with the aim to make recommendations to improve assessment. The project team is reviewing Year 2 Semester 1 assessments across all undergraduate SBS units.
Assessment Census Project
The Assessment Census project aims to review assessment practices across faculties, by finding the baseline for each faculty on assessment load, word limits, number of hours spent on assessment, and how many credits the assessments are worth for both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.