Evaluation of short answer question assessment platforms through student-staff partnership

Authors

  • Yuvraj Jadeja University College London
  • Kaja Posnik University College London
  • Emily Sonia Ukai University College London
  • Marieke Guy University College London
  • Janice Kiugu University College London
  • Martina Wicklein University College London

Keywords:

optimisation, changemakers, in-course assessments, student experience, collaboration, student-staff partnership, stakeholders

Abstract

In this paper we will report on a student-staff collaborative ChangeMakers project, ‘Evaluation of short answer question assessment platforms through student-staff partnership’.

The content of the project focused on the comparison of two platforms for in-course assessments (Moodle and WiseFlow). We evaluated the two platforms to investigate which one was preferred by the students. In addition, by conducting the project in partnership with all stakeholders that are directly involved in the delivery of assessments (module organiser, Digital Assessment Teams and students), we pioneered a student-staff partnership and established a mode of successful communication between the stakeholders. In the first part of the paper we will concentrate on comparing the two assessment platforms and in the latter part we will introduce our student staff partnership. The study used questionnaires given to the student cohort after each of the three in-course assessments, a focus group of 12 students of the first year Neuroscience cohort and wider cohort discussions outside of the structured focus group, which were communicated by text. We had recognised the problem of closing the feedback loop between students and staff and wanted to address it through the ChangeMakers project. To this effect we developed a space where the student voice was heard, feedback was directly implemented and continued student-staff dialogue was ensured.

Our results revealed that both platforms are fit for purpose, and we were able to identify specific features, e.g. word count and training, as beneficial to the student experience. In regard to the successful implementation of our project, key findings were the importance of a democratic partnership between all stakeholders, the fact that the stakeholders were trusted representatives of their cohorts, and in the case of staff that they had the power to make changes to procedures. This enabled the team to directly respond to recommendations by the students and to successfully close the loop between student feedback and response.

The project resulted in recommendations on short in-course assessment delivery that can be accessed and implemented by the wider UCL community, as well as recommendations for the successful design and delivery of student-staff projects. These can be applied across the higher education sector, and can serve as a framework for student-staff partnerships. The recommendations can be found at the end of the paper.

Author Biographies

Yuvraj Jadeja, University College London

Yuvraj Jadeja is a Neuroscience undergraduate student at University College London. His academic journey has instilled in him a deep fascination with the intricate workings of the nervous system, and he aspire to pursue a career in academia. Yuvraj is a co-president of the UCL Neuroscience society, as well as Faculty Representative for the Faculty of Life Sciences at UCL.  

Kaja Posnik, University College London

Kaja Posnik is a third year Neuroscience student at University College London and one of the Student Leads on the ChangeMakers project, which she had the opportunity to present during the UCL Education Conference in 2022. She has experience with scientific writing, having been involved in youth neuroscience organizations and having had one of her articles published in ‘The Harvard Brain’. Kaja also has experience with project management, communications and youth empowerment, having been a student representative and mentor for younger peers starting their academic journey at university

Emily Sonia Ukai, University College London

Emily Ukai is a third year undergraduate Neuroscience student at University College London. Originally from Tokyo, Japan she pursued higher education in the United Kingdom, hoping for teachings from researchers on the cutting edge of neuroscience discoveries. She took on the role of Student Academic Representative in hopes to bridge the gap between student feedback and administrative changes to the course structure, and this paper is her contributioin to this

Marieke Guy, University College London

Marieke Guy is the Head of Digital Assessment at University College London (UCL). She leads a team of Digital Assessment Advisors and Learning Technologists, collaborating with Faculties to support the design and delivery of online assessments and feedback. Before joining UCL, Marieke held senior digital learning positions at the University College of Estate Management (UCEM) and the Royal Agricultural University (RAU). Her earlier professional experience includes 13 years as a researcher into digital information at the University of Bath and time spent as a data analyst at the Quality Assurance Agency

Janice Kiugu, University College London

Janice Kiugu works at UCL as a Faculty Learning Technology Lead. Her role consists of providing faculty wide co-coordination and support in the use of various learning technologies.  Janice advises academic colleagues on how these technologies can be used effectively within teaching and learning.  Janice’s enthusiasm for the role stems from having experienced first-hand the transformative impact that good use of technology can have on the learning process.

Martina Wicklein, University College London

Martina Wicklein is a neuroscientist and had worked on fundamental visual processing before moving into a fulltime teaching role. She is currently Associate Professor (teaching) for Neuroscience and Head of Teaching in the Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology at UCL. She is also admissions and 1st year tutor. She has keen interests in bridging the skills gap from school to university and equal accessibility of teaching and assessment for all students.

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Published

03/13/2024

How to Cite

Jadeja, Y., Posnik, K., Ukai, E. S., Guy, M., Kiugu, J., & Wicklein, M. (2024). Evaluation of short answer question assessment platforms through student-staff partnership. The Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change, 9(1). Retrieved from https://journals.studentengagement.org.uk/index.php/studentchangeagents/article/view/1217

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 1 (2023): Co-producing knowledge and curricula as a method for fostering student engagement, inclusion and academic integrity

Section

Case Study

License

Copyright (c) 2024 The Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change

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Copyright is held by the journal. The author has full permission to publish to their institutional repository. Articles are published under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence.