Learning from and Engaging with Assessment and Feedback (LEAF): Growing Practice

Authors

Emma Robinson, Technological University DublinFollow
Ziene Mottiar, Technological University DublinFollow
Greg Byrne, Technological University DublinFollow
Jane Courtney, Technological University DublinFollow
Geraldine Gorham, Technological University DublinFollow
Anne Hurley, Technological University DublinFollow
Louise Lynch, Technological University DublinFollow
Leanne Harris, Technological University DublinFollow
Denise O'Leary, Technological University DublinFollow

Abstract

The LEAF (Learning from and Engaging with Assessment and Feedback) project addressed a key issue in third-level teaching and learning: assessment and feedback. The LEAF team comprised 18 academics from across the TU Dublin City Campus and representatives from all Colleges, along with the Director of Student Affairs and the Students’ Union Education Officer. This paper presents the findings of the LEAF project. Assessment strategies have been shown to have a large impact on shaping student learning process strategies which feedforward into key employability skills. Learning from best practice, surveys from staff and students and analysis of the quality documents, the project developed a set of recommendations to enhance practices in assessment and feedback. Many challenges were identified over the course of this project in relation to the timeliness, amount and quality of feedback, assessment load, burden on staff and students, student expectations, monologue versus dialogue approach to feedback, inconsistency across programmes and poor integration of assessment and feedback into the academic quality framework. Key drivers identified throughout the project that are necessary to enhance assessment and feedback strategies include adequate resourcing, alignment of assessment with graduate attributes, inclusion of the student voice and more widespread use of technology.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Recommended Citation

Robinson, Emma; Mottiar, Ziene; Byrne, Greg; Courtney, Jane; Gorham, Geraldine; Hurley, Anne; Lynch, Louise; Harris, Leanne; and O'Leary, Denise (2020) "Learning from and Engaging with Assessment and Feedback (LEAF): Growing Practice," Irish Journal of Academic Practice: Vol. 8: Iss. 1, Article 6.
doi:https://doi.org/10.21427/p8j8-xr10
Available at: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijap/vol8/iss1/6

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21427/p8j8-xr10