Using Ipsative assessment to improve feedback quality and the student assessment experience in university computer science

Abstract

Assessment and feedback are important aspects of Higher Education used to provide certification to students and to facilitate learning. Therefore, both practices are important to get right. Despite their significance, the results of the National Student Survey show that assessment and feedback are the biggest sources of dissatisfaction for UK undergraduate students (Ferrell, 2012). This thesis outlines a study that set out to understand the issues faced by undergraduate students’ in their experience of assessment and feedback, and whether the adoption of an Ipsative assessment approach could help to ameliorate these issues. Ipsative assessment focuses on the students’ improvement from the previous assessment and their personal best as opposed to the meeting of external criteria. The focus of Ipsative assessment is placed on the students learning gain and the distance travelled, not on the ability to meet certain assessment criteria (Hughes, 2011; Hughes et al, 2014). This research tracked three cohorts of undergraduate students taking their first Computer Science module in programming at Newcastle University. Case study 1 set out to understand students’ perceptions of issues within their assessment and feedback experience. Data were collected from student focus groups, interviews and questionnaires. Case study two analysed historical online feedback given to previous cohorts on the module CSC1021, programming 1, during the academic years 2012/2013 to 2016/2017. In total, 942 items of feedback were analysed to determine if the perceived issues were consistently present in the feedback given to students. Finally, to investigate the potential impacts of Ipsative assessment, a system called ‘Computing: Ipsative Assessment' was trialled with first-year students. Three main issues were identified to contribute to student dissatisfaction, (i) a lack of assessment literacy, (ii) the mark-driven nature of students and (iii) a mismatch of expectations between staff and students regarding feedback. By encouraging the use of self-reflection and self-guided learning through Ipsative Assessment, these issues could be mitigated.