Developing the future of assessment
As the first in-person typed exams take place for students this term, Jackie Hoyle, Director of Student Registry, reflects on the efforts across the collegiate university to reach this point
Redefining assessment
In 2020, the pandemic flipped our entire, well-established exam system on its head. With literally six weeks to go, we had to turn in-person handwritten papers into online assessment. This was our first introduction to large-scale, open-book examinations.
The implementation of Inspera as our online assessment tool has allowed us to develop computer-based assessments, and this Trinity term, in-person typed exams at scale were launched for the very first time at Oxford.
We have improved WiFi provision in the historic Examination Schools, and purchased Chromebooks and charging stations. This term, we are running over 5,800 exam sittings with nearly 2,000 candidates, and at the time of writing, these are going very well. We are confident we can expand to include more exam boards next year, and we will be reaching out to departments over the coming weeks to gauge interest in assessing students through in-person, computer-based exams.
Changing history
The assessment of our students’ acquisition of skills, knowledge and attributes at Oxford has remained largely unchanged, with the predominant form being the handwritten paper taken at the Examination Schools since 1883. In recent decades, variation has crept into the types of summative assessment tasks used at Oxford, such as the introduction of submitted coursework. This variation is important to allow opportunities for students to demonstrate the full extent of their learning.
Work burdens have noticeably increased in recent years as the number of students grow, more students have unique assessment needs, and as we offer a greater range of assessments. We are working on ways to reduce this burden: automating where we can, changing our practices and reviewing our policies.
Advances in Digital Transformation
It is thanks to funding from Oxford’s Digital Transformation Programme that enabled us to instigate this new wave of development in our assessment processes.
Digital Transformation has supported a range of assessment developments, including an end-to-end review of all our assessment processes. The first phase of this is now complete and has been invaluable in helping to identify a range of improvements we can make to reduce burdens on staff, as well as improving the student experience.
Professional Services Together
The delivery of assessments is supported by many moving parts and made possible by staff in departments, colleges and central teams playing important roles.
A vast amount of work goes into running assessments, such as setting up assessment records, running the assessments, managing student adjustments and processing results. It is really complicated to manage. One only has to look at the Examination and Assessment Framework and various assessment websites to acknowledge how complex it is, and this would not be possible without the input of all colleagues involved.
So many people contribute to making our exams happen, and I have been struck by the way my colleagues have embraced the spirit of Professional Services Together – collaborating and supporting each other to foster the integrity of Oxford’s assessments.
The future of assessment
The use of different assessment tasks and formats in recent years has opened up ways to assess the different facets of a student’s learning and offers opportunities to explore new ways to enable students to demonstrate their knowledge, abilities and skills. I think there is room for both the traditional, in-person invigilated exam, along with open-book and other forms of assessment. As part of these advances, we will need to pay close attention to advances in AI and digital technology which offer opportunities to innovate, but also pose a threat, if assessment tasks are designed in ways that encourage plagiarism. The Centre for Teaching and Learning is a good starting place for guidance on expanding assessment approaches with its Guide to designing inclusive assessments and Redesigning Summative Assessment service.
By being creative in our assessment designs, reducing burdens on staff and retaining robust policy, we can ensure that the high integrity of the Oxford assessment is protected whilst we innovate and get ready for the future, for both our staff and students.
