ABSTRACT
Effective assessment must demonstrate an effect – robust understanding of a subject. Assessment design is key, but feedback is an important tool in supporting our students to achieve this, not just after summative assessment, but throughout their learning journey.
Often, student surveys report dissatisfaction with assessment and feedback. From a staff point of view there is frustration that the feedback provided, other than the mark itself, is often not used as it is intended as well as issues associated with assessment workload. So how do we approach solving these issues, especially in biomedical science where there is a range of subjects taught, by a number of different staff and both theoretical and practical elements?
The first step is to consider assessment design. How can we produce assessments that are fit for purpose but are not onerous to mark? Secondly, how do we ensure that staff and students are on the same page when we talk about what feedback is and how it should be used? Finally, how do we integrate feedback throughout the learning journey, so it is effective not just for the current assessment but also for supporting achievement in future assessments?
