ACTION PLAN FOR 2016-2017, REFLECTING ON 2015-2016

Action / Source of issue / By whom / By when / Status
A. Adjustments to personal tutor role in relation to feedback. The senior tutor has developed a new plan to work at engaging students with the feedback process. Students will have their end of semester work returned with a “feed forward: form that asks them to identify their strengths and weaknesses and to formulate a plan with their personal tutor and to upload the form on e-portfolio.
B. Review and revise assessment criteria. A working group has been established to review and revise assessment criteria. Models to be presented to teaching committee for review and approval.
C. School-wide consultation on Assessment and feedback to identify priorities, goals, strategies, and best practice. To involve separate subject meetings centred on feedback and assessment, coordination of subject responses to identify school and individual subject goals and actions. As a consultative process this is ongoing and actions cannot necessarily be clearly defined, but outcomes already have been the formation of a working party to review/revise assessment criteria; the formation of a curriculum review committee (for English Literature) to review our forms of assessment across the degree.
D. Change moderator dialogue sheet.
E. Encourage and support SSC in developing more social events in the school and in organizing student book sales/exchange. In NSS comments many students complain of insufficient opportunities for socialization and about cost of books
F. Changes to module briefing and selection process: Because of the poor engagement with our module briefing and selection process last year we are looking at some revisions to the process: i) module briefing is timetabled for students ii) email message to students from school office, to be followed up by email from subject heads; reminders in lectures iii) module choice planning sheet has been produced to guide students through the process to ensure regulation coverage
G. Q302 actions, responding to low NSS scores: i) Continuing to manage incoming student expectation as to scientific/technical dimension of the course as in some cases student disappointment in course seems to stem from not having anticipated this; ii) staff to ensure they are explaining marking criteria to students running up to submission of final assessment, semester 1, and in semester 2. iii) Continue and expand Linguistics X group, an informal discussion group involving staff and students to improve students’ sense of interest in the subject and, looking ahead to new NSS questions, to enhance the learning community for the subject / NSS results, particularly comments relating to feedback and to the personal tutor / student relationship
NSS
NSS
External examiners’ reports
NSS
Poor participation in the process and many student errors in choosing modules
NSS / ST and all staff
DPD/DELT, HOS, and a staff member in first instance; Teaching committee
Led by DPD and Subject Heads and including staff
DPD, teaching committee
SSC, ST and DPD
Subject Heads, PSS, DPD
Subject Head, Language and Linguistics Staff / We will trial this at the beginning of semester 2 2016-2017.
Approval for new criteria for May BOS 2017.
Ongoing. Have had literature subject meeting on assessment and feedback (Nov 2016). Linguistics and Creative writing to follow.
New form to be implemented in 2017-2018
All year
March/April
All year / Done. Integrated into personal tutor process and increased emphasis on engaging with feedback (eg. Doing Degree Session Oct 2017)
Done. Now included on student assessment questions and cover sheets. New criteria presented at Doing the Degree session (Oct 2017)
Ongoing, but new assessment criteria have been created. Curriculum review is still being considered, now with a view to addressing Equality and Diversity issues on curriculum.
Tweaks were made to existing forms to reflect our use of both moderation and, in some instances, double marking
Status uncertain
These changes have not much improved the situation – and we will be implementing further changes for in the coming year.
There were improvements to NSS. Lang/Ling currently undergoing curriculum review.

Headline Actions Items for this Year’s AMR (which is in progress and due to Faculty in December)

  1. Module Approval process
  2. Assessment and feedback (Doing Degree Sessions, new assessment criteria)
  3. Student Voice
  4. Organisation and management (QW38)
  5. Curriculum review (Lang/Ling)
  6. Degree classifications
  7. Resit policy