Optionality in assessment on E209

This project will assess the effectiveness of optionality introduced as part of a new assessment strategy being implemented on E209 for 22J. The findings will work together with the Q94 qualification-wide TEF-funded project on the assessment experiences of underrepresented groups, and a PRAXIS-funded project on staff experiences of anti-racist and inclusive assessment. From these three projects, we will improve the Q94 assessment strategies, developing inclusive maintenance and production practices, and establish principles for successful assessment practices which can be disseminated widely.  

The new E209 assessment strategy incorporates optionality as a cornerstone of anti-racist and inclusive assessment (Escayg, 2020; Jones et al, 2021; Montenegro & Jankowski, 2017). The options within the new assessment strategy have been designed to: 

• Provide students with diverse possibilities to express their understanding of course content 
• Enable creative approaches which de-centre dominant cultural traditions 
• Allow students to draw on their lived experiences 
• Offer the opportunity for students to personalise their learning by identifying their own development needs and using the assignments to address these needs 

However, the E309 team found that choice in assessments can also lead to high levels of anxiety for students. As such, throughout the assessments students are not only offered choices, but explicitly supported within the module materials to make those choices in informed ways. 

This project will examine both student outcomes and student experiences of optionality in assessment. In doing so we will be able to construct a rounded picture of assessment, going beyond attainment to also consider student’s feelings of achievement, and how these assessments impact upon their wellbeing.