Expectation B6: how to get it to work across multiple sites and multiple programmes

Dr Nick DicksonChief Academic Officer,

Cambridge Education Group

Expectation B6

Higher education providers operate equitable, valid and reliable processes of assessment, including for the recognition of prior learning, which enable every student to demonstrate the extent to which they have achieved the intended learning outcomes for the credit or qualification being sought.

FoundationCampus

• Provides university preparation programmes for international students (UG and PG)

• Multiple sites across the UK, Europe, US.• Range of teaching staff (English language

specialists, FE, HE)• Students with English as a second language

The issues

• Multiple programmes at multiple levels• Different sites • Teaching staff have different ranges of

qualifications and experience• Students have low English

How we tackled B6

• Subject leaders – responsible for devising assessments and leading CPD for all related teachers across all sites across the range of programmes

• English language specialist input – gaining their buy-in to ensure assessments were suitably worded for students’ English levels

• Student feedback – assuring ourselves the pitch was right

Responsibilities for Indicators

B6

Policy (1,2,3,4,9,10,11,13,14,1

5,18)

External Examiners (13,16,17,18)

Teachers (6,7,9,13,14,18)

Subject Leaders (1,2,4,5,6,8,10,11,13,14,1

6,17,18)

Top tips

• Managing CPD (Indicators 4, 5) – subject leaders receive targeted development, and they are responsible for ensuring teachers are brought up to the same level

• Gaining engagement from all staff – especially English teachers – involve them in the assessment development process (Indicators 6,7,8,10)

More top tips

• Make sure you ask students for their understanding of assessment requirements – sometimes their understanding will not match yours! (Indicators 6,10)

• Use every technological/pedagogical trick to discover plagiarism, and remember your teachers know your students well enough to know if the work isn’t their own (Indicators 7,11,14)

Group discussion

• What particular issues does your institution have in embedding Expectation B6?

• Can the group come up with any practical solutions?