CODE at Online Learning summit
What would Universities look like without assessment as it’s currently configured?
At the University of Leeds' inaugural Online Learning Summit, May 10th-11th 2023, Dr J Simon Rofe, Deputy Director of the University of London’s Centre for Online and Distance Education (CODE), chaired an active roundtable addressing ‘Future Opportunities for Assessment’, inspired by CODE's recent book ‘Online and Distance Education for a Connected World’.
Online and Distance Education for a Connected World
The summit, which was hosted by Dr Margaret Korosec, Dean of Online and Digital Education and the Digital Education Service at Leeds University, brought together CODE Fellows Leonard Houx and Neil Mosley, and the University of Leeds' Chrissi Nerantzi and Margaret in discussing fundamental questions of assessment: Why do we assess? What do we assess? And what values are attributed to it? Needless to say the discussion that followed was as rich as those questions suggests.
The key aspects of the discussion, captured visually by niftyfoxcreative.com, looked at assessment at different levels of the student experience and the relationship with programme design; it’s integral position in HE which prompted the question of what would Universities look like ‘without’ assessment as it’s currently configured?
The input of students was prominent in the discussion: students as co-creators of learning ‘for assessment’ as well as ‘of assessment’, while considering flexible learning that can adjust to students evolving learning requirements: in other words assessments that iterates. More philosophically perhaps, the roundtable considered whether assessment could celebrate success rather than championing competition – one for AI to ponder as well as the audience.
Simon commented:
It was great to be able to bring together such wonderful colleagues from two institutions: North and South, to address challenging dimensions of what to do about assessment. I look forward to reciprocating the warm welcome CODE received in Yorkshire and welcoming University of Leeds colleagues to CODE events in London and online in the not too distant future.
Given the inspiration for the roundtable came from the CODE book, the event provided the opportunity to celebrate Dr David Baume's vital contribution to the book amongst an audience well aware of his work. A longstanding CODE Fellow, David’s recent death after a short period of illness will have come as a surprise to many who knew him.
This page was last updated on 31 July 2023