Improving our student experience

Ensure marking criteria are well-defined, provided at the start of the unit, included in standardised assessment briefs, and accessible online.

Faculty Implementation

All units have an ‘Assessment and Feedback’ folder in their Blackboard space – the marking criteria are clearly signposted within this. This folder contains the assessment brief (standardised Blackboard/Canvas format across the school). Rubrics for all unit assessments presented in a standardised format. Data taken from Slate (course unit information repository) directly or PDFs generated from Slate.

Key Updates (January 2025)

Implementation of this action has now delivered by the Disciplines. Assessment information is clearly signposted within each unit to ensure students have clear and consistent access to the information that they need to complete their assessments and understand how and when to expect feedback.

Implementation of this action has been assured through a combination of unit coordinator self reporting, Year Tutor and Discipline Head of Education (DHoE) checks, and manual checks on Blackboard spaces by professional services staff. Validation of this implementation will continue throughout February to ensure that Semester 2 courses are compliant with the action plan.

Offer opportunities for students to discuss and ask questions about marking criteria at the start of the unit, before assessments, and after the first assessment.

Faculty Implementation

All units have a Blackboard Discussion Board to support discussion of marking criteria before and after first assessment. Unit Coordinators (UCs) must respond to assessment queries in this channel. There can be a Discussion Board dedicated to assessment or an assessment topic area within a more general unit Discussion Board.

Key Updates (January 2025)

Disciplines have now reported that this action has been successfully implemented and Discussion Boards are now clearly visible within each Blackboard space. This enables students to raise assessment queries and ensures response rates in a timely manner.

Implementation of this action has been assured through a combination of: unit coordinator self-reporting, Year Tutor and DHoE checks, and manual checks on Blackboard spaces by professional services staff. Validation of this implementation will continue throughout February to ensure that Semester 2 courses are compliant with the action plan.

Create a local system for students to seek clarification about marking criteria throughout the unit.

Faculty Implementation

Highlight the discussion board to students, before and after the first assessment, and throughout the semester (lectures, emails, newsletters).  Each unit allocates some question time in a teaching session for assessment queries.

Key Updates (January 2025)

Disciplines have now reported that this action has been successfully implemented. Similar to the above, this is reiterated via clear signposting on Blackboard spaces and via teaching sessions.

Implementation of this action has been assured through a combination of: unit coordinator self-reporting, Year Tutor and DHoE checks, and manual checks on Blackboard spaces by professional services staff. Validation of this implementation will continue throughout February to ensure that Semester 2 courses are compliant with the action plan.

Clearly communicate and publish feedback deadlines and timelines.

Faculty Implementation

The assessment map must include submission dates, and feedback publication dates.  The assessment map for each unit will be published at the start of each semester in a Blackboard community space, with clear signposting. Existing maps from last year’s NSS action plan are acceptable if all required information is present. The assessment map will include information on where / when the feedback can be used / actioned, e.g. “feedback from CW1 can be used for CW2”. The FSE Programmes / Options / Assessment (POA) Review will implement early unit formative/summative assessment.

Key Updates (January 2025)

This action has been delivered for all Disciplines. We will continue to develop and enhance presentation of this information to meet students needs. Implementation of this action has been assured by Discipline Heads of Education and Assessment Leads.

Discuss and agree with students what constitutes timely feedback, considering factors affecting deadlines or causing delays, and actions to address them.

Faculty Implementation

Feedback policy communication campaign to be repeated, for both staff and students. Details to be added to Blackboard community space. Discuss policy and feedback process (including any delays) at SSLCs. Track any feedback delays in disciplines (using existing Assessment & Progression processes where possible). Address any delays using the established escalation route.

Key Updates (January 2025)

Outstanding actions have now been completed and this has been fully implemented across each Discipline. Assurance of this has been confirmed by Discipline Heads of Education and School Information, Advice and Guidance Teams.

Clearly explain the purpose of assessment and feedback, focusing on actionable guidance for improving future work and on general contribution to learning and understanding.Discuss and agree with students what constitutes timely feedback, considering factors affecting deadlines or causing delays, and actions to address them.

Faculty Implementation

Same as for Action 5. For each unit, a detailed document, or video or lecture podcast in the Blackboard space explaining assessment and feedback opportunities (summative and formative).

Key Updates (January 2025)

With the exception of MCQ summative assessments, examination script viewing sessions will be offered for all units (including resits) and model answers will be provided for the AY2324 in the Assessment and Feedback Blackboard folder. Examination script viewing process and timetable will be reviewed by the schools. MCQ summative assessments must be supported with samples of questions (with solutions) assessing each of the Intended Learning Outcomes. 

Faculty Implementation

Examination script viewing sessions offered for all units. Model answers (including for MCQs) to be provided for AY2324 in the Assessment and Feedback Blackboard folder. Examination script viewing process and timetable will be reviewed by the schools.

Key Updates (January 2025)

Engage with students to assess the usefulness of past feedback and collaboratively enhance it for future assignments.

Faculty Implementation

Standing item at all Student Voice Committees. Student reps. to collate feedback on feedback usefulness. Discuss best practice for feedback at Faculty Forum.

Key Updates (January 2025)

This action has been delivered.

This is now part of business as usual and is closely monitored by our Information, Advice and Guidance Teams in conjunction with DHoEs and SVC leads.

Ensure UMSU student representatives are known to the rest of the student cohort and staff. Students / student representatives are to be members of all Programme and School Boards.

Faculty Implementation

List names and contact details in Blackboard community spaces. Reinforce invitations to relevant boards, committees and forums at faculty, school and discipline levels.

Key Updates (January 2025)

Speak to student groups to improve visibility of feedback actions and demonstrate how their input is valued and acted upon.

Faculty Implementation

Covered in Welcome Week talks for new and returning students. Include “How do I provide feedback” guidance in Blackboard community spaces. Include link to Student Voice webpage from Blackboard community spaces.

Key Updates (January 2025)

Student Voice section has been added to Departmental newsletters and moved to a prominent position to make it visible. ‘You said, we did’ item added to close feedback loop on actions from Student Voice Committees.

Share the importance of regular student voice feedback and explain the faculty/school/department feedback loop at the start of the academic year, embedding this regularly in lecture/seminar material.

Faculty Implementation

Every Student Voice Committee will have a standing agenda item on feedback. Student Voice Committees will discuss how to improve visibility of feedback actions.

Key Updates (January 2025)

All Student Voice Committees have a standing agenda item on feedback and will discuss how to improve visibility of feedback actions. This can be monitored by the Student Voice Committee’s trackers. This was implemented by School Information, Advice and Guidance teams.

Provide at least three updates per semester (at programme, School and / or Faculty level) through digital communications, newsletters, school semester reports, posters, or within lectures/seminars on changes implemented based on student feedback.

Faculty Implementation

Each Discipline will publish student newsletters three times each semester. This will be supported by the IAG teams. Each unit will report on changes made in response to student feedback.

Key Updates (January 2025)

This has now been actioned for every Discipline. We are working our Faculty Communications team to deliver further enhancements to this action.

Keep a visible tracker, accessible to students and staff, on key student feedback and subsequent actions, monitoring progress.

Faculty Implementation

Implement Student Voice Committee action tracker for Student Voice Committees and host Student Voice Committee minutes on Student Voice webpage. We will monitor Student Voice Committee action trackers to ensure that feedback loops are being closed.

Key Updates (January 2025)

All SVC trackers are set up and operational. Currently shared with students via relevant Blackboard Community Spaces. Faculty Student Voice Webpage is now live.

Implement mid-course unit feedback opportunities for all students alongside UEQS. Provide a clear chance for students to comment, showing their opinions are valued and changes will be made without requiring a full questionnaire.

Faculty Implementation

Continue practice of issuing mid-semester (Week 4) surveys. Ensure there is a communication plan to accompany the surveys and that there is a published (Week 6) response to feedback from these surveys.

Key Updates (December 2024)

All student feedback, from mid-semester surveys, has been issued to Disciplines to comment on and take action where relevant. Communications have been sent to students drafted by the Faculty Communications team and a video by the SU Officer to close feedback loop with students

Establish regular feedback sessions at Faculty and ideally School levels (for instance, through the existing Faculty Forum model) to provide updates, actions, and outcomes of previous feedback.

Faculty Implementation

Student Experience and Graduate Outcomes (SEGO) team to deliver Faculty Forums once per semester, in partnership with the SU.

Key Updates (November 2024)

Semester 1 Forum took place on 6 November. The report will be drafted and disseminated to appropriate stakeholders. Semester 2 Forum currently scheduled for 26 February.