Diversifying End of Module Assessment project options on a Level 3 Classical Studies module - Benefits and Challenges for students and lecturers

• Project Team: Astrid VoigtEmma Bridges
• Subject Discipline: Arts and Humanities
• Theme: AssessmentEquality, diversity and inclusion
• Project Aim: Enables more students to achieve their study goalsImproves and enhance the learning experience of studentsPromotes equality diversity and inclusion including reduction of degree awarding gap
• Status: Live
• Date: November 2022 to November 2023

This project investigates the benefits and challenges – for both students and educators – of an innovative assessment format which aims to make assessment more inclusive and authentic for Classical Studies students. In October 2022 the Open University introduced a new Level 3 Classical Studies module ‘Greek and Roman Myth: Stories and Histories’. The final assessed piece of work for this module draws on the principles of diversification of assessment (see e.g. O’Neil and Padden (2022)). It offers students a choice between undertaking a highly innovative assessment type alongside a more traditional one, as follows:

- For Option A, students are asked to curate a one-room exhibition on a topic related to Greek and/or Roman myth. Students choosing this option need to produce a virtual mock-up of their exhibition space (using a digital tool specifically designed for the module) with exhibits and accompanying gallery text. This is accompanied by a written piece outlining the concept of their exhibition (including details such as the target audience and venue as well as the topic and take-home points for the visitor), as well as the research behind their submission.

- For Option B, students are asked to write a traditional academic essay accompanied by either a short audio presentation or blogpost which communicates an aspect of their work to a non-specialist audience.

By offering an alternative to the essay-writing task which is the traditional – and still most common – model of assessment for Classical Studies, the assessment strategy for this module aims to foster success in students who have different learning preferences. In particular Option A has been designed to appeal to those who prefer to work with visual material. This option (and, to a lesser extent, the blogpost/audio presentation aspect of Option B) also invites students to engage with the set task in a way which is specific to their own personal experience and background, and to communicate what they have learned using an authentic, ‘real-world’ scenario.

Our scholarship project considers the following key issues:

- To what extent might this format foster a more inclusive approach to assessment of Classical Studies modules?

- Do the two assessment options represent a fair choice for students?

- What can be learned from this model of assessment which might be applied by educators working in other contexts (in both Classical Studies and other disciplines) within and beyond the Open University?

Reference:

O’Neil, G., and Padden, L. (2022), ‘Diversifying assessment methods: barriers, benefits and enablers’, Innovations in Education and Teaching International 59:4, 398-409. DOI: 10.1080/14703297.2021.1880462