Who Watches the Watchers? Improving Teaching in FASS through the Monitoring Sign-Off Process

• Project Team: Kerry SomersetEmma Clarence
• Subject Discipline: Social Sciences and Global Studies
• Theme: Assessment
• Project Aim: Improves and enhance the learning experience of students
• Status: Live

Much of the quality assurance of teaching and learning at the Open University is undertaken through the monitoring of marked student assignments. A sample of marked student assignments are peer reviewed with key areas for consideration including the quality of feedback and the appropriateness of the mark awarded. Monitoring also provides an opportunity for Associate Lecturers/tutors to receive constructive feedback on their work, supporting their ongoing professional development. Following the peer review, Staff Tutors or Student Experience Managers review the assignment and tutor feedback, as well as monitoring feedback and then sign off and return the monitored assignment to the tutors with their own comments.

Rather than looking at the monitoring process in its totality, this scholarship project investigates the sign-off stage of the monitoring process, which is a primary example of direct correspondence feedback from a line manager, a Staff Tutor, to an Associate Lecturer. By seeking to understand the sign-off process and how any issues that might arise from monitoring are identified and dealt with, the project has three objectives. First, to ascertain how the signing-off of monitoring is currently undertaken; secondly, to identify best practice in signing-off monitoring in order to facilitate its sharing and embedding; and, finally, to Identify whether the current guidance needs amendment in the light of the findings.

It is anticipated that the project will be completed in late 2024.