Access alternative online assessment approaches to exams and ‘in-person’ assessment tasks

Published: 6 April 2020 at 12:16

Following the move to online teaching and assessment we have developed a dedicated Canvas site, ‘Supporting the move to online teaching,’ that includes a range of alternative assessment activities and resources to support colleagues in their adoption of robust and transparent assessment processes.

Following the move to online teaching and assessment we have developed a dedicated Canvas site, ‘Supporting the move to online teaching,’ that includes a range of alternative assessment activities and resources to support colleagues in their adoption of robust and transparent assessment processes. 

To begin with, it’s important to be familiar with the Agreed Changes to Assessment, examinations, and Coronavirus, from the Academic Registrar. The key principle is to design a simple alternative (at the appropriate academic level) that does not demand complex requirements from the student in order to undertake the assessment task. We must also take account of accessibility and the variable broadband services and devices that many of our students may have. 

The Canvas site is structured into three areas: Check the good assessment principles; How ready are you to move your assessment online?; and Alternative assessment activities.

Alternative assessment activities include suggestions for alternatives to: written exams, in-class presentations, laboratory work, face-to-face feedback, posters and exhibitions, and studio-based assessment tasks.

Guidance is also provided on Turnitin and Canvas submission options, including how to set up the submission of assessments in Canvas where this is needed (specifically for large file submissions, where they cannot be avoided). A selection of short videos demonstrate how to use key features in Canvas including, ‘How to update a Canvas Assignment to use for alternative assessment’ and ‘Student View – how to check the student experience in a Canvas course’. 

We will continue to update the Supporting the Move to Online Teaching Canvas site and the Anglia Learning & Teaching Assessment & Feedback webpages with relevant guidance and resources.