The challenge
A university I was working with was consistently receiving low student satisfaction scores in the area of assessment and feedback, as highlighted by internal and external surveys. The university recognised the need to identify the root causes and implement sustainable improvements to enhance the student experience across all faculties.
As part of a faculty-wide initiative, I took on the challenge to identify the underlying issues contributing to poor student satisfaction and leading a project to improve the quality and consistency of assessment practices across all courses.
My intervention
To gain a thorough understanding of the problem, I conducted a series of student focus groups and facilitated open discussions at course team meetings across campus. This helped me gather a wide range of insights from both students and academic staff. A key theme emerged: assessment and feedback practices were highly inconsistent, ranging from online to offline submissions, detailed to minimal feedback, and subjective to objective grading approaches.
In response, I initiated a standardisation project focused on embedding consistent online assessment practices across the faculty. I recruited 21 academics to co-develop assessment rubrics and deliver peer-led training sessions to build capacity and confidence in using the new tools. To test the approach, 50 academics volunteered to pilot the rubrics and standardised online process. Their experiences were gathered via surveys and feedback sessions.
The outcome
The pilot was positively received and demonstrated clear improvements in clarity, fairness, and feedback quality. I consolidated the findings and presented evidence-based recommendations to the University’s Assessment and Feedback Working Group. These informed a significant update to the institution’s assessment policy and contributed to the design of a new university-wide training and development plan for staff. The project not only improved student satisfaction but also set a foundation for sustainable academic practice.