The following is the Executive Summary of the full report. The full report can be accessed here.
This research was led by Robynne Grant-Jepps.
Introduction
Assessment and feedback are the cornerstone of the Higher Education (HE) experience, yet quality measures such as the National Student Survey consistently report it to be the area that students are least satisfied with. The dual phenomena of universalisation and massification have made HE more accessible. However, while increased participation is often seen as a mechanism for social mobility, disparities in graduate outcomes persist, particularly among marginalised groups. Inclusive assessment practices are therefore essential for promoting equitable educational outcomes. By addressing the unique challenges faced by ‘historically excluded’ students and embedding inclusivity within the design and governance of assessment practices, HE institutions can ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed. This report highlights the importance of intentional inclusion and provides actionable recommendations to enhance the inclusivity of assessment practices within the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law (FSSL) at the University of Bristol.
This research was conceptualised within the framework of the University of Bristol’s 2022-30 Assessment and Feedback Strategy, specifically the ‘Designed for All’ priority. The study employed a qualitative case study approach to explore the perceptions of ‘historically excluded’ students within the FSSL at the University of Bristol regarding assessment practices. The inclusion criteria were current taught students within the FSSL that self-identified as ‘historically excluded’. This term was selected in lieu of other terms such as the ‘non-traditional’ student due, which linguistically positions the study’s population as ‘outsiders’ and does not adequately signal the historic systemic marginalisation from full participation in HE.
Results
RQ1: How do historically excluded students within the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law at the University of Bristol define ‘inclusive assessments’?
The data demonstrated the unique challenges faced by ‘historically excluded’ students in relation to assessment within HE. These challenges were said to often generate feelings of alienation, lack of agency, and lower self-esteem. An inductive thematic analysis of qualitative data generated four distinct elements of ‘historically ‘excluded’ students’ perceptions of ‘inclusive assessments’: accessibility, empowerment, belonging, wellbeing. Accessibility spoke to the need to ensure the underlying expectations of assessments are explicit and comprehensible for all. By the notion of empowerment, students understood inclusive assessment to promote diversity in experience, culture, knowledge and skills as an asset to the academic culture of the institution rather than devaluing these forms of difference. Likewise, belonging describes an affective dimension of inclusion in which assessment practices signal inclusion within a distinct University of Bristol learner identity (such as the valuing of difference). Finally, wellbeing spoke to the need for assessment practices to consider the diverse needs of learners in a manner that promotes positive wellbeing outcomes.
RQ2: How do historically excluded students within the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law at the University of Bristol relate types, formats, and timings of assessment activities to ‘inclusivity’?
A theory-driven thematic analysis of the data was used to organise insights according to three central features of assessment practices: types (learning purpose), formats (skill-related task), and timings (temporal spread). The data demonstrated how diverse learner identities stemmed from differences in experience, culture and social circumstances, necessitating the design of assessments that provide equitable opportunities for ‘success’ rather than being derived from traditional norms. Regarding types of assessment, students highlighted the need for ample ‘low-stakes’, non-credit-bearing learning opportunities given the perceived presence of a ‘hidden curriculum’. Secondly, students understood different formats to be assessing different skills yet felt a disconnect between the balance of content learning and skills development in their classroom-based activities. Finally, the data suggest a link between assessment timings and approaches to learning. Students associated single endpoint assessments with surface approach due to lack of opportunities to receive and apply feedback.
Recommendations
- Communicating expectations
The historical context in which HE institutions have evolved have created a specific set of norms and practices, many of which are implicit (often referred to as the ‘hidden curriculum’). The expectations of assessment ought to be communicated effectively in a manner that is accessible and dialogical. The former can be actualised using worked examples integrated into classroom-based activities. A focus on skills development rather than rote learning enshrines a shift from assessment of learning to assessment for learning. The latter refers to the understanding that the culture and practice of HE ought to be actively shaped by its inhabitants and not conceptualised as a unilateral flow of knowledge imbued with an unequal power differential between faculty and students.
- Asking for help
The data supported arguments that relationality is at the heart of inclusive assessment and feedback. Effective working relationships between students, peers, faculty, administrative and support staff were all shown to be fundamental links between inclusion and the ability to effectively demonstrate learning. The data suggest that physical place, mutual respect, and dialogical partnerships were all key facilitators. Additionally, while there exist enhanced support systems pertaining to all aspects of assessment tasks, the data paints a picture in which students feel unable to access the right support at the right time. Students perceived assessment as primarily assessing academic content rather than skills and so tended to expect assessment support to come from faculty rather than the wider suite of support services (such as librarians and writing tutors). This provides further support for a shift towards assessment for learning.
- Learning culture
At the bureaucratic level, inclusive practice ought to be enshrined in core governance structures of HE institutions to foster an inclusive learning culture as standard. For example, an emphasis on ‘formulaic’ adjustments (e.g., allowing extra time in examinations), don’t allow for demonstration of mastery through alternative forms, which promotes a learning culture that is static and positions students as passive recipients of knowledge. Such a learning culture emphasises the ongoing nature of developing inclusive practice and suggests mechanisms for the continuous monitoring and evaluation of assessment practices. Learning motivations are an integral element of the prevalent learning culture and shape students’ approach to assessment. The shift forwards assessment for learning promotes equity in HE as it creates empowered learners that are able to claim space as agentic members of their academic community.
The recommendations were transformed into a leaflet, which was distributed at the BILT annual conference.
Conclusion
This research was conceptualised within the framework of a thematic focus.
The Student Fellowship scheme employed by BILT operationalises the University’s thematic focus on ‘students as partners’. Here, co-creation with students within the remit of university-wide strategic priorities such as ‘Designed for All Assessment Activities’ ensures that the student voice is not only heard but actively shapes culture and practice at the University of Bristol.