Coversheet for Thesis in Sussex Research Online

A University of Sussex EdD thesis Available online via Sussex Research Online: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/ This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the aut hor, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Please visit Sussex Research Online for more information and further details 1 Supporting learning autonomy and curriculum coverage in university teaching: three case studies of formative assessment by Paolo Roberto Oprandi Professional Doctorate in Education University of Sussex May 2014 2 Signed declaration The thesis or portfolio, whether in the same or different form, has not been previously submitted to this or any other University for a degree (unless you are re-submitting the thesis or portfolio for re-examination). Details the extent of material already submitted as part of required coursework at any university and the award, if any, obtained as a result. You may be required to produce that original material. In a preface to the thesis or portfolio, the sources from which the information has been derived and, if any part of the thesis or portfolio results from joint work with other persons, the extent to which the thesis or portfolio has drawn on the work of those others and the portion of the thesis or portfolio which you claim to be your own original work. Signature:……………………………………… 3 Abstract This research investigates formative assessment at a UK research-intensive university, considering the aims and effects of their deployment. The research spans three academic disciplines broadly within the sciences and considers the influence of their history and culture on the approaches taken. It reports on three case studies originally chosen because of their innovative use of technology in teaching and assessment methods. Each case included mid-term summative assessments that were intended to have a formative function for the students. A triangulation of research methods was used that included documentary analysis, interviews and focus groups. Cultural historic activity theory was used to interrogate the data that emerged from the research. Bourdieusian theory was also used to understand and explain some of the findings. The thesis explores commonly held ideas about what constitutes desirable learning outcomes. It concludes that teaching and assessment practices do not always deliver on their promises nor support their intended objectives. Even within innovative educational methods it finds deeply rooted practices which fail to support the graduate skill sets that the tutors are hoping to develop in their students. It suggests that formative assessments which only reward curriculum coverage encourage narrow and conformist thinking and such thinking is at odds with the behaviours we should be developing within our educational environments. However, this thesis also describes educational practices that do meet their primary aims: to develop students’ learning autonomy whilst they cover the course curricula. These practices are constructed around formative assessments that build community within the student cohort, engage the students in authentic tasks requiring critical reflection and give students a chance to develop expertise within niche areas. The thesis suggests that these practices are applicable in all academic disciplines, independent of the subject, and provides approaches to teaching and assessment that encourage autonomous learning and develop high-level transferable skill sets. We all forget facts and procedures over time, and so it is our students’ capacity to know that we must develop within education. 4 Acknowledgements Most of all I thank my wife, Caroline Oprandi, and for the support and encouragement that she has given me. I am grateful to my children, Mia and Dante, who inspired me and gave me welcome breaks to play with them. I thank my supervisor, John Pryor, for his time and guidance through this research and my secondary supervisor, Barbara Crossouard, for her support and advice. I am also grateful to the research participants: the students, but particularly the tutors for volunteering their courses for this research. I thank my line manager, Carol Shergold, for her encouragement. I am also grateful to the ITS department who funded this research. I thank my mum for giving the thesis a final proofread. And finally I am grateful to the al anon programme and the people in it who have given me hope and inspiration through this process, and for opening doorways to learning that were previously closed to me. 5 Contents Abstract ..................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................... 4 Contents .................................................................................................................... 5 Figures ......................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Tables ........................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Acronyms .................................................................................................................. 7 Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................. 8 My personal history ............................................................................................................................................... 9 Research questions ............................................................................................................................................. 13 Thesis structure .................................................................................................................................................... 13 Chapter 2: Methodology .......................................................................................... 15 Multiple case study research .......................................................................................................................... 15 Research methods ............................................................................................................................................... 17 Semi-structured interviews and focus group ........................................................................................... 17 Documentary analysis ........................................................................................................................................ 18 Observation ............................................................................................................................................................. 19 Analysing and writing up the data ............................................................................................................... 19 Notes on the Hard Science case study ........................................................................................................ 20 Notes on the SoFt Science course case study ............................................................................................ 20 Notes on the computer programming case study .................................................................................. 21 Research Ethics ..................................................................................................................................................... 21 Chapter 3: Theoretical frameworks .......................................................................... 23 Vygotskian learning theories .......................................................................................................................... 23 Cultural historic activity theory .................................................................................................................... 24 Bourdieusian theory ........................................................................................................................................... 26 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................... 28 Chapter 4: Literature review .................................................................................... 29 How we learn ......................................................................................................................................................... 30 Teaching and assessment practices in higher education ................................................................... 33 The eFFectiveness oF lectures ........................................................................................................................... 34 Assessments as structures ............................................................................................................................... 36 An intervention: Formative assessment ....................................................................................................

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