Demystifying Final Assessment and Building Community in Chemistry
Contact Details
Case Study
Background
Our work came as a response to student feedback (on the NSS and other feedback). We needed to address a perceived lack of clarity in the assessment of final year projects and to promote an enhanced sense of community within Chemistry.
Students reported that they did not understand requirements for different elements of their final assessment and how these would be marked. The notion of a viva was alien to many students and they found the prospect of giving a presentation about their work unappealing.
Recent NSS responses to Q21 (“I feel part of a community of staff and students”) were poor. Anecdotally, this was attributed in part to the loss of the departmental office which had acted as a centre for the department. There was a need to address the absence of “community” in the department.
Activity
A small group of academic and PSS staff in Chemistry worked to address these concerns by running a “Project Fair” early in S2 2019 to which all staff and students were invited. The aims were to:
- Clearly explain final assessments, answer questions about these, and demystify the viva
- Give students the chance to deliver ‘flash’ presentations
- Promote a sense of shared identity and community in Chemistry.
The most convenient date for this event fell on 14th February and we ran the whole event with a Valentine’s Day theme which was advertised to students in a light-hearted way.
In line with reports of others [1] we attempted to promote a sense of community and help to show staff as more approachable and normal (‘human’) through light-hearted yet rigorous science talks by staff related to Valentine’s Day (15 minutes). We had a break for refreshments and this proved an opportunity for staff and students to mix very cordially and discuss the science.
The presentations and were not assessed and students to could practice in a ‘playpen’ environment. Every student received written feedback on their slides/poster on the same day.
Impact
The event ran very smoothly and those present enjoyed it; the two guest talks caused considerable merriment. The humorous prize-giving had categories including ‘best graphic’ and ‘best haircut’. 
Chemistry Prize Winners at the 2019 Project Fair
We received feedback from students saying how useful they found the event.
“… been meaning to say how much I enjoyed the project fair, it was a great way to celebrate our projects so far. I also feel very grateful for the teaching staff who go above and beyond to improve our learning experience, such as yourself and Dr Prior.”
“…the presentations were all really well done and really well thought out, I didn’t think it would be a useful event but it really really was!! I got some excellent feedback from the staff!! Thank you!”
“The hardest bit of the presentation is actually going up onto the stage, once you're up, you're up. As they were 'flash' presentations you were able to overcome the actual 'going up on stage' and it was over before you knew it. (<it was> good practice)”
The attempts to enhance a sense of community seemed successful: NSS Q21 rose by 13 % in the year after the first event. The NSS Q8 “The criteria used in assessment have been clear in advance” rose by 8 %. The event has become a regular feature of the calendar in Chemistry.
[1] G. Light & R. Cox, ‘Learning & Teaching in Higher Education: The Reflective Professional’ (2001) SAGE Publications Ltd, London.