A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Enhancing academic and Practice

Engineering
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2007c). Make sure that students are aware of the significance of aspects of learning and
appreciate ways in which activities such as teamwork, projects and problem-solving offer
opportunities for skills development. Personal Development Planning, progress files or
e-portfolios can do much to encourage staff and students to pay attention to skills
development and to make time for development and reflection within the curriculum
(see also Chapter 8).
Interrogating practice
• How does the content and design of the modules/courses you teach
address employability issues?
• What improvements could you make to integrate skills development
within your teaching?
ASSESSMENT
Assessment and feedback to students are critical and significant parts of an academic’s
work (see also Chapter 10 on assessment, which includes a case study from engineering).
The evidence that students meet the learning outcomes of their programme of study for
internal quality assurance and external accreditation is found in students’ work. It is
therefore vital that the assignments set and the marking criteria used enable students to
demonstrate this attainment. The National Student Survey (Unistats), sent to all finalyear
students in England, has consistently identified assessment and feedback as the area
in which students are least satisfied.
The main assessment tools encountered in engineering disciplines are:
• unseen written examinations
• laboratory/practical/field trip reports
• analytical calculations
• multiple choice questions (especially at lower levels)
• project reports and software developed
• design project reports/outputs
• drawings (usually CAD)
• portfolios and personal development plans
• poster presentations
• oral presentations.
Unseen written examinations still comprise a substantial part of the assessment in
engineering and are appropriate in many areas, particularly for assessing knowledge of