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

Computing science
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Interrogating practice
What assessment methods do you use? Which are used for formative and
which for summative purposes?
The problems of assessing group work projects have already been alluded to. Similarly,
the increase in student numbers has resulted in large numbers of individual final-year and
M.Sc. projects which need to be supervised and examined. The increase in staff numbers
has not grown proportionately, resulting in academics being burdened with increased
loads at already busy times (examination periods). As final-year projects are a universal
requirement, some innovative approaches to the management and assessment of student
projects, including the use of formative peer assessment and poster-based presentations,
have already been adopted. Computing science programmes are challenged by resource
constraints. As such, there is great demand for demonstration of exemplar practices that
can be tailored to local needs.
Assessing practical work with large groups
Many departments operate informal mechanisms for offering extra assistance to students,
thus placing responsibility on students to assess their own progress and judge when to
seek assistance. Staff–student communication can be enhanced by employing technologybased
solutions which facilitate efficient collection of some forms of coursework. Such
systems have the potential to greatly assist learning and provide early warning of
potential problems.
As mentioned above, programming is a core component of all computing programmes.
Assessing the practical skills associated with programming is a time-consuming activity
which is exacerbated by the need for regular submission and quick turn-around time.
A further problem is the prevalence of plagiarism which can often go undetected due to
the large numbers involved.
Interrogating practice
Are you familiar with your institutional policy on plagiarism? Do your
students realise the implications of plagiarising work? How do you deal with
issues relating to plagiarism within your particular course/module?