Playing by the many rules: taught masters and their assessment regulations

Journal article


Le Boutillier, S., Woolf, Harvey, Stowell, Marie, Fredricks, Cathi, Coward, Jo and Taylor-Russell, Graham 2024. Playing by the many rules: taught masters and their assessment regulations. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2024.2336168
AuthorsLe Boutillier, S., Woolf, Harvey, Stowell, Marie, Fredricks, Cathi, Coward, Jo and Taylor-Russell, Graham
Abstract

In recent years the taught masters course has become an even more important component of the curriculum portfolio for universities in the UK and elsewhere. In the spring of 2021, the Student Assessment and Classification Working Group (SACWG) surveyed a small number of English and Welsh universities to compare assessment regulations for taught masters courses. The survey revealed substantial differences in the use and application of rules between institutions. The issue of divergence and convergence of the principles on which assessment rules are based was discussed further at a SACWG seminar that took place the following year. At this event, participants took part in a thought experiment that required them to set aside any prior application of assessment regulations and to attempt to agree on the rules for taught masters courses. These group discussions provided a high degree of openness and positivity. We discuss the results of the survey, the seminar and the experiment. We consider, also, the benefits of generating an open dialogue that aims to increase consistency of practice and understanding of the educational value of key assessment rules in higher education.

KeywordsTaught masters courses; Assessment regulations; Student achievement
Year2024
JournalAssessment & Evaluation in Higher Education
PublisherTaylor & Francis
ISSN0260-2938
1469-297X
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2024.2336168
Official URLhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02602938.2024.2336168
Publication dates
Online15 Apr 2024
Publication process dates
Deposited25 Apr 2024
Publisher's version
License
File Access Level
Open
Output statusPublished
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https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/97v5x/playing-by-the-many-rules-taught-masters-and-their-assessment-regulations

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