Course for members of Board of Examiners: ensuring assessment quality and final attainment level
The Board of Examiners is responsible for ensuring the assessment quality and the realised final attainment level. This has been put into effect with an amendment to Dutch law in 2011. But with this amendment coming into effect, accreditation assessments have increased in importance. If the programme is not up to par, then it has a big problem. In the past 5 years, the faculties of Utrecht University have done much work to live up to, shape, and put into place this responsibility.
Content
The course Ensuring assessment quality and final attainment level has a question-driven and interactive character and focusses on case-studies from the practice of Boards of Examiners. Exchanging experiences and deepening the knowledge of assessment and assessments is the core. In the course, we will delve deeper into the actual responsibilities (and wat is expected by law), what information and background knowledge in the field of assessment and assessments is required, and how the course can fulfil the roles in a sensible manner. Participants can also bring in their own themes and topics.
The perspective is primary: being able to justify the realised assessment quality and the final attainment level during an accreditation assessment. Participants can learn much from each other on how you do this skilfully and judiciously. There is ample opportunity to bring in dilemmas posed by the supervisory role.
Programme
Quality assurance: Boards of Examiners in context
What are the legal requirements and how does a Board of Examiners ensure that it fulfils its responsibilities? How does a Board of Examiners position itself in relation to the programme board, examiners, and any assessment committee? What are the roles, powers and responsibilities of all actors involved in assessment and how are these fulfilled? What is the minimum information needed for the Board of Examiners to be able to fulfil its legal duties? Which methods are used to ensure and guarantee the quality of assessment?
Quality of tests
How can you assess and determine the methods in test development and quality optimisations? What information do you need for this as a board of examiners? What is the meaning of quality requirements such as transparency, acceptance, reliability, and validity of the test, and how do you determine that quality? How to deviate with deviating pass rates? Which methods for determining the pass mark are in use and has it been established whether and how they can be deviated from?
Assessing the realised skills at the (final) attainment level
How do you determine that the used final products (such as thesis, internship products, articles, portfolio) are representative for the realised programme level? And how can you determine the reliability of the assessment of these complex tasks? Which methods are used (sampling, calibration sessions, etc.) to justify the trust in the realised final attainment level. Performance assessment: how is it done now, and what can be said about inter-assessor reliability, and the use of assessment tools in this regard.
Quality of assessment programmes, plans, and policy
How do you determine the critical components of a curriculum for assessment and development towards the final attainment level? How to assess programme-based assessment matrices and assessment plans? How do you assess final grades based on a combination of assessments? What are the characteristics of a high-quality assessment policy?
Goals
After completing this course:
- You can make better strategic choices to ensure the quality of assessments, assessment programmes, and the realised final attainment level;
- You know which methods you can use to be able to make the strategic choices.
Target group
The course is intended for members of the Boards of Examiners of Utrecht University.
Dates
The course consists of three sessions and will solely be given on location. Given the interactive nature of the course and that we (sometimes) work with confidential cases, it is not possible to give this course in a hybrid format. Digital participation is thus not possible.
An English-language course starts in early 2024:
- Thursday 15 February (09:30-12:30 hours)
- Thursday 29 February (09:30-12:30 hours)
- Thursday 14 March (09:30-12:30 hours)
Costs
Price per participant: 570 euro (provided a minimum of 6 participants is reached*)
Aantal deelnemers: 6-12
* A minimum of 6 participants is a requirement for the start of this course. You will be informed at least two weeks in advance, should the course not start because of too few participants.