Feedback on my A&F Strategy from Evgeni

I was particularly impressed by your thoughtful approach to developing a new assessment and feedback strategy for the level 4 Contemporary Arts Practice programme. Your integration of real-world experiences through the V&A Wedgwood Museum visit creates an authentic learning context that, as you correctly identified, helps students see beyond the classroom environment.

What stands out most positively in your strategy is the careful balance between individual and collaborative assessment components. This approach acknowledges the reality of creative practice, where practitioners often oscillate between independent work and collaborative projects. Your inclusion of both individual ceramic artifacts and group exhibition curation mirrors professional practice in the arts sector, where artists must not only create work but also consider its presentation and contextual framing.

The reflective components integrated throughout your assessment design demonstrate strong alignment with experiential learning principles, allowing students to transform concrete experiences into conceptual understanding through reflection. The critical reflective journal provides students with the opportunity to document their evolving thinking, an essential metacognitive skill that supports deeper learning outcomes.

To further strengthen your assessment strategy, you might consider:

1. Clearer articulation of feedback mechanisms - While you've thoughtfully planned when assessment will occur (during and after the group critique), the specific feedback methods could be more explicitly detailed. Boud and Molloy (2013) suggest developing feedback as a dialogic process rather than a one-way transmission of information. You might consider how to create feedback opportunities that students can carry forward to future modules.

2. Further development of peer assessment - The inclusion of peer assessment is valuable, but Falchikov (2007) suggests that students often need structured frameworks to provide meaningful peer feedback. Consider developing specific criteria or guiding questions for the peer reflection component to enhance its educational value and ensure consistency.

3. Connection to theoretical frameworks - While you've thoughtfully included practical skills development and professional practice, there's opportunity to strengthen the explicit connection to theoretical frameworks in ceramics and exhibition practice. Knight and Yorke (2003) emphasize that assessment tasks should prompt students to engage with disciplinary concepts as well as practical skills.

   
   

Your approach to creating a diversified assessment strategy with varied weightings aligns well with inclusive assessment principles, providing multiple means of engagement and expression that support learner diversity. The consideration of workload balance for both students and staff also demonstrates thoughtful planning.

I'm interested in how you might develop the formative assessment opportunities within this framework. As Sambell et al. (2013) suggest, formative assessment is crucial in developing self-regulated learners. Could you elaborate on any planned formative touch points that might prepare students for the summative components?

References: Boud, D. and Molloy, E. (2013) 'Rethinking models of feedback for learning: the challenge of design', Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 38(6), pp. 698-712.

Falchikov, N. (2007) 'The place of peers in learning and assessment', in Boud, D. and Falchikov, N. (eds.) Rethinking Assessment in Higher Education: Learning for the Longer Term. London: Routledge, pp. 128-143.

Knight, P.T. and Yorke, M. (2003) Assessment, Learning and Employability. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Sambell, K., McDowell, L. and Montgomery, C. (2013) Assessment for Learning in Higher Education. London: Routledge.