Vohmann_2019.pdf (11.78 MB)
Authentic assessment to enhance undergraduates' learning and development as effective practitioners in built environment disciplines
thesis
posted on 2023-08-30, 16:42 authored by Barbara VohmannPurpose:
Assessment feedback is an important contributor to student learning, yet research shows
that built environment students are the least satisfied in respect of feedback and reasons
for this are not fully understood. Further, recent research shows that built environment
students are not always as well prepared for industry as employers’ desire. This work
explores means by which use of authentic assessment, allied with assessment feedback,
contributes to resolving both of these problems.
Research design:
The research takes an anti-positivist and interpretive epistemology. The methodology used
comparative case studies to generate ideas for modifications to practice in action research,
in which assessment was modified to be more authentic to professional practice. Data were
gathered from documents, focus groups with students, and interviews with tutors and
employers throughout the cycles of action research.
Findings:
Findings suggest that authentic assessment, allied with feedback, may provide an
enhanced learning experience for built environment undergraduates. Professional practice
activities incorporated within assessment exposed students to practice-based real-world
activities and challenges, thereby supporting their development and better equipping them
for industry. Further, assessment design influenced feedback design, which correlated with
students’ perception and understanding of their feedback.
Conclusions:
Authentic assessment, allied with assessment feedback, supported student learning
effectively and helped prepare students for industry through exposure to real-world
activities and challenges. Making assessment more authentic to professional practice, and
allied with assessment feedback, provided an enhanced learning experience for built
environment undergraduates. Developed from this research, the thesis provides a toolkit
for tutors to support their design of authentic assessment and allied feedback. The
contribution to knowledge of this thesis is, first, the contribution to theory concerning
assessment authenticity in relation to professional practice for built environment
undergraduates, and, second, the contribution to practice through production of a tutors’
toolkit.
History
Institution
Anglia Ruskin UniversityFile version
- Accepted version
Language
- eng
Thesis name
- Other
Thesis type
- Doctoral
Legacy posted date
2019-10-28Legacy creation date
2019-10-28Legacy Faculty/School/Department
Theses from Anglia Ruskin University/Faculty of Science and EngineeringUsage metrics
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