Abstract

This talk explores common storylines for students and staff about assessment and feedback. Drawing on TESTA data, I will argue that alienation is a common assessment narrative among students and staff, and that we need to tell a different story, one which speaks of meaning, relationship and engagement. The grammar of our new story hinges on using different prepositions and pronouns; it challenges neat definitions of assessment as objective, aligned or measuring learning outcomes. As we slip from the moorings of old certainties in the great disruption, TESTA data suggests some ways forward to foster students’ intellectual and personal growth through assessment and feedback, even in a digital world.

About Tansy

Tansy Jessop took up the role of Pro Vice Chancellor Education at Bristol University in July 2019. She was previously Professor of Research Informed Teaching at Solent University and Head of Learning and Teaching at the University of Winchester. Tansy leads the influential ‘Transforming the Experience of Students through Assessment’ (TESTA) research and change project, used widely in the UK and internationally. TESTA has brought about a step change in assessment across the sector, reaching more than 50 UK universities and gaining international renown in Ireland, Australia and India.

Tansy was born in South Africa, educated at the universities of Cape Town and KwaZulu-Natal, and completed her PhD at the University of Southampton. Her doctoral studies investigated the influence of primary teachers’ narratives on their professional lives in rural KwaZulu-Natal in the turbulent context of factional violence and historical disadvantage. Tansy has previously worked as an education consultant for DFID and the British Council in Palestine and India. She believes in education as an intellectually stimulating pursuit, and as a public good to improve lives and society.

Tansy has been a consultant to more than 15 universities, won funding bids from the HEA, JISC, the British Council and HEFCE. She serves on the editorial board of the International Journal for Academic Development and Active Learning in Higher Education. She has published on assessment and feedback, research informed teaching, learning spaces, and social justice in education. She is regularly invited to be a keynote speaker at conferences on learning and teaching. Tansy was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2016 for her work on TESTA and her creative approach to teaching in higher education.