Undergraduate Assessment and Feedback

Assessment procedures are overseen by the University’s General Regulations relating to First Degrees (accessed through SSiD website). Each subject module is assessed individually, either by formal written examinations or by coursework; details of each assessment method are contained in the module handbook. Usually the assessment is made during weeks 13–15 of the semester in which the course is given. However, different arrangements are made for studio based modules which are assessed through portfolio (see below).

Project Based Courses

Because of the cumulative nature of design, the final examination for all project work is in the final weeks of the second semester. The examiners will be looking at the portfolio as a whole, as well as associated materials. The weighting of each project within the module will be given by the year tutors. You are encouraged to treat your portfolio submission as a body of work. In the presentation of your portfolio for assessment it is, therefore, important that the process by which you have arrived at the end result is clearly shown, and that the portfolio is selfexplanatory.

Assessment of Coursework

As coursework, unlike examinations, is not invigilated, the University lays down rules so that everyone is clear about what is acceptable practice. These rules are set out formally in the University Calendar. Among other things, they require you to abide by the rules laid down by the School of Architecture in the following paragraphs.

Submission of Work

Portfolios should be submitted as instructed at the specified time and place. Coursework should be submitted by the deadline given by the module or component tutor to the designated place. It is your responsibility to keep a copy of any submission made including portfolio work.

Format of Submissions

During your study you will be required to make submissions in different formats depending on the learning outcomes and assessment methods of the specific module. Full guidance will be given in the module handbook and sometimes in additional briefing sessions. For some submissions the guidance will specify a clearly defined size and format for the submission where as others may ask you to make judgements about the size and format as part of the assessment criteria.

Many modules will require you to submit your work to Blackboard. You will find a link to the submission within Blackboard and the link will guide you through the process of submitting your work. It is your responsibility to allow adequate time to upload your work. Large files may take several minutes to upload so you should allow plenty of time before the submission deadline. You are advised to use the University Network for upload as the bandwidth is very high. If you choose to use an independent internet network then it is your responsibility to ensure you can meet the deadline. Some modules may require the submission of physical drawings and models. Detailed guidance will be given in these cases. Some modules may use other methods for digital submission and again detailed guidance will be given in these cases..

Examinations

Invigilated examinations are organised by the University’s Examinations Office and the regulations governing examinations can be found here.

The regulations give essential information on all aspects of examinations including your responsibilities with regard to the following:

• Checking the draft examination timetable for clashes

• Examinations on days of religious observance

• Special arrangements for students who are disadvantaged by normal examination conditions

• Illness before or during examinations

• Use of calculators in examinations

• Use of unfair means in any form of assessment

Students should also inform their department office if they are disadvantaged by normal examination conditions in order to ensure that suitable arrangementsare made for class tests and any other departmentally invigilated assessment. If for any reason you miss an examination, inform the departmental office immediately, and if at all possible do this before the missed exam finishes. Alternative arrangements can then be considered. However, if no action is taken until after the end of the exam then you will normally be deemed to have failed. No special papers can be set or other allowance made in these situations unless there are significant extenuating circumstances. If you think such circumstances apply in your case you should speak to your Personal Tutor.

Feedback can take a number of forms in any module. For studio-based projects you are likely to experience several different kinds of feedback: during the course of weekly tutorials, interim and final reviews, and portfolio reviews. Some feedback will be more formal than others, some will be written and some verbal. Some feedback will be from your tutors, some from guest reviewers and some from your peers, as well as from friends and family. It is important that you develop reflection and consideration of the circumstances in which feedback is offered and from whom. Feedback is intended to assist you in your progression through your work. This does not mean that feedback will answer all your questions or offer solutions that will resolve all the challenges in your work.

Some feedback may include a provisional grade - for instance, at Semester 1 portfolio reviews. A provisional grade does not constitute a formal assessment, rather, is intended to give an indication of your progress (or lack of it) to date; it does not represent a formal or final mark. As provisional feedback, even without you doing any additional work, the mark would be subject to change, since no benchmarking or moderation can take place in portfolio reviews and your grade may go up or down when your portfolio is finally examined and assessed at the end of the year. Where it is possible for you to add supplementary work to your portfolio through the course of the year, you should consider that architectural or academic quality are not equitable with quantity, so additional work will not necessarily mean that the project is improved. For all these reasons, you should not be tempted to try to calculate your degree classification on the basis of provisional feedback. However, you should take seriously any indication that your work is in danger of failing or being borderline. You should also be aware that sometimes supportive feedback is given to motivate you or encourage you or help you; you should not take this necessarily to mean that you will be awarded a high grade at the end of the year. You should note that all grades are provisional until final grades are released formally by the university at the end of Semester 1 and Semester 2. Marks sometimes can and do go down from provisional grades and students cannot appeal on the grounds of any discrepancy between provisional feedback of any kind and final grade

The Principles of Feedback Guidance for Students

• Principle 1 - Student engagement with feedback is promoted.

Feedback is a 2-way process, an on-going dialogue between you and your lecturers. In order for feedback to work for you, you need to engage with your feedback to improve future performance and the department should help you to do this.

• Principle 2 - Feedback is for learning.

Feedback should help you to improve your future performance as well as provide comment on work already done. Feedback should affirm what you already know and offer encouragement. Feedback comes in many forms: written, face-to-face (both individual and collectively), from your peers, electronically via Blackboard, in audio files or email. Opportunities for reflection on your feedback should be provided by personal tutors or elsewhere.

• Principle 3 - Feedback is clearly communicated to students

The School will provide clear information about the types of feedback you will receive and the dates when it is available for all modules.

• Principle 4 - Feedback is timely.

You will receive regular feedback throughout your modules, timed to help with your final assessment. Feedback on assessed work will normally be within 3 weeks.

• Principle 5 - Feedback is consistently delivered.

Your feedback will be delivered in an accessible and consistent manner and will relate to module assessment criteria and learning outcomes. There will be an opportunity to view exam scripts.

• Principle 6 - Feedback quality is maintained.

The School will ensure that the feedback you receive is of good quality. Your student reps will be involved in the process of maintaining that quality.

Feedback on Studio Work

Feedback takes a number of different forms throughout studio projects. You will receive verbal feedback during the course of tutorials, written feedback at interim and final reviews and verbal and written feedback at Portfolio reviews. Feedback is intended to assist you in your progression through your project work, not to substitute or predict marking. At the end of the first semester, all portfolios will be submitted to a panel. This does not constitute a formal assessment, but is in order to give feedback to each student in the form of a provisional indicator, normally a letter grade. This will give an indication of your progress to date, but does not represent a final mark. As provisional feedback, this grade may go up or down when your portfolio is finally examined and assessed at the end of the year.

Reviews

Unless explicitly stated by the tutors, design reviews do not form part of the assessment process. It is the intention that reviews are an important part of the teaching and learning process, are a way of opening up project work to broader feedback, and students are encouraged to participate in them.

Students should retain all drawings, including work submitted for interim reviews and sketch books, as this material will be required for examination at the end of the year. A photographic record should be made of all models at the end of each project, in case these are damaged or lost during the year.

Individual work

All work submitted for marking must be totally the student’s individual work, unless a project is specifically a group activity. In a group project it is normally necessary for the tutor to be able to assess the contributions made by each individual member.

Ownership of Submitted Work

The School of Architecture reserves the right to retain student coursework and other material submitted for assessment. It also reserves the right to record and publish student design work and dissertation work for the purposes of academic activity and for marketing of the School. The School will make reasonable efforts to accurately attribute student work that is published. 

Wherever possible, material is returned to students especially when this might be useful for purposes such as job interviews. The School is required, however, to retain a range of work from all years for professional accreditation and exhibition. You should not publish or exhibit your work without the permission of the School. Such permission will not be unreasonably denied.

Reflection

What is it?

You are encouraged to reflect on your work and ideas in relation to your personal and academic development. It involves you reviewing your own work, abilities, experiences, qualities and skills – your strengths and your weaknesses. This self review then guides a plan for further study, work and life decisions, allowing you to more effectively communicate ideas about your work, course and future career plans. It will help you get more out of your course by taking responsibility for your own direction.

Opportunities for Reflection

There are many structured opportunities for reflection built into the course. Group tutorials, design reviews and portfolio reviews all provide an opportunity to discuss your work and critically evaluate other students’ work. Lectures and tutorials with staff and visiting practitioners allow you to think about your own work in relation to architectural practice. Projects with other years allow you to discuss work and ideas with new people with different experiences. All of these opportunities support you in reviewing and planning your own direction, allowing you to think about your work in new ways.

Recording reflections

You can record your reflections during the year in many different ways, for example:

• Sketch journal - a versatile place to record ideas at any time.

• Design reviews - these will usually involve a review sheet, which allows you to write your own reflections next to other people’s feedback.

• After each studio project/after a series of lectures - you might make your own notes about what you got out of it, where your strengths and weaknesses were, and anything that you want to do or change as a result of what you’ve learned.