University Alliance Inclusive Assessment research project

Supporting student progression and attainment through sustainable Inclusive Assessment Practices: What Works?

The University Alliance Teaching & Learning network, led by Teesside University, carried out their research project on inclusive assessment practices at their institutions. The aim was to identify which policies and practices implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic had positively affected awarding and continuation gaps, and whether these practices could be applied to a post-pandemic assessment environment.

Each university partner analysed internal data on assessment outcomes for the pandemic years, and which awarding gaps/continuation rates had improved during this time. They then interviewed students from those programmes to explore the ways assessments had changed since the pandemic, and any challenges and enablers to success. Each partner then carried out a thematic analysis of the interviews and internal data to identify recurrent themes.

These were then broken down into enablers and barriers that staff and students had encountered during assessments, and mapped against the inclusive assessment attributes that came out of the QAA Collaborative Enhancement Project. The research project outcomes provide practical insight for the sector, showcasing the inclusive assessment attributes that work on a practical basis, and which barriers need to be addressed.

See some of the project outcomes – including the progression report – below.