Challenges

Smart assessment planning

EdTech

Primary Challenge Owner: HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht

Secondary Challenge Owner(s): none

Background:

Reason: At the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht we make flexible and personalised learning possible. This requires a different way of testing. Shifting from ‘learning to take a test’ to ‘taking a test in order to learn from it’. Programmatic testing is such a holistic approach towards students and their personal development. It integrates learning and assessment. This helps making balanced decisions on the level of learning outcomes. It also facilitates more flexibility and personalization in the learning process.

Problem: The bachelor Communication started with programmatic testing five years ago. Introspection, evaluation and (peer) feedback are essential. The student captures this during the learning process as data points into a personal portfolio. The portfolio as a whole is assessed per semester or study year. Instead of one test or product at the end of each course. A criteria based interview with the student and two accessors completes the assessment. Unfortunately planning these assessments is complicated and comprehensive. It requires both resources and persons from within the institute and outside the University. The central testing office does not provide support in this specific planning process, and the complexity of this process causes that:

  • Students are unsatisfied about this part of the program.
  • Teachers experience a lot of stress because of the workload of organizational actions they have to handle to organize the assessments.
  • It inhibits the staff in its ambition to proceed improving flexibilization and personalization of the educational program.

The challenge:

Develop a flexible solution for planning and organizing assessment interviews, initiated by the student and including several parties and resources (ie. teacher, work field assessor, room booking) in an efficient way.

Criteria:

MUST haves

1) automated planning of a meeting with multiple participants (student, teacher and assessor) and resources to be booked (e.g. room)

2) automated messaging (confirmation, modification, cancellation, etc.) after a scheduled meeting including calendar integration

3) assessors can easily indicate their availability, e.g. with a link to their own calendar

NICE to haves

1) link with digital portfolio of the student

2) student initiates the planning of the assessment

3) based on learning analytics / study progress data forecasting and conditions check assessments

Apply:

Do you have a possible solution for this challenge? Great! You can apply here. Fill in your email address to get full access to the documents and the application page. Applications will be accepted from April 4th until May 24th 2023.