Postgraduate Course: Digital Education: Assessment (EDUA11476)
Course Outline
| School | Moray House School of Education and Sport |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course looks at how and why we assess student work. It will consider the broader contexts of these practices and how they are shifting in response to political and technological change. We will look at the practicalities of how to design assessments, as well as technological factors such as the impact of artificial intelligence on assessment, integrity and knowledge. |
| Course description |
Assessing and evaluating the work of students is a critical aspect of education across all sectors. While there is a long history of work using digital technologies to support and diversify assessment practice, recent developments in AI and data-driven technologies have created profound challenges for the ways in which educators approach this task.
This course will explore the nature of assessment, with a particular focus on data-driven technologies and artificial intelligence. It will introduce you to the theory and history of assessment, providing you with an overview of the politics of assessment internationally, and then moving on to look at how digital practices and norms are changing how educators and students approach it.
We will look at the ethical and pedagogical challenges around the widespread use of generative AI in schools and universities, considering the ways in which educational technology platforms and plagiarism detection systems are changing the ways in which assessment is understood and organised. We will also consider the impact of these forms of technological change on the politics, culture and practices of teaching.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
196 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Summative assessment for the course is a single piece of coursework with two elements:
1. A description of the design of a piece of innovative and experimental assessment for a course ¿ this might be a real course you are responsible for, or a speculative context you would like to explore.
2. A written rationale for this design, including a critical analysis of the contextual factors informing it, with reference to the key literatures.
For assigments which are written only, the total word count will be 4,000 words.
You will also have the option to include a substantial practical element for part one of the assignment, for example a build or part-build of an online assessment application. In this instance, the total word count for part 2 will be 3,000 words.
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| Feedback |
Feedback points connecting to the first assessment component are built into the delivery of the course, and will take place via live events and optional tutorial sessions. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate an analytical grasp of the purposes, practices and politics of assessment in education.
- Critically evaluate its benefits, limitations and uses.
- Demonstrate your familiarity with a range of approaches to designing and evaluating assessment strategies.
- Understand the practical and strategic issues posed for assessment by technologies including artificial intelligence.
- Critique and review assessment practices in your chosen professional area.
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Reading List
Grek, S. (2009). Governing by numbers: the PISA effect in Europe. Journal of Education Policy, 24(1), 23:37. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680930802412669
Kirschenbaum M, Raley R. AI and the University as a Service. PMLA/Publications of the Modern Language Association of America. 2024;139(3):504-515. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/pmla/article/ai-and-the-university-as-a-service/
Sitta, F. A. et al (2023) The Futures of Assessments: navigating uncertainties through the lens of anticipatory thinking. DEFI/Cambridge University Press.
https://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/Images/698413-the-futures-of-assessment-navigating-uncertainties-through-the-lenses-of-anticipatory-thinking.pdf
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Additional Information
| Course URL |
https://www.de.ed.ac.uk/index.php/course/assessment |
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
The course is delivered entirely online, via a combination of live, online seminars, online discussion and independent study. It will include opportunities to share and receive dynamic feedback from peers and course tutors. You will have the opportunity to study and connect with each other across various platforms relevant to the key theme of the course. |
| Keywords | Assessment,Evaluation,Artificial Intelligence,Teaching practice |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Ben Williamson
Tel: (0131 6)51 6176
Email: Ben.Williamson@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Annemarijn Huizinga
Tel:
Email: ahuizing@ed.ac.uk |
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