Assessment and Moderation at CSU

New resources

We know many people have questions about the new policies and what they mean for you, so we've developed some questions and answers which can be found here.

Some of you are keen to get started using criterion-referenced standards-based assessment and we are busily developing a range of resources and professional development materials to assist you with this. In the meantime you may like to use the self-evaluation checklist to see where you’re currently up to in your practice.

If you have any questions that aren’t answered in the Q&A, please contact the Project Manager, Kirsty Smith on 84871 or kirssmith@csu.edu.au.

Background

In 2012, Academic Senate approved two new university-wide policies: CSU Assessment Policy - A Criterion-Referenced Standards-Based Approach and the CSU Moderation Policy.

The policies, which will be implemented at the start of teaching session 1, 2014 (201430), have been developed in response to feedback from the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) audit in 2009 and larger reforms in the higher education sector including changes to the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) and the introduction of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA).

The implementation of these two new policies will represent a significant shift for some of us and support and training will be provided later this year for all teaching staff so that we understand how to comply with the policies from the beginning of next year.

What these policies mean for teaching staff and faculties

The new policies are critical for effective teaching and learning and are consistent with sector-wide changes and initiatives. However, they involve significant change for some parts of the University; changes to how we set, mark and grade assessments, as well as the way we review and moderate assessments.

In relation to assessment, the most significant change for teaching staff is the switch from our current norm-referenced marking scales to criterion-referenced and standards-based assessment approaches. In the new approach, assessment tasks are aligned to pre-defined criteria and objectives with related standards of skills, knowledge and competencies. In other words, objectives and learning outcomes for courses and subjects need to be linked to assessment tasks, and teaching staff need to ensure that students clearly understand what is expected of them to pass and perform well.

In relation to the moderation policy, most Schools already use a range of quality measures to moderate course and subject materials, assessment regimes and teaching processes, and this new policy will help to formalise and standardise these processes across all Faculties. The moderation policy covers the need to moderate assessment before, during and after delivery of subjects, at least once a year for every subject offered. In some instances, this may include the use of external moderators and benchmarking.

What happens next?

The Assessment and Moderation Implementation Steering Group understands that these policies represent a significant cultural shift in the way that we conduct assessments at CSU and as such much consultation and feedback will be sought to enable a smooth transition to the new policies.

Over the coming months, the Steering Group will be consulting with all schools to seek feedback on the implementation of, and potential issues with, the two policies as well as to identify examples of current good practice.

Professional development sessions will be held later this year to prepare all staff in understanding and implementing these policies. It is expected that a bank of resources, exemplars and templates will also be made available to staff to assist them in developing or refining assessments for their subjects.

Please check this page regularly as it will be updated as the project progresses. More information, such as dates for consultations and professional development sessions, and examples of good practice, will be made available soon.

Who’s involved?

Members of the Steering Group are: Robert Coombes (chair); Ben Bradley; Nicholas Drengenberg; Marian Tulloch; Warwick Baines; Alan Bain; Julia Coyle; Sandra Martin; Joy Wallace; Barney Dalgarno; Andrea Crampton; Megan Smith; Lindy Cavanagh; Kate Rose; Jae Major; and Peter Pocock.

A project manager, Kirsty Smith, has been appointed to facilitate the implementation of these new policies. Kirsty can be contacted on ext. 84871 or at kirssmith@csu.edu.au.

Learning and Teaching at CSU