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Re-Imagining Assessment for learning in a changing HE Landscape
The Call for Abstracts for the Learning at City Conference 2024: Re-Imagining assessment for learning in a changing HE Landscape is now open.
- Abstracts closing date extended to Friday 5th April 2024
- Conference days, Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th June 2024
Call for abstracts
We are pleased to open the call for Abstracts, for the 14th Learning at City Conference, which will place on Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th June 2024 at City, University of London. The conference will provide an opportunity to engage both in person on day 1 and online on day 2.
The call is open to both City staff and colleagues in the wider HE community. There is no charge to attend.
Assessment powerfully frames how students learn, what they achieve and what they gain from their experience of higher education (Boud 2010). Despite us all knowing this there continues to be issues with the forms of assessment we use, how students engage with these and the purpose of the assessment activities used. This has been a source of both student and staff frustration over a number of years.
The debates have continued but so too has the shift to authentic assessment and Sambell and Brown (2021) provide a range of examples of these. McArthur (2023) adds to this discussion but calls for rethinking authentic assessment to include the relevance or purpose of assessment in relation to society and the purpose of assessment.
As the sector continues to look at what might be best practice for assessment including feedback now is an appropriate time to be exploring this and how practices may have changed.
Submit an abstract to share your learning about assessment for learning and what has worked, what might not have gone so well and any solutions you have. Within this theme there are a range of sub-themes you could focus upon for your abstract and these include:
- Assessment approaches
- Learning and teaching approaches to support formative assessment
- Self and peer assessment
- Engaging students in assessment design
- Providing feedback
- Assessment and EDI
- Assessment and educational outcomes
- Assessment and the external HE environment
We anticipate that this topical theme will provide excellent opportunities for discussion and, debate during the conference. Proposals for papers and posters are invited which relate to the overall theme and at least one sub-theme. We will have a maximum of five parallel sessions running so do think about which format might be most appropriate for you to present your work.
Papers/Presentations
(These will be for 30 minutes but there will be two in each session) NB some of these will be in person on day 1 and some online day 2.
Papers can be published or in progress, but you are not required to submit the paper for this conference. Presentations without papers can be on completed projects/work, including innovations, case studies, new implementations, etc.
All submissions in this category should plan to present your work for no more than 20 minutes and then have 10 minutes for questions.
All submissions are encouraged to present slides, or similar materials to accompany an oral presentation. You should have some questions prepared to stimulate discussion if needed.
In relation to presenting in-person or online you will be asked for your preference but we cannot guarantee you will be offered this. It will depend on the number of abstracts submitted and accepted.
Lightning talks
(These will be for 7 minutes each with six in each session) NB some of these will be in person on day 1 and some online day 2.
A Lightning talk can be a work in progress or a completed activity with the focus on the key details. The presentation should be only 7 minutes with 2 minutes for questions after each talk. All presenters are encouraged to use slides, or similar materials to accompany the talk.
In relation to presenting in-person or online you will be asked for your preference but we cannot guarantee you will be offered this. It will depend on the number of abstracts submitted and accepted.
Workshops
(These sessions are for 60 minutes) NB These will be in person on day 1.
If you are providing a workshop then try to keep your overview to 20 minutes and then have around 30 minutes as activity including feedback and sharing and, permit 10 minutes for questions at the end.
Posters
(The maximum size should be A0) NB these will in person on day 1
Posters will be available for participants to view throughout the conference. However, there will be a scheduled poster session in the programme so that you can discuss your posters with colleagues.
Deadline for submissions
Before you submit a proposal please read the guidance and use the Abstract submission template [DOCX], ensuring you have prepared and have to hand all the required information.
Submitting your proposal
Proposals should be submitted electronically via the online conference submission form. The Closing date for abstracts is Friday 5th April 2024.
Criteria for acceptance of proposals
Each proposal will be reviewed for acceptance at the conference against the following criteria:
- Relevance to conference theme and sub-themes clearly stated;
- Clarity and coherence of the proposal;
- Evidence of relevance to others across the University and beyond;
- Contribution to development, enhancement and scholarship related to the theme.
In order to ensure there are as many contributors to the conference as possible, you can only be named as lead contact on ONE proposal and as a co-presenter on ONE other. If you are involved in more than one submission we will try to accommodate this in the timings of the event- but this may not always be possible.
Feedback and Guidance
Once the proposals have been peer reviewed feedback will be sent to applicants by Friday 26th April 2024.
References
Boud, D. and Associates (2010). Assessment 2020 [PDF]: Seven propositions for assessment reform in higher education. Sydney: Australian Learning and Teaching Council (accessed 12/01/24)
McArthur J (2023) Rethinking authentic assessment work, well-being, and society Higher Education Vol.85 p85-101
Sambell K & Brown S (2021) Covid-19 Assessment Collection (accessed 10/01/24)
