Assessment
Essentially, there is one "in-course" assessment for A&DD which is explained in detail in the Assessment Brief. This includes the learning outcomes and the assessment criteria. Essentially, it has been designed to assess whether the unit learning outcomes have been achieved (these are specified in the Unit Descripter in the Content section).
Following a Database Commons exercise "The top 5 things I believe to be important in database assessment". (at least in our context) are:
1 Design database models to meet business requirements
2.Implement and test SQL-based database applications
3.Apply knowledge and understanding of the DBMS in developing multi-user applications
4.Develop database applications using a methodical approach
5.Adopt a referenced and reflective approach to database development
Although the current learning outcomes (last formally reviewed in 2008) broadly refect this, they will be updated at the next review to more closely reflect these 5 "things".
The assessment has also been designed to (try to!) achieve discriminatory achievement of the learning outcomes in a clear, fair, reliable and consistent manner. Both the Assessment Brief and the Teaching Scheme (refer the Content Section) show how the assessment is closely integrated with the study of the 5 main themes throughout the year.
The potential for providing formative feedback on work that is ultimately summatively assessed is explicitly built-in to the teaching, learning and assessment design. In particular, as explained in section 1. of the Assessment Brief, the students are encouraged to upload a draft of each deliverable at the end of each theme (via a link in the theme block). In addition, a generic feedback page is updated each week during the theme to help students address common emergent technical and other issues.
There is a tendency however for the proportion of uploads to decrease from the 1st to the 5th and final theme (anecdotally students talk of other course work priorities and the relunctance to upload an incomplete version). The Theme Upload Example shows an upload from the Data Mining theme for which verbal formative feedback in class was provided. Individual feedback online in myCourse, whilst possible, is not normally provided.
Does this overall assessment process work? Supporting evidence is provided by the Ist class Example and 2.2 Example submissions. The independent university "SUE" survey (refer Evaluation section) also shows a good score on assessment and feedback.
The continual monitoring of engagement through class and the VLE also helps to identify causes for concern including the potential for plagiarism and other forms of cheating in this 100% in-course assessed unit. However, one is never, and probably never will be, completely happy with assessment.