Jen O’Brien and Hilson Mutungamiri have launched an innovative project, #Assessmentforgood, aiming to enhance the impact of student assessments related to sustainability by transforming traditional assignments into accessible podcasts.
Running from October 2023 to June 2024, the initiative aims to enhance the impact of student assessments related to sustainability by transforming traditional assignments into accessible podcasts.What was the motivation behind your project?
[O’Brien] Across the University much assessment communicates important messages to external audiences... but sits on Blackboard gathering dust (pixels’!).This was the case for SEED’s UCIL course, "Creating a Sustainable World", where students communicate a sustainability problem and solution. These were often key societal interests such as fast fashion, energy poverty, and water pollution, that never moved beyond Blackboard.
To maximise the impact of existing assignments, and to facilitate discussion with our communities about issues that concerned them, Hilson researched good practice to turn the assessments into podcasts. We consulted with undergraduate and postgraduate taught students and we soon learned why this isn’t done.
Student feedback included ’if we were to make a podcast we’d benefit from reaching out to external guest speakers, as the world of podcasts is already so saturated.’ Significant work was required to translate assessments into podcasts, many of which had specialist listenership. As an interim ’solution,’ we piloted hosting student assessment on our University Living Lab website linked to our Instagram.
How did the SEED SR Catalyst Fund support your research?
[O’Brien] Student feedback was staggering. Students said they felt ’proud’, ’motivated’, and ’valued’ through their assignments being publicly available. Many wished for other opportunities to make a difference through assessment.With SEED funding, we presented #Assessmentforgood at AdvanceHE’s and the Institute of Teaching and Learning’s summer conferences. Cardiff University have already integrated #Assessmentforgood into their staff development toolkit.
Any SEED colleagues are most welcome to host students’ work related to sustainable development on our University Living Lab platform. Through this work we are collating examples of assessment that make a difference to share through the Institute of Teaching and Learning to inspire further change.
The project aligns with O’Brien and Mutungamiri’s broader commitment to socially responsible education, aiming to inspire other institutions to adopt similar practices. The initiative underscores a collective effort to cultivate a more sustainable and engaged academic community.
For more information, visit University Living Lab.
