Such technology enables the capture of detailed and specific discussion on the work, allows the integration of wider resources (e.g. demonstrate a particular word, concept or point to further research by opening up a new window to the relevant website in the recording), allows the student to rewind and review in their own time, and creates the start point of a more meaningful conversation between marker and student.

The toolkit has been created in Moodle as a comprehensive set of resources so that staff can pick it up and learn it in their own time, and as part of the USP of this project I will provide in-person 1:1 support where required if colleagues want further guidance; there will also be a project roadshow to introduce it to departments. The toolkit will include; research on the benefits of audio-visual feedback; evidence from former students as to the benefits; a real-life example of how to do it; suggestions on adding additional resources to enrich feedback; suggestions on how best to administrate feedback files once created; suggestions on maximising accessibility; suggestions on how to create a follow-up dialogue with the student.

This project aims to showcase to staff a range of existing methods that are available for creating and maintaining Moodle quizzes and their questions. There is no one method which is optimized for every situation, so the goal is to make it easier for staff to choose the method and workflow which will best suit their needs. One of the key outcomes of this project will be a dedicated Moodle page for staff that will feature a range of example quiz questions used successfully by others, which they can mirror in their own modules. Each example question will also explain the workflow used for its generation, resources to help them get started, and a discussion forum where staff can share their experiences and thoughts. The range of options available to staff is continually expanding, so it is important to display these developments in full view, so they can take advantage of recent innovations.

The dominant discourse about assessment in HE focuses on measuring learning rather than promoting it (Price et al, 2008). Assessment support may be in the form of study skills offered to students in a remedial approach, bolted onto the curriculum to address the needs of weaker students. These skills place emphasis on developing assessment technique through essay writing, preparing for exams rather that understanding the nature and purpose of assessment and feedback process.

Assessment literacy is emerging as a concept for describing familiarity with the language and process of assessment (Price et al., 2012). Someone who is assessment literate will have clear understandings of how assessment fits into a course and be able to make critical decisions about the application of appropriate approaches and techniques to assessed tasks. However, the academic rules for guiding assessment are often tacit (Bloxham and West, 2004). It is important for both staff and students to develop their understanding of these rules.

This project has investigated assessment literacy, what it is, its contribution to student learning and how it can be embedded in the curriculum at Lancaster. It has started to identify practice within programmes across Lancaster university that develop both staff and students' assessment literacy.

_{Bloxham, S. and Boyd, P. (2007). Developing Effective Assessment in Higher Education: A Practical Guide. Maidenhead: Open University Press.}

_{Bloxham, S., and A. West. (2004 ) Understanding the Rules of the Game: Marking Peer Assessment as a Medium for Developing Students’ Conceptions of Assessment. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 29 (6): 721–733.}

_{OfS (Office for Students) (2020) National Student Survey 2020}

_{Medland, E. (2016). Assessment in higher education: Drivers, barriers and directions for change in the UK. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 41(1), 81-96.}

_{Price, M., B. O’Donovan, C. Rust, and J. Carroll. (2008) Assessment Standards: A Manifesto for Change. Learning and Teaching 2 (3).}

_{Price, M., Rust, C., O’Donovan, B., Handley, K., and Bryant, R. (2012) Assessment Literacy: The foundation for improving student learning. Oxford: ASKe, Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development}

By way of example, an authentic assessment task might involve asking students to conduct advocacy in a mock trial as part of their Litigation module in Law, to design an actual social media campaign in a Media or Marketing module or running a simulated interview with a mock patient as part of a Medical course. Rather than a formal, abstract and decontextualised form of learning and assessment, authentic tasks and assignments foreground the ‘situatedness’ of the learning experience (Gee, 2004).

Involving students in authentic learning tasks facilitates and grounds student learning and engagement in new ways. It takes seriously the increasing demands from current and prospective students that their studies are applied and useful. Authentic learning and assessment allow teaching staff and higher education institutions to further diversify assessment and feedback as well, avoiding an over-reliance on essays and written exams. This can strategically help to improve student experience in assessment and feedback. Moreover, authentic learning and assessment also satisfy the requirements of external stakeholders, such as industry and the professions, that University courses develop graduate employability as well as transferable skills.

To deepen insights into authentic learning and assessment, this project will happen in three stages. First (1), we will conduct a literature review to research and map the theoretical contexts as well as empirical studies on authentic learning. We will then (2) run focus groups with educators and students in Lancaster University as well as its partner institutions to explore current methods of authentic learning and assessment within the institution. We will see how these fit with the theoretical and empirical studies we have reviewed and collect a small number of best practice case studies that showcase the potential depth of authentic practices in Higher Education. Finally (3), we aim to bring these examples together on an online resource platform. This platform will be openly accessible to colleagues from inside and outside the institution and will provide tips and tools, examples of assessment modes and rubrics, as well as shared stories and experiences to help lower the threshold to embed authentic learning and assessment in the curriculum.

Gee, J.P. (2004) Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. New York: Routledge.

Herrington, J. (2014) Authentic Learning. In: Bozalek et al. (eds.), Activity Theory, Authentic Learning and Emerging Technologies: Towards a Transformative Higher Education Pedagogy. New York: Routledge.

Herrington, T. and Herrington, J. (2006) Authentic Learning Environments in Higher Education. London: Information Sciences Publishing^.

This project has explored students’ experience of transition to University in relation to (a) their understanding of what constitutes information literacy and critical thinking, and (b) their experience of learning about and using information literacy skills. The project examines these themes in two stages. First, it analyses them in relation to sixth form students and, second, it explores them in relation to first year undergraduate University students.

This dual approach has offered insights into the process of educational transition providing a snapshot of both sixth form students’ experiences and first year University students’ experiences. There has been significant interest in transition to University and in identifying gaps in students' understanding and skills. This project specifically focuses on information literacy and its relationship to critical thinking and provides a grounding for the Library to consider what it can offer in supporting students’ transition to University.

Project outputs and related information

• Library and Learning Development Information Literacy Vision, Model and Framework
• Library and Information Literacy Annual Conference Presentation
• Library and Information Literacy Annual Conference 2022 Posters and Papers

As a Learning Developer I (Joanne) have long been irked by this tension between the need for students to develop their writing skills and the risks of teaching those skills – how can I authentically help students to ‘see’ and engage in academic writing without contributing to the stultifying, disempowering, excluding practices of telling students how to write? How can I pretend to be supporting ‘co-creation of knowledge’ if the very tools for communicating that knowledge are set in stone and held slightly out of reach?

And as somebody rooted in the discipline of History, how can I (Corinna) foster individual flair and academic rigour in our PGR community, and prepare them not only for the exam that is the thesis but their writing lives thereafter?

This project is an attempt to answer these questions. PGR students are obvious partners to trial such a writing project with. They are expected, and expect themselves, to be proficient, confident writers, prospective leaders in their field. They are highly motivated, time-rich (in terms of the place writing is meant to take in their week) , and least well served by an instrumental approach. They may teach the academics of the future. They are also the most easily overlooked constituents, unlikely to ask for or be provided with writing ‘help’ beyond individual supervisor support.

'Talking about Writing' therefore takes the form of a community of practice (Wenger, 2011) fostering a group of PGR students who will meet to talk with us and each other about writing – the writing process and the writing product in abstract and less-abstract ways. We will create a space for and encourage peer support, nurturing an awareness of writing and of being a writer.

‘Talking about Writing’ will encompass:

• A fortnightly meeting of 1.5 hours with a focus agreed at the previous meeting
• A dedicated Teams site to permit conversations to continue between meetings, facilitate peer support and act as a repository for sharing and reflection on examples drawn from everyday encounters as well as academic ones
• Discussion of technical aspects of writing – grammar, structure, proof-reading
• Recommended reading and source materials as emerging from discussion (available on Teams)

We will build our project on the foundations of trust, friendship, honesty, authenticity. We will draw on and harness the experience and expertise of every group member. We will base our conversations on honest, curious exploration – asking authentic questions, telling stories, listening.

Digitisation of common information provided during the induction week at the Faculty level can help the student navigating through this crucial learning at their convenience as well as allowing for access throughout their student journey.

By removing some of the content from the busy Induction week, academic departments can focus on building programme communities and getting to know the students better. The student doesn’t need to feel overwhelmed with amount of sessions and making sure that all information is remembered immediately.

Content of this project can also be used and recalled throughout the student journey giving the student an effective guide to studying at the University.