As we move ever closer to the start of exam season on 30th April, it seems appropriate to reflect on where we have come from in relation to academic year structure and how we assess. This post hopes to clarify where we are now on this issue, and show students how the SU has addressed it.
At the last SU Council of 2010/11, the Education Officer was mandated to campaign for Christmas exams in light of the referendum taken in 2009. So then, during the summer of 2011 and in accordance with my manifesto promise, I compiled a report on academic year structure to present to college. You can find the report here (it's fairly lengthy I warn you!)
One of the main obstacles at the start of the year was that Council (the highest body in college that deals with academic issues) had ruled that the current academic year structure would remain unchanged during the course of the year 2011/12 (CL/10?11/162).
However, after bringing the document to the Undergraduate Studies Committee, college did accept that there were issues with the current academic year structure. Whilst there was some (anticipated!) differences of opinion on the issue of Christmas exams, the college has recognised that having as much as 15 exams at the end of a course is undesirable.
To that end, the Undergraduate Studies Committee has agreed to a full review of the academic year structure next year, in which I expect the Student Union to play a key role.
Interestingly, this year we have also managed to secure a commitment for the college to examine how students are taught and assessed. The Senior Lecturer has committed to setting up 3 forums on assessments which are taking place next month. The Vice-Provost/Chief Academic Officer will introduce the forums and welcome participants, and Dr. Ciara O’Farrell, the College’s Senior Academic Developer, will help facilitate them. The forums are aimed at sharing ideas about innovative teaching and assessment practices, identifying obstacles to innovation, and discussing whether it might be possible to develop other approaches to assessment. He specifically notes that they also "allow us (to) respond to student concerns about over-assessment, especially with respect to the number of written examinations."
If you have any views on the current academic year structure, and how students are assessed, please feel free to comment below or email education@tcdsu.org.
I will endeavour to chart the progress of this as it continues, but (like many issues I have to deal with) it is very much a long term policy issue.
We are, however, making clear progress, and I think it is safe to say that college respects the proactive approach taken on this issue.
update: 3rd may 2012
The first faculty forum took place yesterday, and it was a fantastic sight to see 40 lecturers across the college committed to finding alternative means of assessing students than having 15 exams at the end of the year. Whilst there clearly remain some obstacles to assessing by other means (mainly manpower), it is clear that getting staff together to discuss the means by which we learn is having very positive outputs. The Senior Lecturer will be gathering feedback from this and other meetings to bring to Undergraduate Studies Committee.
