As part of the Alternative Assessment Institute 2022, Andrew G. D. Holmes and Dom Henri from the University of Hull, UK spoke about “Assessment Literacies/University Literacies.” This twenty-five-minute session started with the presenters describing the challenges of reducing the “hidden curriculum:” “tacit and unwritten ‘taken-for-granted’ aspects of the curriculum that some students know and some don’t.” The presenters thought that students need to better understand the purpose and details of the assessment process. Importantly, Holmes and Henri stated that “we don’t necessarily know what students don’t know when they start…” The presenters wanted students to understand the types of assessment, develop competencies to undertake different assessments, and utilize feedback to improve learning (“feedback literacy”). For this, they used a competence-based framework for successful students with three components: expectation management, capability management, and personal development that correspond to knowledge, practice, and self-awareness. They compiled resources to create a competency-based student assessment literacy template. Their initial work was to collect rubrics in use at Hull, develop rubric-development workshops, discussions with key staff, and talking with students. Importantly, they developed and piloted mini workshops with students on literacy. They have some funding to pay students to take part in workshops and development of resources. The objective is to develop resources that are transparent to students. They asked: how do we ensure the assessments are inclusive and how students learn about the process. Where do students get the information from to improve was a question the speakers asked that I had not thought about. Do they get it from instructors or peers? Holmes said: “we often take for granted … and assume students know.” They also shared that there are items or instructions/policies that are “hidden away on university websites.” This was a thought-provoking session: the work they are doing is to instruct and support both students and instructors through transparency in policies and co-creation of guidelines.
