The UOW Assessment & Feedback Principles
The Assessment & Feedback Principles provide a framework and guidance for assessment and feedback practice in all University of Wollongong degrees at both subject and course level (across all campuses, delivered in any mode). They are based on international, research-based, best-practice models and align with the requirements of the Higher Education Standards Framework.
Note: The Assessment & Feedback Principles are part of the Assessment and Feedback Policy and should be read in conjunction with the following associated policy documents:
Assessment design supports student learning
- Assessment is designed to engage and support students in the learning process. This begins with clearly articulating learning outcomes, task guidelines and grading criteria and extends to opportunities for students to clarify assessment requirements.
- Assessment is designed to encourage students to take responsibility for their learning as they progress through a course by developing their abilities to evaluate their own and peer’s work.
- There are explicit performance standards for each assessment task set out in an assessment rubric or other instrument made available to students when the task is set. These standards should link back to subject and course learning outcomes.
- Assessments and the provision of associated assessment resources (e.g., guides, annotated examples, rubrics etc.) help to scaffold students’ development of academic literacies (including critical thinking, reflection, and communication and English skills) and supports self-regulated learning.
ShapeAssessment feedback supports student learning
- Constructive feedback informs students about their current level of achievement and supports future learning.
- Timely feedback requires that tasks are scheduled to allow sufficient opportunity for students to put feedback into practice.
- Early low stakes formative assessment tasks, particularly for students in their first session of study, allow for the practicing of skills and the provision of feedback that helps to identify students’ needs and can assist with identifying and supporting at-risk students.
Assessment upholds academic integrity
- Assessment tasks are designed to support the development of academic integrity literacy skills and to minimise opportunities for academic misconduct, in accordance with the Academic Integrity Policy.
- Staff take reasonable steps to ensure the authenticity of students’ work. Such steps may involve enabling student submission through approved detection software, confirmation checks, or other similar processes consistent with the discipline. It is important that such processes and technologies are institutionally supported and ethical in accord with associated privacy and data policies (e.g. staff are not permitted to upload student work to third party tools including GenAI or misconduct detection software).
- Exams and written assessment tasks differ materially from any previous assessment task used in the subject over a two-year period unless restricted by accreditation requirements or where the assessment task does not lead to the same outputs.
- Key assessments that assure course and subject learning outcomes are secured against possible breaches of academic integrity in order to provide assurance that students awarded the qualification have achieved the course learning outcomes. This may include, but is not limited to, restricting the use of Generative AI or limiting the weighting of open book or non-invigilated assessment tasks.
Assessment provides for the ethical use of artificial intelligence technology
- Assessment and learning experiences equip students to participate ethically and actively in a society pervaded with technologies such as generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).
- The use of technologies to produce text and other media as part of a student’s work submitted for assessment (or part of the process of developing such work) is thoughtfully supported and/or limited and, where allowed, clearly and openly acknowledged and directed.
- Forming judgements about student learning in a time of evolving digital technologies (i.e. GenAI) requires multiple, inclusive and contextualised and educative approach to assessment and academic integrity.
- Assessment tasks that integrate the use GenAI should provide opportunities for students to produce work that reflects critical thinking, judgement, ethical decision-making and reflection on the process.
Assessment is authentic, inclusive and equitable
- Assessment provides opportunities for students to engage in tasks that enable them to demonstrate the application of relevant knowledge and skills to ‘real-world’ scenarios.
- Assessment tasks are designed to be accessible and inclusive. This can include using a variety of assessment methods, building in flexibility in accordance with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles or offering reasonable adjustments to students with an Access Plan.
- Inclusive assessment design considers the diversity of the student body and avoids inadvertent exclusions or disadvantages to any student sub-group.
Assessment is balanced, aligned and assures learning
- Assessment types are mixed with a balance between formative assessment (designed to engage students in opportunities to apply knowledge and skills and gain feedback) and summative assessment (designed to confirm achievement of learning outcomes). A range of diverse assessment formats/modes is utilised where professional accreditation requirements allow.
- Assessment tasks are designed to ensure an explicit alignment between subject and course learning outcomes and professional accreditation standards (where applicable) to form a coherent course of study.
- Course assessment is designed to ensure a logical progression with increasing complexity in the assessment tasks that are appropriate to the level of the course. Assessment tasks early in a course will introduce students to important assessment skills and literacies.
Assessment is standards-based and quality assured
- Assessment is designed and applied with reference to set criteria and standards. The criteria are drawn from the learning outcomes, are made available to students, and guide the grading of student performance. The standards reflect the level of attainment of the criteria in line with the UOW grade descriptors.
- Assessment fairly and reliably validates student attainment of the learning outcomes.
- Quality assurance processes (including moderation and peer review) are applied to ensure the appropriateness and quality of assessment meets the standards required by the University and fosters a culture of continuous improvement.
