AGAINST THE OVERHAUL OF ASSESSING AND UNIT CONDENSING AT MACQUARIE UNI

This is putting me off from studying at Macquarie next year.

Ridiculous change that isn't good for anybody, shows a poor understanding of education.

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1 year ago Featured

Shame on Macquarie Uni. This uni has been lacking structure and engagement since covid and has massive shortfalls for neurodiverse students. This condensing is ill informed and I will move universities if this happens.

I will be a student in Arts next year but only if the units I want to study are available otherwise I will find another university to my money to

A one-assessment structure benefits only those who contract cheat or use AI to cheat, while detrimenting the students who are submitting legitimate work. This structure gives no opportunity for students to improve across assignments based on feedback, along with creating unnecessary pressure on one submitted piece. It is unforgiving for those who do not excel at submitting the perfect assessment, which is the majority of students. ------- A large proportion of students come to MQ uni specifically to study in arts as there are limited options in NSW due to lack of support for the arts from the NSW government. Cutting off arts and related units is a major F-U to current students and future students seeking these career and education options, when they are already strained for options in NSW.

1 year ago Featured

Regular feedback and feed-forward increase student success and engagement. A variety of assessments also aligns with the Universal Design for Learning framework.

Assessments are one of the most fundamentally important aspects of education. Research on "The Testing Effect" demonstrates clearly that the best learning outcomes for both learning and retention of knowledge comes from repeated assessments. In fact, assessing more frequently is even more important than studying more frequently (See Carpenter, 2012: Testing Enhances the Transfer of Learning). While I acknowledge that generative AI requires a shakeup of assessments, those shakeups are in learning outcomes and recognition of assessment issues like multiple choice tests in today's world. An overhaul of assessment pedagogy is needed, but it needs to focus on recognition of what learning outcomes are fundamentally assessable, and in which context. Instead, these policies have been rushed through without engaging in meaningful collaboration with the educators at the forefront of University teaching, and without any consideration of the scientific principles of education.

The merits of offering a variety of formative assessment methods, beyond one assessment/ quiz/test/exam, are well documented. Students need to understand concepts deeply, as opposed to memorising information and reproducing it on an assessment - which is open to contract and AI cheating. Undermining the personalised learning gained from receiving regular feedback will undermine students gaining skills needed in their chosen field. It's a ridiculous lose lose for a university already wasting millions on expensive buildings at the expense of its key stakeholders - the students. Who will use those buildings once the enrolments disappear?

1 year ago Featured

It's impossible from a pedagogical standpoint to defend a move to change assessment structure to 1 assignment. The whole point of 'formative' tasks becomes moot. Students need the opportunity to build skills, receive feedback, and continue to develop.

1 year ago Featured

I understand that FoA is financially very viable. Putting students first implies also that they need to have the appropriate content background when they graduate, and fewer units and suboptimal teaching time contradicts the first assertion.

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It's very stuffed that mq is know as the center of linguistic studies and for me to join thinking that only to find out they remove the unit I joined to do

reducing the amount of assignments would put unnecessary pressure onto students and is a distasteful decision.

you're kidding yourself if you think this is the way that students work the best.. it's an absolute joke. it's not beneficial at all just to have one large assessment rather then a minimum of 3

We spend a lot of money to do these degrees, and they want to further limit our options, and also make it harder to pass these subjects? No thanks.

This is a clear move to sacrifice the effective teaching of students in the pursuit of profit and allows for further staff cuts. Getting regular feedback and being given multiple opportunities to formulate arguments and explore different topics is essential to learning. The feedback given to students at MQ is already minimal due to the lack of staff hired to mark assessments or to teach the very large tutorial classes. Maybe create a better learning environment by actually hiring more staff and paying them? It might be better than constantly constructing extremely expensive buildings and paying 1.5 mill a year to the Vice chancellor.

For a faculty that should pride itself on academic success, giving us a single opportunity to display our ability is disgustingly poor pedagogical design. - An Arts and Education Student

1 year ago Featured

So we're expected to go through 13 weeks and have to wait until week 15 to get any idea of how we're going? As if there isn't a lack of in-course feedback as it stands. MQ is poor enough when it comes to feedback (with two notable exceptions) so why make it even worse?

I'm already stressed enough at work I like having multiple assessments that keep it grounded and give me a chance to really push until passing. Please don't make this harder than it already is!