Biomedical and Biology Education Networks (CUBE + VIBE = BEAN) workshop

Abstract

Quality assurance of assessment is requisite to reliable and valid demonstration of graduate outcomes. The discipline day workshop for the Biomedical and Biology Education Networks (CUBE + VIBE = BEAN) will involve active participation in a peer review and benchmarking of assessment exercise. The scientific report is a common form of assessment in the biosciences, widely regarded as an authentic and relevant task, assessing a range of bioscience threshold learning outcomes. In this workshop we grade sample reports, discuss features of the assessments that evidence achievement of the standards, and calibrate our understanding of standards. This valuable exercise will build capacity of bioscience BEANnet educators to calibrate and create a benchmarking framework to provide the tools for evidence-based quality assurance of assessment and student achievement of disciplinary academic standards at the national level. We will also discuss models of effective feedback for students. Student evaluation of feedback commonly returns low scores throughout the science disciplines. We will further consider how we provide feedback to large student cohorts that is both personalised and manageable for academics.