This study investigates the effects of the implementation of the EAT (Equity, Agency, Transparency) framework on the assessment and feedback practices of a second-year undergraduate module running at a Russell Group university in the UK, and how the concepts underpinning the framework help to improve students’ assessment literacy and self-criticality. To achieve this, in the academic years 2022 and 2023 students were surveyed on their understanding of the marking criteria (in the categories of Content and Coverage, Presentation and Style, Organisation and Structure, Originality and Critical Thinking , and Literature and Referencing ) and their confidence in evaluating and critiquing their own work ( Critique Own Work and Implement Feedback ) at the beginning and end of the semester. As part of the intervention, students were required to complete a summative three-step peer review process, where they had to provide feedback on a peer’s submission and critically reflect on their own work. Finally, students were asked for qualitative comments on what they found helpful about the process, and were required to identify specific areas for feedback in their final assessment. Following the intervention, the survey results showed that students’ understanding and confidence increased in all categories, with statistical significance in most categories between the first and second surveys in both years. Qualitative comments also indicated how students felt they had become more self-critical and could apply what they had learnt to future assessments, while students who identified specific areas for feedback demonstrated ownership of their learning. Thus, the study recommends the explicit teaching of the assessment criteria with practical opportunities to put this knowledge into practice in order to increase students’ overall assessment literacy and confidence.
Pattison et al. (Wed,) studied this question.