Getting your Courses Ready 26/27

Feedback from students has highlighted challenges in accessing assessment information within Canvas modules. Assessment information was distributed across a range of locations, including lecture slides, module handbooks, seminar materials, and other areas within Canvas modules. These inconsistencies in the presentation and location of assessment information created challenges for students in identifying and accessing relevant assessment guidance across modules.

Building on the work and feedback of the assessment briefs from the previous academic year, we have developed a standardised structure and layout for assessment information. This framework is intended to support a range of assessment types, including Canvas and Turnitin assignments, examinations, and a generic template for other forms of assessment.

Feedback From Students

Students were consulted on the proposed designs through a range of feedback forums, including the Student Insights Panel, student representative groups across the University, and pop-up consultation sessions held within the Library. These activities provided students with opportunities to contribute feedback on the proposed approaches.

Students requested that assessment information be presented consistently across modules, including being located in the same place, following a standardised format, and being communicated in a timely manner, with release taking place as early as possible within the semester.

To address this feedback, we’ve created a new structure and format for assessment information within Canvas.

Feedback From Staff

The new template and associated approach have been presented through the Director of Education Forum and Faculty Education Committees to gather feedback from colleagues on the proposed design and implementation.

In developing the new template, consideration has also been given to reducing administrative burden for staff where possible. To support this, content for the Assessment Information and Module Contact pages will be pre-populated using data extracted from the Module Outline Form system.

In addition, tailored templates have been developed for different assessment types, each accompanied by relevant submission and feedback guidance for students. This approach is intended to minimise the need for extensive editing associated with a single generic template, while also supporting greater consistency in the presentation of assessment information across modules.

It is hoped that the clearer and more consistent guidance will help reduce student queries relating to assessment submission processes and feedback, thereby supporting both students and academic schools.

To provide a centralised and consistent location for assessment information, an Assessment Information module has been created within the Modules area of each Canvas course.

This module is intended to act as the primary location for students to access assessment information, supporting improved consistency in how assessment details are presented and reducing the need for students to search across multiple areas of a course to locate relevant guidance and resources.

Assessment Information Page

At the top of this module is the “Assessment Summary” which will present an overview of all module assessments, enabling students to access key information.

This will include information such as assessment title, the relevant semester, the weighting towards the final module grade, the duration of examinations where applicable, submission or examination dates, and any additional assessment-related information.

Below is an example Summary of Module Assessments:

To facilitate consistency and reduce administrative burden, the page will be automatically populated with assessment information drawn from the Module Outline Form system. This content can then be reviewed and supplemented by module teams to include more detailed information, such as assessment dates, guidance, and expanded assessment descriptions.

Assignment Briefs

The new assignment templates have been designed to provide students with clear, consistent, and accessible assessment information across modules.

Each template begins with an overview table containing key assessment details, including the assignment title, assessment weighting, assessment type, submission deadline, feedback release date, and word count. Students have highlighted how useful they would find this, to see the key information at a glance.

Below you can see an example of an Assignment Overview:

This is followed by a more detailed assessment brief comprising several core sections: an assessment overview, assignment instructions, submission requirements, guidance on the use of AI within the assessment, information on grades and feedback, alignment to module learning outcomes, and links to relevant University policies and regulations, including those relating to student progress, plagiarism, and late submission. 

Here is an example of some of these core sections in the Assignment Briefs:

Where appropriate, the templates also include embedded guidance for students on the use of University assessment systems, including how to submit assignments and access feedback within Canvas and Turnitin. This approach is intended to improve consistency in assessment communication while supporting student understanding of submission and feedback processes. 

Below in a screenshot of the Submitting Assignments in Canvas guidance from the Academic Skills Kit:

Exam Information

In addition to assignment templates, an examination brief template has also been developed to provide students with clear and consistent information relating to examinations. Each examination brief begins with an overview section containing key details such as the examination date, assessment weighting, examination format, duration, and permitted resources.

The overview is followed by a detailed examination brief that includes information on the examination itself, alignment to module learning outcomes, examination guidance and regulations, revision and preparation advice, information relating to grades and feedback, and links to relevant institutional policies and procedures.

This approach is intended to support students in preparing effectively for examinations while ensuring greater consistency in the communication and presentation of examination related information across modules and programmes.