In this post, Dr Deborah Holt and Dr Colin Brough describe their approach to authentic assessment in the undergraduate course ‘Health and wellbeing promotion in the university community and beyond’ at Moray House School of Education. Drawing on reflection and group work, Deborah and Colin intersperse their writing with direct quotes from students as a way to illustrate how embedded the learning for and through this assessment is. This post is part of the ‘Transformative Assessment and Feedback’ Learning and Teaching Conference series.
Our 20-credit undergraduate course, ‘Health and wellbeing promotion in the university community and beyond‘, seeks to build student capacity to be well and stay well. Wellbeing promotion is embedded into everything we do: how we teach; how we interact with each other and the students; the relationships we foster and the ethos we create in the classroom; as well, of course, as the content of our teaching.
“This course has such a welcoming, inclusive, respectful, kind and helpful feel to it”
In order to stay true to this co-constructed pedagogy and these aims, we needed an assessment that was authentic and where process was valued as well as any final product. The course has two summative assessments – a set of reflections and a group task. Students need to submit the product of their group work (a poster/infographic showing an approach to health promotion) as well three individual reflections on their developing healthy skills.
“I didn’t think reflection could help me act in more healthy ways, but it has!”
Reflection
Reflection can be a powerful tool when learning to be healthy and stay healthy, and as such, it is embedded in the course. We begin by teaching students how to reflect, and we share tools that prompt reflection on various aspects of health, as well as those that encourage reflection on learning. These can also serve as a framework for writing reflections. Each week, the workshop starts with refreshments, some reflection prompts and time for us all to really think about how we are feeling, why we are feeling that way, if we know, and sometimes, what we could do to feel different or where we could go for help. Students can share how they feel, but they do not have to. There are weekly walk breaks during workshops, where students are asked to discuss what they have learned in the session or reflect on any impact the content has had on their well-being.
“I like having mental health walks during our workshop to discuss the week’s topic”
With reflection conceptualised as a tool for health, students are encouraged to write a reflection each week. They then choose three of these to submit for the summative assessment.
“The self reflections have worked really well for me”
Group work
A space in which students feel safe to share thoughts, questions or reflections on their wellbeing or learning involves everyone. Students often think that I have made the space safe but, although I model healthy behaviours and interactions, it is a collective act. We spend time early in the course considering relationships, social wellbeing, and what we need to feel safe and productive in a group or class.
“Knowing anything is ok and will be safe.”
“Being confident and not be afraid of making mistakes”
There are many group activities that focus on learning about health while also developing skills conducive to living and studying in healthy ways.
“Group work works well and encourages relationships”
“It has helped me get out of my comfort zone and make friends”
Setting boundaries with non-negotiables
Before students begin to work on the summative group task, they are asked to consider non-negotiables: what has to be present in order for a group to feel like a safe and healthy one. Students choose who they would like to work with as a group on the summative task. Individually – that is, without discussing with their fellow group members – they write down their non-negotiables. Then as a group they look at each other’s non-negotiables. Are they compatible? Is there a way to set up a way of working as a group that accommodates what each member needs to be able to feel safe and productive in the group? By making explicit the elements of a class or group ethos/culture, aspects of relationship and many of the social skills needed for group work, the process of preparing for the assessment is both knowledge and capacity-building. As students work together as a group on their summative group task, the process of collaboration is appreciated and visible.
Collaboration
Assessment criterion: Work collaboratively with others and develop the capacity to promote the health and wellbeing of self and others around them.
Having collaboration as one of the criteria for assessment places value on the process —how students work together, resolve conflicts, or manage differences, whatever form they may take. Before completion of the task, they are asked to reflect on how it feels to be part of this group, what they have done themselves to contribute to the healthy ethos or to avoid having a detrimental impact on the wellbeing on other group members.
We have tried our best to ensure that through engaging in each assessment, students are developing skills, knowledge and capacities. They are enacting course learning as well as demonstrating their knowledge of it. We believe and hope that doing the assessments is useful to our students.
You can view the slides from Deborah’s presentation on this topic on the Learning and Teaching Conference SharePoint site.
Deborah Holt
Dr Deborah Holt is a Lecturer in Mental Health Promotion and Health and Wellbeing in the Moray House School of Education and Sport. Since 2010, she has been working in a range of Initial Teacher Education programmes as lecturer, course organiser and programme director. Her research is in positive mental health promotion in education and she specialises in pupil wellbeing, and health and wellbeing teaching in primary education.
Colin Brough
Dr Colin Brough is a Lecturer in Student Experience and Wellbeing, and Course Organiser for ‘Health and Wellbeing 1’. He has studying and working at Moray House School of Education and Sport since 2011. He is the academic lead for the School’s Peer Support systems and the School’s Widening Participation champion. His research interests include Care Experience, Additional Support Needs in Education, Social Pedagogy, Relational Pedagogy and Peer Support in Higher Education.
