Informing Students about Learning Expectations

From the data analysis, one common theme that emerged is the lecturers’ awareness of students’ need to have a clear understanding of what the assessment expects them to do and how the assessment relates to the course. When teachers made learning expectations clear, they perceived that it allows students to take personal responsibility for their learning and adjust their progress toward course goals throughout the year. This assessment information was usually given by the lecturers during the first lectures as a general introduction, as exemplified as follow:

At the beginning of the term… I will let them have a background about all topics that I will deliver and all the requirements. We have a number of criteria for the material, for both theoretical and practical section that must be reached. And also, I tell them that 60% of the final mark will be on the practical work and it also includes the three quizzes, and 40% will be on the theoretical part, 10% for the activity… (L3).

At the beginning of each term, explain to the students exactly what they are expected to do, what they have to achieve by the end of the term (L9).

From the first lecture, I give them the course specifications and tell them how to study the content, umm you have to be judged on this and that in the theoretical part, the periodical tests will be like so and so (L10).

The quotes above suggest that lecturers were keen to inform students about assessment expectations from the beginning of the course but that the information focuses most on summative purposes. Information was overshadowed by the need to pass the module, the distribution of marks across assessment tasks and the need to keep student retention rates

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high. In addition, as will be seen throughout this section, there is no presence of the students’ voice in any of the interviews, which is clear as lecturers used language such as ‘I tell them’, ‘I explain to the students’, ‘I give them’, etc.

It is also noted that lecturers confirmed that they provide the information “at the beginning of each term” and there is no evidence of sharing or discussing these issues with the students during the term. Some lecturers were content with the availability of assessment information in the module handbook or Blackboard, as ways to communicate assessment expectations to students and believed that the responsibility to find assessment information lay with rest on students themselves. This is demonstrated in the following quotations.

She (student) should get prepared from the copy that she has in hand (handbook) and come to the lecture and know what she is expected to learn and what she is expected to be evaluated on… (L8).

She also added:

Blackboard is really a good thing… So, the students should know how to use it, to study, and how to enter and download the exercise and know what is expected from them to do and to solve and how to send it (L8).

From data analysis, lecturers made it clear that students should be aware of what they are expected to accomplish by the end of the course. The importance of this may stem from being associated with the need to pass the course through the fulfilment of assessment requirements or expectation. This is exemplified in the following quotations as follows:

… I mean I tell them (students) that to pass a specific module, you have to fulfil certain criteria that need to be accomplished in a specific range. And students’ evaluation depends on that, is she eligible to go forward... So, it is very important to students (L1).

I mean certain criteria that I care about must be fulfilled by the end of the term, so student can move on to the next level (L3).

… they (students) need to meet the course requirements to pass to the next level (L10).

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Meeting the requirements associated with each level is an essential part of ensuring that an individual progress to the next level. The data indicate that those students who meet the assessment criteria are entitled to move on to the next level.

It seems that lecturers outlined of assessment information as an institutional requirement rather than something that should primarily be used to engage students with assessment. The data further show that seven lecturers interviewed had not appeared to actively engage with students to make expectations clear. Hence, it seems likely that lecturers and students may have different understandings of assessment criteria.

Although respondents recognized the importance of informing students about assessment requirements, it did not mean students are actively engaged with what they are studying or understand the relevance of what they have learned. The availability of assessment information does not mean students will engage with the assessment information or understand what is expected of them. Only three lecturers indicated that they actively engaged with students to make explicit assessment expectations.

… I remind them by the pre-discussed criteria that they must follow, are they all fulfilled? And then I give them comments in their prepared assessment task based on fulfilment of these criteria, I say for example you did this well but not that for example, it should be revised again, and when we get close to the final evaluation, I have to be sure that they all are oriented by these criteria (L4).

… the feedback must support them to meet the course criteria (L7).

Evidence from the data analysis suggests that actively engaging students with clear assessment information and criteria could help students become more active in their learning and help them to think more actively about where they are now, where they are going and how to get there.

In terms of standards, only one lecturer mentioned standards beyond marking criteria. It was not clear how most lecturers engaged with students about assessment standards, however, one lecturer argued:

There must be clear, definable set of assessment standards of what the student should know and be able to do. Therefore, it is essential that the student be aware of her level and what she had already achieved and what she must achieve so that

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she can create a positive change. It's important to me too to make objectives that fit their abilities and performance (L9).

This quote suggests that this lecturer believed that a clear set of standards would enhance students’ learning experiences and could help close the gap between the current level and the required level. This evidence would also provide leverage for those who have to argue for increased resources needed to carry out effective assessment. This could help to promote improved practices by facilitating the evaluation of the students’ current achievements and provide feedback that would be of assistance to students to improve their own learning. To conclude, there is a consensus amongst all lecturers that assessment requirements should be clearly communicated to the students. This focus on provision of assessment information was undertaken to ensure compliance with education policies rather than a commitment to encourage students’ engagement with this information. It is also indicated that passing the module and the possibilities of the transition to the next stages are the main assessment purposes.

The gap between student understanding and lecturer usage of assessment criteria must be taken into consideration. It is worth considering the potential positive impact of helping students to develop a clear understanding of lecturer expectations through dialogue regarding the assessment criteria.