2. Overassessment should be avoided. Courses should limit the number of summative assessment tasks to that required to assess student achievement against course level learning outcomes.

2.1 Summative Assessment Tasks

Guidance on the normal loading of summative assessment for courses adopting the revised curriculum structures schemes is as follows: Level 0 (Foundation Year) a maximum of four summative tasks, Level 4, 5 and 6 a maximum of six summative tasks, and Level 7 a maximum of nine summative tasks. These should be mapped to level and course learning outcomes. At levels 4, 5, and 6, this could equate to one task per 20 credits of study, but this is not mandated.

Assessment should be designed with academic integrity in mind. For further information on this and assessment design, see these JISC resources and case studies: assessment principles and rethinking assessment.

At all levels, including Foundation Years (level 0), assessment should support the continued development of personal and professional skills and behaviours expected of a professional in the related sectors aligned to the course.

2.2 Assessment Tariff

The University encourages the use of a range of assessment methods, appropriately scaffolded, that provide students with opportunities to demonstrate course level learning outcomes. The volume of assessment within a module should take into consideration a student's assessment load across a course, including formative assessment, to help ensure that students are not overburdened with assessment. Academic staff should also take into consideration the impact on marking and feedback turnaround deadlines when deciding on appropriate assessment methods.

The Assessment Tariff should guide staff when designing or re-designing assessment with the aim of a broad comparability of summative assessment loads across modules that have the same credit weighting. Assessments should be applied, authentic and wherever possible modelling the nature of the work expected of a professional in the sector aligned to the course, embedding the principles of the Hallam Model. Assessment at level 0 should be designed as supportive and preparatory for work at undergraduate level.

The tariff aligns to the assessment loading articulated in 2.1. and outlines the maximum amount of summative assessment. When considering the tariff, course teams are advised to consider module assessments in the context of demonstrating course learning outcomes. Assessment task magnitude (e.g. word count, duration, number of pages, etc) should be provided to students for all assessment tasks. At validation and modifications, assessment packages will be reviewed in terms of both the number of assessment tasks and their magnitude.

Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) requirements take precedence over the stated tariffs, in such cases the appropriate documentation from the PSRB must be presented to the department Quality Lead and made available to staff and students on the appropriate module Blackboard sites.

Maximum Amount of Assessment by Level for new and modified provision

Assessment categorisations for new and modified provision

2.3 Word Limits

The word guidance provided above sets the maximum word count limit for all assessment tasks provided to students. Word guidance provide a clear steer to students of the number of words that are expected to undertake the assessment appropriately. Where a word limit is set (and applied as +/- 10% of the given word limit) and penalties applied (for example, only content up to the maximum word limit is marked), it must be clearly articulated to students how the word limit is managed. The feedback to students on an assessment which breaches the word limit must clearly show how the penalty has been applied. Courses must have a consistent course approach to any penalties set, including on joint awards.

2.4 Non-Assessed Requirements

For some modules, students may be required to complete a task / activity to be able to undertake assessment on a module, for example, attendance at a health and safety briefing to access laboratories, completion of an ethics form to undertake research. Module Leaders are responsible for articulating these requirements via the Blackboard module site. Module requirements are not processed as assessment tasks and are managed locally by the Module Leader. The requirement for their completion should be built into module pass descriptors.