SUPPORTING ATTAINMENT THROUGH UNIT
DESIGN
SUPPORTING ATTAINMENT THROUGH UNIT DESIGN
Effective unit design is key to enhancing student learning, promoting equity, and addressing attainment gaps. This guide outlines best practices for developing unit briefs that support student achievement and contribute to closing attainment differentials.
Attainment and Attainment Gaps
Attainment refers to the proportion of students achieving a first-class (1st) or upper second-class (2:1) degree.
Attainment differentials, or awarding gaps, represent the disparities in degree outcomes between different groups, such as between Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students and White students (Advance HE, 2020).
The degree attainment gap has persisted for over a decade. Closing it requires a long-term, multifaceted approach that focuses on institutional change rather than student deficiencies. Students should be active partners in addressing this gap (Advance HE, 2020).
Why Unit Design Matters
Formative assessments play a critical role in improving student attainment. Regular, structured feedback helps shape student understanding of what constitutes worthwhile work, enhancing their learning experience (Winstone & Carless, 2019; Carless & Boud, 2018). Addressing awarding gaps involves recognising and rewarding diverse knowledges within assessment practices. Institutions must work to remove barriers within their curriculum, rather than placing the onus on students to “improve” (UAL, 2019).
Strategies for Supporting Attainment
1.Formative Feedback
Formative feedback, as exemplified by the BA Illustration course at Camberwell College of Arts (UAL a), can be an effective strategy to close awarding gaps. Course staff monitored student engagement through visual progress mapping, allowing staff to intervene early with students who needed additional support. This approach helped reduce the BAME awarding gap to -3% in one year.
2.Peer Assessment
Involving students in the assessment process, whether through co-designing assessments or peer assessment, fosters a sense of belonging and reduces attainment gaps. Collaborative feedback loops and peer learning encourage deeper engagement with the material.
3.Inclusive
Curriculum Design
Design a curriculum that incorporates global perspectives, and is gendered, abled, and socially just. Avoid relying solely on the Western canon, and actively work to decolonise the curriculum by co-creating content with students and integrating intercultural knowledges.
Language and Communication
Use plain English, avoiding jargon and colloquialisms.
Integrate international examples and unpack UK-specific terms that may be unfamiliar to international students.
Provide glossaries for discipline-specific terminology if needed.
Ensure inclusive communication by paraphrasing and repeating questions, especially when using classroom capture technologies.
Activities and Assessments
Digitally enabled learning: Offer structured independent study activities and enhance learning activities with asynchronous material outside of face-to-face teaching.
Skills development: Give students opportunities to practice skills necessary for assessments to level the playing field for those with varying levels of experience (CQSD, 2024).
Standardised instructions: Create clear, consistent assessment briefs, rubrics, and marking criteria to reduce barriers to understanding.
Diversification in assessments: Offer students flexibility and choice in assignments to reflect their strengths and interests, promoting more inclusive learning (CQSD, 2024).
Building a Sense of Belonging
Incorporate icebreakers and group work to build community.
Ensure all students feel represented and valued in the curriculum and classroom discussions.
Promoting Academic Integrity
Minority ethnic students are disproportionately affected by academic misconduct cases. Clearly communicate norms around collaboration and citation, and signpost students to academic support services to help them develop strong academic integrity skills
Conclusion
Thoughtful unit design can significantly enhance student achievement, close attainment gaps, and promote equity. By incorporating clear feedback loops, diverse perspectives, and inclusive teaching practices, educators can help all students achieve their full potential. Continuous refinement of unit briefs based on student feedback ensures that the learning experience is both relevant and supportive of diverse student needs.
Resources:
AdvanceHE (2020) Degree attainment gaps. Available at: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/guidance/ equality-diversity-and-inclusion/student-recruitment-retention-and-attainment/degree-attainmentgaps (accessed 7th August 2024)
CQSD - University of Reading (2024) Inclusive and Accessible Assignment Briefs. Available at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/ade/tandl-resources/prpinclusive-and-accessible-assignment-briefs.pdf (accessed 8th August 2024)
Office for Students (OfS) (2022) Attainment raising: A toolkit. Available at: https:// www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/05c8aa08-8ff7-46c0-9374-90a2f89574b0/attainment-raising-atoolkit-final-accessible.pdf (accessed 8th August 2024)
Prindle, J et al. (2019) Narrowing attainment gaps through addressing assessment issues. Advance HE. Available at: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/news-and-views/narrowing-attain-ment-gapsthrough-addressing-assessment-is-sues (accessed 8th August 2024)
University of the Arts a (UAL) (2020) Conversations on attainment: BA Illustration Vimeo Available at: https://vimeo.com/398879271 (accessed 7th August 2024)
University of the Arts b (UAL), (2020) Enhancing assessment for equity. Available at: https:// www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/223418/AEM3_AssessmentEquity.pdf (accessed 7th August 2024)
University of the Arts (UAL), (date unknown) Eliminating inequality in formative assessment. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/190153/AEM-EliminatingInequality-Formative-Assessment-PDF-288KB.pdf (accessed 9th August 2024)