Associate Professor, School of Education, Language & Psychology • Developmental Psychologist and Lecturer

 

Qualifications

PhD Psychology, University of York: The role of the home literacy environment in the early literacy development of children at family risk of dyslexia • PGDip (Psychology conversion), Open University • MPhil, University of Cambridge • BA (Hons) University of Cambridge

 

Below, Dr Lorna Hamilton discusses her approach to making assessment more flexible and accessible through offering choice and supporting students in the classroom with preparing for assessment work.

 

What are Flexible Strength-based Assessments (FSBA)?

Over the last ten years at York St John, Lorna has noticed the steady increase in neurodivergent students at the university. In response, she has utilised her research in psychology, neurodiversity and educational development to make learning more accessible for students with a range of needs.

One approach she has found success with is using flexible strength-based assessments (FSBA). The premise behind FBSA is to broaden the ways in which students can demonstrate their learning and understanding within a module. By offering a choice in terms of assessment format and delivery, students are able to submit posters, essays, information sheets, or even to do a presentation instead – and they are welcome to suggest other suitable formats that play to their strengths and interests.

 

FSBA in Practice

Lorna gives the example of one particular assignment in which she asked her Psychology students to present some scientific information (on a topic of their choice related to the module) for a non-specialist audience. Lorna provided some possible topics as inspiration, but also retained flexibility by allowing students to submit their own ideas, too. The students were also able to choose their target audience and the format in which they would present their information.

 

Lorna was impressed with the variety of approaches selected by her students, noting that optionality brought an aspect of creativity to the work that would not have been possible with a standard essay. She remembers that one particular student, who was neurodivergent, used their existing skills to produce an animation about autism as an information guide for teachers. The student was inspired by this project to continue to work in the animation field, and went on to work with the local council to produce informational videos. For Lorna, this was a real marker of the potential of FSBA to transform the student experience.

 

Reviewing Exam-style Assessments

For another assessment, Lorna wanted to use an exam, which is a common format utilised in Psychology degrees. While acknowledging that many students find exams daunting due to the time limitations and the focus on memory testing, she still sees the value in them as some students appear to work best under pressure and with clear instruction, and find success within this format particularly rewarding.

 

Lorna realised that in order to make an exam accessible to a wider range of students, she would need to make some adjustments to the assessment. She prioritised two key areas:

 

• Flexibility of study: allowing students to engage with material through a variety of methods – e.g. videos, quizzes, paper-based resources – to motivate them and sustain their interest. As an example, Lorna references a student who found they absorbed information better via podcasts, which she was able to accommodate by providing audio/video material.

 

• Flexible question design: empowering students to choose what they discuss within the exam. For example, an open question might be: ‘Compare and contrast cognitive theories of any two neurodivergent conditions that we have covered in the module’, which allows students to talk about their preferred topics.

To ensure students understand the exam requirements, Lorna makes clear early on in the revision process how many sections the exam will have. Shen then gives students opportunities to co-create the content, suggesting which topics they would like to see featured. Discussions about these topics take place in class, and Lorna uses these discussions to formulate broad exam questions through which students can showcase their understanding of the material of their choice. Offering yet a further level of reassurance, Lorna organises seminars in which students can produce mind-maps on the key topics identified, giving them the chance to think critically about how they can compare and contrast the key points within the exam context.

 

Core Benefits of FSBA

• Accessible to all: Making assessment flexible allows for students to express their knowledge in the best way for them. While some might feel hindered by, for example, the essay format, others may thrive with a traditional format that involves written feedback that they can implement in order to progress. There is no ‘one size fits all’.
• Adds meaning: The element of assessment choice adds a personal touch, motivating students and enabling them to maintain interest in the topic more easily, as they are able to work in ways that they enjoy.

 

• Provides transferable skills: Flexible assessment also allows students to develop new skills – for example, if they choose a format that they haven’t used before such as video or audio recording. These skills are also useful when applying for jobs.

 

• Improves classroom dynamics: allowing students to express themselves through their work can make them feel more comfortable with their teacher and the learning environment, which then creates a positive space for learning.

 

Overcoming the Challenges

• It can be time-consuming: Lorna recommends trying FSBA in a small class if possible to make it a more manageable process. However, some elements can also be utilised with a larger class – for example, offering written, visual and audio methods of presenting the work. Sharing information in a range of formats (readings, videos, podcasts) also allows for flexible learning and can be replicated in a class of any size.

 

• Difficult to assess: The element of choice can make it harder to assess work according to the assessment criteria. Typically, it is easier to demonstrate a wide range of knowledge in an essay than in an infographic, for example. In order to overcome this limitation, Lorna worked with an internal moderator and, as a result, made some modifications to the requirements for different types of submission – supplementing visual presentations with explanatory text or audio, for instance, to ensure parity between assessment types.

 

What Next?

Lorna’s successes with FSBA have led to discussions with a number of other universities who are interested in trying out some of the approaches she speaks about within their own courses and classrooms. Other lecturers in Psychology at York St John have also begun to use similar methods, and the course team is working together currently to develop FSBA and introduce it gradually within larger classes.

 

By Amber Thomas and Megan Orgill, York St John University.