Minimum essentials for good practice

Recommendations extracted from the 1997 UWA Assessment Practices Working Party Report :

1. That the Head of Department/School ensure there is a mechanism (whether a committee or an individual) to monitor and coordinate assessment practices.
2. That each Department/School provide to students a written statement of its overall assessment policy and principles, to include any penalties system for late submissions of assessment pieces, and a time-frame within which such assessed work will be returned to students.
3. That for each unit, the unit or course-coordinator provide a written statement, at the commencement of the unit, of the assessment procedures and components for that unit.
4. That in each unit careful consideration be given to the number of assessment components, to guard against the possibility of over-assessing.
5. That Departments/Schools ensure students are made aware of the procedures for appeal against assessment.
6. That the mechanism for monitoring and coordinating assessment practices within a Department/School be responsible inter alia for ensuring comparability between assessors in a particular unit/course.
7. That an assessor’s comments on any piece of written work should indicate the strengths and the weaknesses of that work.
8. That there be a method of feedback and analysis of any assessment component which forms part of the assessment process. Wherever practicable, this should also apply for formal examinations.
9. That all examination papers be countersigned either by the Head of Department/School or by a person nominated by the Head of Department/School.
10. That new staff members - full-time, fractional and casual staff - receive all relevant documentation as to the Department’s/School’s assessment policies, practices and procedures.
11. That within each Faculty and for each degree offered at undergraduate level, a set of desired learning outcomes be established and these outcomes be communicated to the students.
12. That a standing agenda item for all Department/School meetings be “Assessment”.
13. That the annual report by the Head of Department/School to the Executive Dean of the Faculty include a section pertaining to assessment practice/procedures within that Department/School

How are these recommendations implemented in your department?