NUS is pleased to launch its Charter on Feedback & Assessment. This charter outlines ten key principles for effective feedback and assessment in higher education. Since the beginng of the National Student Survey (NSS) assessment and feedback has continually scored poorly in satisfaction amongst students.The recent NUS/HSBC research into assessment & feedback found the following:

• Only 25% of students receive verbal feedback in an individual meeting with a tutor. 66% of these students said that it would be the most useful way to receive feedback.
• Only 60% of students agreed that their coursework feedback makes it clear how to improve their performance.
• Students who receive verbal feedback are more likely to say it makes it clear how to improve their performance and motivate them to study.
• 90% of students said they would like to receive feedback on their exams.

The Charter's ten principles aims to tackle these issues. The Charter can be used as a lobbying tool for students' unions to improve assessment and feedback practices in their insitutiions.

To read the Charter in full click here.

To read the Times Higher Education article on the launch of the Charter click here.

The Ten Principles

1. Formative assessment and feedback should be used throughout the programme

2. Students should have access to face-to-face feedback for at least the first priece of assessent each academic year

3. Receiving feedback should not be exclusive to certain forms of assessment

4. Feedback should be timely

5. Students should be provided with a variety of assessment methods

6. There should be anonymous marking for all summative assessment

7. Students should be able to submit assessment electronically

8. Students should be supported to critique their own work

9. Programme induction should include information on assessment practices and undersatning marking criteria

10. Students should be given a choice of format for feedback