This section will look at different forms of assessment at University of the Built Environment.  It will give you some practical ideas on how to prepare for them, and how to get the most out of them.

Assessments are the means by which your module teams can gauge how you are progressing on your course, allow you to receive feedback, and can also provide the grades which will allow to move on to your next stage of study. In order to make sure that everyone is marked fairly, markers will use a set of criteria to mark against.

Whilst we do not have formal exams, there are a number of different assessment formats you may come across at University of the Built Environment. The type of assessments you will be invited to engage in depend on your chosen programme. You may only engage in one or two of these assessment formats, or you may engage in all types. Please take a look at your individual programme details for more information.

Assignments

Assignments are longer, written assessments which may take the form of one or more questions/tasks to complete.

Adjustments offered for this assessment can include: +14 day extensions, no penalty for spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors

Strategies to help prepare for these assessments may include: Meeting with your Study Skills Tutor or Specialist Mentor (if in receipt of this from DSA or Apprenticeship funding), meeting with the university Academic Support Team, communicating with peers and your Module Team on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) forum, rewatching the assignment brief lecture, contacting the Library team

Computer Moderated Assessments (CMA)

A Computer Managed Assessment (CMA) is an online, timed assessment (up to 1 hour in length). It is multiple choice and open book, which means you can refer to your notes during the assessment.

Adjustments offered for this assessment can include: 25% extra time

Strategies to help prepare for these assessments may include: Exploring the practice CMAs before making your attempt, organising your notes effectively, timing yourself during the practice CMA

Computer Based Assessments (CBA)

A Computer Based Assessment (CBA) is a longer form assignment, which you will complete by inputting your answers on your module pages in the Virtual Learning Environment.

Adjustments offered for this assessment can include: +14 day extensions, no penalty for spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors

Strategies to help prepare for these assessments may include: Meeting with your Study Skills Tutor or Specialist Mentor (if in receipt of this from DSA or Apprenticeship funding), meeting with the university Academic Support Team, communicating with peers and your Module Team on the VLE forum, rewatching the assignment brief lecture, contacting the Library team

Presentations

Presentations at University of the Built Environment are a little different. As we are an online institution, presentations generally take the form of a video. You may be asked to record a short video of yourself delivering your presentation, uploading this once you are comfortable with your video. If you are anxious about a presentation, we will work together to find a more comfortable solution so that you can take part in the assessment. This may include exploring an alternative assessment format, such as a conversation with a lecturer or written piece of work.

Adjustments offered for this assessment can include: 25% extra time, marking adjustment for delivery style (this means you are marked on the content of your presentation, rather than how you deliver it), potential for alternative assessment, such as a written piece of work or conversation with a Lecturer

Strategies to help prepare for these assessments may include: Practicing your presentation alone or to an audience, organising your notes, using the ‘rehearse your slide show with coach’ function on MS PowerPoint

Project

Depending on your chosen programme, you may engage in a Project based module towards the end of your course. A Project module is an opportunity for you to delve deeper into a question or concept within the built environment which interests you. This is a more independent piece of work, where you will engage in research to explore your chosen topic further. You will be supported by a Project supervisor during this module. Your supervisor will guide you throughout the duration of your Project, and you will meet with them regularly to check in on progress and ask any questions.

Adjustments offered for this assessment can include: +14 day extensions, no penalty for spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors

Strategies to help prepare for this assessment may include: Meeting with your Supervisor, meeting with your Study Skills Tutor or Specialist Mentor (if in receipt of this from DSA or Apprenticeship funding), meeting with the university Academic Support Team, communicating with peers and your Module Team on the VLE forum, rewatching the assignment brief lecture, contacting the Library team

Assessment Support

There are a wealth of resources and templates available within the Study Skills area on the Virtual Learning Environment (link only available to current students). Here you will find assignment preparation checklists, plans, templates, and guidance on the different writing styles you may come across on your programme.

Assessment anxiety

It is normal to feel some anxiety around assessments, especially at the beginning of your course when everything feels so new. If you ever feel worried about an assessment, there are plenty of people at the university who can help you, and want you to succeed. Don’t be afraid to tell someone if you need help.

Many students find assessments and exams stressful, but you should remember that they are an important way for you to receive feedback, which will allow you to develop and improve your work, and to move forward.

With assignments the challenges can be similar – organising your time so that you don’t have to rush things towards the deadline. But also knowing when to stop work on an assignment, as it’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to rewrite the whole assignment the night before due to anxiety.

Feedback comes from a range of sources and will provide different ways for how you might improve your work. Feedback can sometimes be contradictory but learning to respond to feedback is a vital skill for all students.

All feedback is an active dialogue which relies upon you to respond and not repeat the same mistakes in your future work.

I needed help with organising myself for a big research essay.
(UK student)

Reasonable adjustments

If you are struggling with assessments and have already told university about your autism, you should speak to the Disability Support team. They may be able to suggest a reasonable adjustment be made, to enable you to participate in the assessment process. For example, a reasonable adjustment could be to engage in a conversation with a lecturer rather than record a video presentation. Read more about arranging reasonable adjustments and how to work with your tutor on finding the most appropriate way of assessment for you.

Familiarise yourself with the Learning Outcomes from your module page. Knowing these will allow you to stay focused and work towards specific targets.

Make sure you are aware of deadlines for assessments

• Use a calendar to prompt you a few days before a deadline, so that you have time to get everything ready. The VLE has a calendar feature which allows you to export important dates into your personal calendar.
• Allow enough time to submit your work – don’t upload it at the last minute.

Finally, take note of any feedback and use opportunities for discussing any feedback that you receive. You can speak to your Lecturer about your feedback to help you understand it more. It can sometimes be useful to take feedback to an appointment with the Study Skills Team too, so they can help you cant on your feedback and improve your marks next time around.

1. How can I use feedback to improve my work?
2. Where do I find details on the learning outcomes for each module?
3. What are the dates for assessments?
4. How do I hand in my assignment, or submit my assessment?
5. Who can I discuss my feedback with? Do I need to book a tutorial/one-to-one?