Quick post from me today to share that I have a new article out on FirstView with PS: Political Science and Politics: ‘Student Choice in Assessment: Is There a Subject-Specific Case for Using Assessment Optionality in Political Science Education?’.
The piece shares the results of a staff-student partnership project that I conducted last year with student partners at the University of York’s Department of Politics and International Relations. I have already blogged about my experience with student partnership research for ALPS here and here and also for the overall case for partnership research with the Higher Education Policy Institute, so it is great to be able to finally share the full article with everyone.
I’ll share the abstract for the article below, and now that the piece is out (and that I have completed my own trial of assessment optionality) there might be a few more ALPS posts on this subject to follow. I should also add that the piece is Open Access, so it should be accessible to all. If you are already practicing optionality or are thinking about giving it a go, I would love to chat, so feel free to drop me a line.
Abstract:
Giving students choice in how they are assessed, known as assessment optionality, is an innovation in assessment that has gained attention in recent years for its potential for improving inclusivity and engagement in teaching and learning. However, although assessment innovations can be beneficial, the process of changing long-established norms can be difficult. Political science is a field in which the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning literature has long noted that there is limited pedagogical innovation. This resistance to innovation creates a challenge for those working in the field—stronger and specific arguments must be developed to justify changes to curricula. This article presents the results of participatory research with political science students to explore whether a subject-specific case can be made for the use of assessment optionality in the discipline. The study explores political science students’ understandings of costs and benefits of assessment optionality and shares co-created recommendations for the potential application of the practice.