Professional Dialogue

This reflection-based assessment could have taken a written form, but the module team chose a professional dialogue for reasons of inclusivity and employability:  the other assessment on the module is a written portfolio so a verbal assessment here offers students an alternative way to express learning and develops professional communication skills required in teaching. This has enabled some students to improve their grade for the module. 
The 20-minute dialogue, conducted and recorded on Blackboard Collaborate, is based on personal reflections and development plans related to practical experience of teaching acquired through work-based learning.  Reflections should be underpinned by relevant literature, appropriately referenced via a Reference List uploaded to Turnitin.  Written feedback is provided on this upload with strengths and advice for action outlined.   

Any Initial concerns from students are allayed by early communication about the practical arrangements (dates and times) to aid personal organisation, and detailed information about the format and expected content.  Assignment briefing in class is supplemented by a 15-minute tutorial for each student to discuss any queries or concerns, and a video recording on NILE which contains a detailed review of the questions and types of evidence which should be included, all clearly linked to the relevant module learning outcomes, Teachers’ Standards (Department for Education, 2011)  and the marking rubric.  Students are also provided with a framework for recording their sources of evidence, and examples of models to use to facilitate reflection (Kolb, SWOT..).  An A4 page of notes is permitted during the assessment (but not a script).   

For each 20-minute dialogue the teaching team allows 40 minutes on the schedule to finalise marking and prepare for the next student.  It’s an intense few days of assessment, but on the plus side that’s the marking done and ready for moderation.