Organisational blind spots in the management of assessment within UK higher education institutions

There is a flourishing field of research into student and academic experiences of higher education assessment practices. In recent years practical models for delivering assessment change have emerged that shed light on the myriad of business processes and technologies that support the academic stages of assessment (JISC, 2016), and highlight a need to develop institutional infrastructure (Elkington, 2020). However, the administrative experience of assessment and the design of institutional processes that support assessment in the UK have not been the subject of academic research.

This doctoral research examined assessment practice from the unique perspective of administrative managers. It adopted a theoretical and analytical framework derived from the ‘system of professions’ (Abbott, 1998) to understand how assessment administration was changing, the forces impacting the work, and what influence and authority administrators had in the assessment process. Data was generated from in-depth qualitative interviews with thirteen administrative managers, each employed at a different UK higher education institution (HEI), who provided detailed descriptions of assessment administration within their own context and expert commentary on assessment administration in the UK sector.

This presentation focuses on the thematic findings and practical implications that arose from the research, building on arguments that administrative work is often invisible (Szekeres, 2004) and that its’ invisibility can constitute a ‘blind spot’ about how an HEI is working and how it can improve (Rhoades, 2010). It surfaces different types of blind spots in the management of assessment, including the invisibility of emerging problems perceived to be administrative matters, complex administration resulting from academic strategy decisions, and missed opportunities to critically challenge traditional practices. Importantly, the research indicates that organisational blind spots in the management of assessment are not inevitable, and I suggest ways that higher education leaders can expose and tackle existing blind spots to deliver holistic and impactful changes in assessment.

In the UK, students continue to show the least satisfaction with areas of assessment and feedback and organisation and management (OfS, 2022), and so as HEI develop their post-pandemic assessment strategies, and embark on institution-wide changes to assessment, I argue that uncovering and tackling blind spots in the management of assessment will be essential. Delegates are invited to consider the potential blind spots in the management of assessment in their own HEI.

References
Abbott, A. (1998) The system of professions: An essay on the division of expert labor. University of Chicago press.

Elkington, S. (2020) Essential frameworks for enhancing student success: Transforming Assessment in Higher Education-A Guide. https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/essential-frameworks-enhancing-student-success-transforming-assessment

JISC (2016) The assessment and feedback lifecycle, https://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/transforming-assessment-and-feedback/lifecycle

Office for Students (OfS) (2022) National Student Survey. https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/student-information-and-data/national-student-survey-nss/nss-data-overview/

Rhoades, G. (2010) Envisioning Invisible Workforces: Enhancing Intellectual Capital. In G. Gordon and C. Whitchurch (Eds.), Academic and Professional Identities in Higher Education: The challenges of a diversifying workforce. London: Routledge, pp.35-54

Szekeres, J. (2004) The invisible workers. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 26(1), pp.7-22