Usage of any items from the University of Cumbria's institutional repository 'Insight' must conform to the following fair usage guidelines.Any item and its associated metadata held in the University of Cumbria's institutional repository Insight (unless stated otherwise on the metadata record) may be copied, displayed or performed, and stored in line with the JISC fair dealing guidelines (available here) for educational and not-for-profit activities provided that• the authors, title and full bibliographic details of the item are cited clearly when any part of the work is referred to verbally or in the written form• a hyperlink/URL to the original Insight record of that item is included in any citations of the work • the content is not changed in any way• all files required for usage of the item are kept together with the main item file. You may not• sell any part of an item• refer to any part of an item without citation • amend any item or contextualise it in a way that will impugn the creator's reputation• remove or alter the copyright statement on an item.The full policy can be found here. Alternatively contact the University of Cumbria Repository Editor by emailing insight@cumbria.ac.uk.Amanda Chapman, Academic and Quality Development, University of Cumbria amanda.chapman@cumbria.ac.uk Using the Assessment process to overcome Imposter Syndrome in Mature Students. AbstractThis research draws on the experience of a group of mature students' studies during their first year at university. All experienced varying degrees of Imposter Syndrome, feelings of fraudulence and a lack of confidence in their ability. The process of 'becoming' a mature student is one of identity change and risk. Gaining a sense of belonging to the institution and academia is an important part of the transition year, but the assimilation into the culture of university life can be problematic.The first assessment for all students can be seen as a 'rite of passage' on the journey of 'belonging'. So for mature students who may have had a substantial gap in their education, this can be a critical moment in their progression through the transition year. Negotiation through the culture and language of academia can lead to misunderstanding and self-doubt, and the process of assessment can be an emotional journey for some students.In this article the students describe their experiences of the assessment process and their need for feedback. Facing the judgement of their peer group and the academic staff was a particular fear of most of the students, as was the difficulty in both 'getting started' and 'letting go' of their written work. The article will conclude with a discussion of the role of assessment in relation to confidence building and to overcoming Imposter Syndrome.

Usage of any items from the University of Cumbria's institutional repository 'Insight' must conform to the following fair usage guidelines.Any item and its associated metadata held in the University of Cumbria's institutional repository Insight (unless stated otherwise on the metadata record) may be copied, displayed or performed, and stored in line with the JISC fair dealing guidelines (available here) for educational and not-for-profit activities provided that• the authors, title and full bibliographic details of the item are cited clearly when any part of the work is referred to verbally or in the written form• a hyperlink/URL to the original Insight record of that item is included in any citations of the work • the content is not changed in any way• all files required for usage of the item are kept together with the main item file. You may not• sell any part of an item• refer to any part of an item without citation • amend any item or contextualise it in a way that will impugn the creator's reputation• remove or alter the copyright statement on an item.The full policy can be found here. Alternatively contact the University of Cumbria Repository Editor by emailing insight@cumbria.ac.uk. Assessment for confidence: Exploring the impact that lowstakes assessment design has on student retention Amanda Chapman, University of Cumbria Introduction:

This ar(cle focuses on the final itera(on of a four--year longitudinal ac(on research project that culminates in students ac(ng as partners in the assessment process by co--crea(ng and u(lising marking criteria Three versions of the marking criteria are discussed, one wri^en by the academic staff, one wri^en by the students and a final version agreed through nego(a(on and collabora(on. This ar(cle argues that this partnership working empowers the students and gives them ownership of the criteria which were then used in a peer and self--assessment exercise. Differences in values and language are discussed, with gaps between student understanding and lecturers' academic discourse. This ar(cle concludes that for students to fully understand marking criteria they need to be ac(ve par(cipants in the process and using discussion and collabora(on in this way brings students into the academic community of prac(ce.

The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of an investigation in the first year experience of mature students. The research focuses on the identity shift that these students underwent throughout the year and problematises the construct of 'student'. Semi-structured interviews were used at key points throughout the academic year. The research employs communities of practice as a framework for identity shift. The students in this research engaged in the learning aspect of student identity but some felt alienated and marginalised by the predominant discourse of student social life. The paper concludes with the argument that mature students align themselves with the community of practice of 'academia' and therefore form a position of 'novice academic' rather than 'student'. The study aims to contribute to the debate that universities may need to change some practices in order to improve the experience of mature students, which will become an increasing important demographic group as the number of school leavers drops.

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