Effective Assessment in a Block Pedagogy

Abstract

Block mode of delivery, also known as intensive mode, has increasingly been adopted by courses in higher education institutions (HEIs) in recent years. This surge has been attributed to the efforts of HEIs to adapt to the changing student population, which involves a diverse student population, as well as the evolving education landscape, recently impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The distinctive nature of a block delivery model, and the impact of demographic, contextual and disciplinary factors on assessment performance makes an evaluation of student achievement in a block pedagogy a critical area of focus. The study presented here explores the impact of different types of summative assessment on student achievement in a block mode of delivery implemented across the different courses in a UK-based HEI. This is achieved using a quasi-experimental design, involving independent sample t-tests. The study firstly compared first and second year students’ grades in modules where summative assessment had been adapted for block, with students’ grades from the same modules that were traditionally taught in the previous year; and secondly examined the impact of different types of summative assessment in block delivery on students’ grades. Results indicate that adapting the type of assessment for block delivery had no statistically significant difference on students’ final grades. However, when comparing different types of summative assessments in block delivery, students achieved higher grades in time-constrained and multiple summative assessments, compared to single final essays (p<0.001 and Cohen’s d>0.5). The results from this study indicate that the type of summative assessment has an impact on students’ academic success and, therefore, this should be at the heart of staff training and curriculum design when adopting block delivery.

Blocked out: reflections on the potential of intensive modes of teaching to enhance post-COVID-19 graduate employability in large-scale educational settings

“…See: Oraison et al, 2023;Scott and Conrad, 1992). The shift in the structure of delivery also necessitates the exploration of innovative forms of teaching practice, which can help teaching staff provide interactive learning experiences in a way that can help students who have distinct learning needs (Buck et al, 2023;Slevin, 2021). In addition, because block teaching functions at its best when it integrates peer-to-peer interaction, intensive modes of delivery can also help to overcome the kinds of social isolation that can occur within a large-scale teaching context (Buck and Tyrell, 2022;Tyrrell and Shalavin, 2022).…”

“…It can potentially do so, particularly because, as recent research suggests, the concentrated nature of block teaching facilitates the integration of active, collaborative, experiential and applied pedagogies (Slevin, 2021). Aligned with the understanding that these pedagogies contribute to deeper learning, block teaching provides a structured approach to incorporating critical thinking and the application of knowledge in a way that is particularly applicable to work-based or "real world" scenarios, an aim that is increasingly important given the contemporary necessity for business schools to enhance graduate employability (Buck et al, 2023).…”