| York St John Home Page | Search | Site Map |
Male music students

Project Leader: Professor Susan Orr
Project Dates: Sept 2006 – August 2009
Academic Area:  Pedagogy in the arts
Email: s.orr@yorksj.ac.uk

Create PDF

Concepts of Creative Assessment

As part of Susan's C4C Research Fellowship she undertook a research project which addressed the following questions:

  • How is collaborative group assessment in the arts understood by lecturers and students?
  • What tensions exist between an individualised conception of creative output and an emphasis on collaborative output?
  • Is there congruence between student and lecturer views in relation to the above?
  • What are the implications of the above for the creation and dissemination of best practice?

This research was in response to: 

  • Students’ feedback regarding group assessment.
  • The results of the National Student Survey that point to assessment as an area for concern in the arts.
  • The pedagogic challenge of individualising marks for group activity.
  • The distinctive disciplinary-based understandings of creativity and collaboration.
  • The fact that the ‘crit’ has a central role in arts pedagogy but there is very little research that explores this practice (for notable exceptions, see Percy 2004 or Blair 2006).
  • YSJ’s shift to an emphasis on formative assessment at Level 1 and the need to use this policy shift to enhance students’ first year learning experience.
  • HE sector’s recognition of the importance of understanding the first year student experience.

Susan carried out the evaluation through student and lecturer focus groups and interviews. Various conference and seminar events, a literature review and research reports, as well as journal articles and academic papers resulted from the project.

This project runs in parallel with Susan’s collaborative project on the ‘Crit’ funded through the Art, Design and Media Subject Centre.

<< return to Projects list