The Centre for Educational Development (UPL) aims to raise the level of knowledge regarding the choice of examination forms and the relationship between expected study results (FSR) and legal examination. The project will run for four years. Another goal is to explore and develop new forms of examination in connection with the ongoing digitalization of teaching.
In conversations with various stakeholders the purpose of the project has emerged.
The hope is that the project will deliver an increased range of training, seminars and a conference on examination. An example collection and knowledge compilations as well as an overview of technical support are also included in the delivery from the project. During ongoing projects, AI tools have made significant breakthroughs, which is why we have included AI in the project, focusing on AI and education in general, and AI and examination in particular.
In progress at the moment
Currently, there are mainly three processes going on.
1. Seminars and workshops
We conduct both open seminars and those tailored to specific faculties, often upon invitation from groups. Examples include:
- 26 January: Assignment for the Department of Political Science with a specific focus on 'take-home exams in the era of AI.'
- 21 February: Assignment for the Faculty of Social Sciences on 'AI and education.'
- 16 April: Assignment for the Department of Public Health and Rehabilitation with a focus on 'Group examination with individual assessment.'
We are also working on developing additional support materials related to AI in education and teaching
Cheating, plagiarism and academic integrity (open seminar in Swedish)
There are currently no dates for this seminar
An online seminar on cheating, plagiarism and academic integrity in connection with examinations. The intention is to focus on what weaknesses and strengths exist in different forms of examination and what measures we as teachers can take to counteract risks and encourage students to choose an educationally constructive strategy. We also want to talk about different forms cheating and plagiarism can take, as well as the gray area between a lack of knowledge about what is allowed and what is deliberate cheating. With the constant development of technical support and aids, the question of where the line is drawn between what can, should and shall be allowed and what shall remain prohibited becomes increasingly interesting. We also hope to start a conversation about the impact of AI on the assessment process and the knowledge goals of higher education with this seminar.
Seminar leaders: Oskar Gedda, UPL, and Jonathan Wedman, TUV.
Choosing and designing good examination forms (workshop)
There are currently no dates for this workshop
Welcome to a workshop on choosing and designing good examination forms. The workshop is aimed at those who in one way or another work with examinations at course or program level.
We will jointly work through issues that clarify which examination formats correspond to the course goals and purpose, and process the adaptation of a relevant examination format to framework factors such as objectives, time, place, etc. Bring a syllabus or several with you as work material.
AI and knowledge assessment (open seminar in Swedish)
How does AI affect your examination practice?
AI is becoming an increasingly hot topic in discussions about education and not least in connection with knowledge assessment of student performance. Within the framework of the ongoing project Developed examination forms at Umeå University, we invite you to an online seminar about the challenges and opportunities we see with AI in assessment and examination contexts.
New technologies always start new discussions in the field of education, and early discussions tend to describe either amazing and limitless possibilities or abyssal pits of threats and problems. We want to try to nuance that picture by starting a developing conversation about how teachers (and institutions of higher learning) can better prepare to both benefit from the powerful tool that AI is and to be able to deal with the challenges that will inevitably result from an all more advanced and readily available AI resource.
We have hade seminars on the theme "AI and knowledge assessment". The primary interest is how the role of teacher and student is affected by an increased accessibility to AI in a study context.
2. Development of sample collection
A central function for constructive conversations and trying out traditional forms of examination is access to examples. Within the framework of the project, work is therefore underway to compile a collection of examples. This work is carried out in dialogue with several other universities that also see a need for and want to develop a corresponding resource for teachers.
- Reinforce exploratory conversations – collegial conversations
- Inspire teachers and leaders to transcend traditional forms
- Educational support
- Selection and design support for course development and major revision
3. Anchoring and dissemination of commitment and the project's goals
Within a network of 11 institutions of higher education, we are currently working on a report based on the development conference we organized last fall, compiling experiences and thoughts on success factors for the development of examination formats. One concept that has emerged is purposeful examination and an evaluation of frameworks with quality attributes. These are:
- Construct validity (relevance)
- Reliability
- Learning
- Feasibility
These attributes can be applied to examination practices with perspectives ranging from students to institutions, which we believe enhances our collective development efforts.
Another ongoing development project, in collaboration with teachers, focuses on examining group work in a pedagogically and practically feasible manner.
During the NU2024 conference, we hope to conduct various activities, ranging from presentations to workshops, linked to enhanced examination practices