|
 |
Description of Good Assessment Practice
| Title: | Mr |
| Name: | Jack Burke |
| Academic Position: | Others |
| Name of Institution: | City University of Hong Kong |
| Country: | Hong Kong |
| Discipline: | Law |
| Department/School: | School of Law |
| Course title: | Interlocutory Advocacy and Interviewing |
| Course code: | |
| Class size: | 101 or above |
| Course Year: | Postgraduate |
| Assessment Title: | Assessing Law Students' Summary Judgment Application |
| Assessment Type: | |
| Time allowed for assessment: | |
| Target: | Generic skill assessment |
| Learning outcomes of the assessment practice: | Learning Outcome 1: Prepare and deliver an oral argument in an oral manner Learning Outcome 2: Discover by research, new case law in the area of interlocutory applications Learning Outcome 3: Conduct simple pre-trial advocacy Learning Outcome 4: Develop a mastery of courtroom etiquette and procedure |
| Key features and principles of the assessment practice: | It is a very rigorous process involving: (1) Conducting marking workshops with assessors before every assessment whereby these assessors view three assessments by students from the previous year and the marking sheets relating to those assessments. Assessors can then discuss the marks which were provided in the previous assessment. This ensures that assessors all have a relatively consistent approach to this exercise. (2) Provision of a detailed marking guide to all the assessors. (3) Videotaping of all the assessments. (4) 2nd marking of the all the tapes of all the grades that were failures and also all the tapes of the highest marker and the lowest marker and in addition all tapes by any markers which were 2 or more marks outside the mean of the markers. (5) Scrutiny by an external academic adviser (“EAAâ€) of all the tapes marked by the 2nd marker. (6) Development of a set of procedures which deal with any differences in marking by the 1st marker, the 2nd marker and the EAA. (7) Moderation of the fact pattern, the subject of the assessment by the 2nd marker and the EEA in advance of the assessment. (8) Production of a DVD of a demonstration of a summary judgment application (with a different fact pattern to the assessment) to the students on the intra-net so they have an understanding of best practice as to the skills required to conduct such an application. (9) Provision of a coherent and comprehensive answer guide to assessors. (10) Description of the assessment to the students in a designated lecture at the end of the course with the opportunity for students to ask any appropriate questions in relation to the logistics and criteria and other permissible matters concerning the assessment. (11) Allowing students to conduct a summary judgment application (with a different fact pattern to the assessment) with both oral feedback as to content and feedback as to presentation (via feedback on a tape of their performance) in advance of their assessment. (12) Provision of detailed instructions as to relevant logistical matters relating to the assessment so that students are aware of all relevant matters here. |
| What are the best things about this assessment method? | It replicates what occurs in practice. |
| What are the challenges in implementing this assessment method? | (1) Ensuring consistency amongst different assessors. In particular, we employ about 12 different assessors for around 160 students. (2) Ensuring that students are able to reach the standards demanded of them in professional practice. |
| What do your students think about this assessment method? (Any evaluation?) | There is no specific evaluation of this method by students while they are in the programme as the teaching and learning questionnaires occur before the assessment. However, trainee solicitors are surveyed by the Law Society after they enter practice and the course has always rated well in all respects. Also, the assessment method has been evaluated by an external academic adviser from the Law Society of Hong Kong who has always been very happy with the process. |
| Plans for changes/developments in future (if any): | At this stage, I do not have plans for changing the assessment practice here as it currently progresses very well. |
| Attachment: | Assessment Criteria |
| Creation date: | 2015-10-15 11:18:46 |