Abstract
The analysis of marks, grades and student satisfaction ratings often dominate the educational landscape, and are an important part of ensuring a quality education. But do they give us sufficient understanding of what students actually learnt, how we can improve that learning, and how we can express that learning to the students and others? This seminar looks behind the grade and satisfaction ratings to explore different types of learning, how (and if) they can be made visible, and how they can be identified and acted upon at the class, course and programme levels. The seminar will also share how student learning in a large newly re-constructed first year core course was examined, tracked, reported, and used to improve student achievement. In so doing, it will also explore the challenges in identifying, tracking and reporting learning.

This seminar is for academic staff who want to get to the bottom of what their students believe, know and can do, and use this information to make improvements to their course and programme outcomes.

For details and online registration, please go to http://www.cetl.hku.hk/seminar130219.

For enquiries, please contact Mr William Yieu by email wyieu@hkucc.hku.hk .

About the speaker
Dr Iris Vardi has been involved in education for over 25 years. She has worked with a variety of disciplines at the University of Western Australia, Curtin University and Edith Cowan University, and has published and presented extensively both nationally and internationally. Her research and work in different teaching methodologies, critical thinking, assessment and feedback has improved student learning outcomes and student satisfaction across a range of disciplines.

Dr Vardi is the author of the 2012 Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) Guide Effective Feedback for Student Learning in Higher Education, the author of the upcoming 2013 HERDSA Guide Developing Students’ Critical thinking in Higher Education, the winner of the HERDSA 2012 Conference Creative Presentation Award, and the recipient of a 2012 HERDSA Fellowship which recognised her “important contribution to higher education at the local, national and international levels”.