A picture taken during the discussion on how best to structure and organise the level 4 assessments in semesters 1 and 2.

A LEAP workshop for the Corporate and Marketing Communications (CMC) department within FMC was held this afternoon.  There was a particular focus on new units to be delivered at level 4 in the first and second semesters of 18-19.

The LEAP process proved to be an excellent foundation for building and aligning the new units because the links between units were very visible.  There were some excellent debates on the scheduling of content and how the units could be configured to build on and develop the learning from both earlier and simultaneous units.  The revalidation process is being undertaken in CMC within a short timescale and LEAP is helping with the content of the new units and their co-ordination.

Shelley Thompson led the discussion on assessment and feedback, looking at ways in which different assessments can be deployed which allow the ILO’s of the unit to be assessed in authentic and novel ways.

The feedback from the workshop included:

• Very useful purpose.  More oriented to existing units.  Works better if you have unit specs mapped out.
• A very useful brainstorming to get us thinking on the units! And understanding how they ‘fit’ together.
• Very useful.  Great insights of different assessment types.
• Very good way of thinking through unit.  But would be great to have a follow-up session whereby the units working together can be compared after.  This might alleviate the potential for people being persuaded to do certain activities/assessments in a certain way because a colleague says so.  Need an actual rationale.

The last piece of feedback reminds us that LEAP is a process and the initial workshop focuses on introducing the steps involved in creating a visualisation of the unit.  As such, it is a starting point for on-going debates on the content, blending and assessment of units and how the units build into and interlink within the overarching programme structure.

A picture taken mid-workshop when the learning types being used on the unit were being identified
and mapped onto the unit schedule

For more information on LEAP or to schedule a LEAP workshop for your department, please contact David Biggins.