Moderation is an integral part of the assessment process, and should involve both internal (from within Coventry University Group) and external (from another institution) moderators to ensure that quality and standards are being upheld. 

• Any newly created assessment designs need to be pre-moderated, both internally and externally, well in advance of the assessment launch.  
• Around the time of the assessment deadline, it is crucial that the module team undertake a standardiasation (AKA calibration or benchmarking) meeting to ensure that they agree on a common approach to marking.
• Once marking is completed, post-moderation needs to take place, again both internally and externally. This is to verify that the module team have indeed taken a consistent approach to marking, in line with institutional and national standards. Refer to guidance on sampling for moderation purposes in support of this. 

Alongside moderation, internal quality assurance mechanisms such as Course Quality Enhancement & Monitoring (CQEM) and Module Evaluation Questionnaire (MEQ) can help to inform the (re)design of assessments going forward, as part of a continuous cycle of improvement. 

To learn more about the national landscape of quality assurance, refer to the websites of the Quality Assurance Agency and the Office for Students. 

• A first step in the assessment design process is in revisiting your Course Specification documentation, and the related Course Assessment strategy. Module descriptors can be accessed in Kuali. Ensure that the assessment aligns with both Course- and Module- level Learning Outcomes. 
• When setting assessment tasks, include clear justification of the type and number of assessment points. Assessment regulations within the Coventry University Group make provision for "Core" and "Applied Core" Assessment, as well as opportunities for Course Based Assessment. 
• Flexibility in choosing assessment types allows for “remote” assessment, as well as being more authentic and inclusive in nature. Group assessment tasks are important in developing graduate skills and attributes, but require planning to enable a positive experience for students.
• Careful consideration needs to be given to designing assessment to minimise plagiarism and contract cheating. Take a look at the Teaching Knowledge Base resources on AI in Learning, Teaching and Assessment at Coventry University Group for more detail on how AI impacts on assessment design. 
• Also integral to designing the assessment task is developing the associated assessment criteria and rubrics for the specific task. Guidance has been developed for Undergraduate (levels 4, 5 & 6) and Postgraduate (level 7). Refer to the links in the Resources section for relevant documentation.  

• Developing students’ assessment literacy throughout the module has potential for a positive assessment experience and enables integration between teaching, learning and assessment. The launch of an assessment task is an ideal time to develop students’ assessment literacy through a range of planned interventions (see Assessment Literacy video, MS Stream). 
• Students may disengage with feedback for many reasons- thus, focusing on developing their feedback literacy is time well spent. Having a better understanding of the value of feedforward-feedback, and making sense of feedback for enhancement, can contribute positively to helping students to pass first time, on time. Opportunities for students to gain formative feedback also play a crucial role in building their assessment literacy. 
• Assessment submission is normally in Aula, via Turnitin.  Understanding how to interpret the Originality index in Turnitin is important for both staff and students. Ensure that you are familiar with the processes around extenuating circumstances (e.g. extension and deferral requests)and that students have access to the relevant information. 

• Feedback should be returned to students as soon as possible (see turnaround times)- so, consider how to streamline your marking workflow in order to meet these deadlines. 
• The method of feedback will not only have an impact on turnaround times, but also how it is received by students. Consider feedback that supports students in developing their learning strategies (see guidance on feedforward-feedback).