Improving student achievement in a multidisciplinary context

This article analyses interim findings of an ongoing action research project into the use of assessment criteria and grade descriptors in the assessment process. The project is multidisciplinary and covers areas as diverse as Sports Sociology, Economics, Youth and Community Studies, and Education. The idea is to equip first-year students with the tools necessary for raising achievement and for matching their own aspirations with what is expected of them in higher education. This is seen as particularly important with widening access attracting a higher proportion of non-traditional entrants with little exposure to higher education. Assimilation into higher education culture is often a fraught encounter and research (Yorke 2001; Yorke and Thomas 2003) suggests that induction into the requirements of individual subjects, curriculum innovation and the integration of academic skills can aid retention. The project offers a variety of methodologies emphasizing the ‘situated’ nature of academic literacy. The immediate benefits from the pilot study of Sports Studies students have already been demonstrated (Bloxham and West 2004) and the longitudinal research now being undertaken will indicate whether the type of intervention discussed below can have lasting effects.