Student success at college is not just achieving high grades The National Forum for Teaching and Learning defines student success as the process by which students fulfil their potential and flourish at college and in society. This is a broader activity than simply achieving high grades. Psychosocial competencies are core to the definition of student success: these are the ‘soft skills’ or ‘non-cognitive skills’ that enable students to cope well with learning challenges, engage deeply in learning, and develop their identities as learners and as active citizens. Transitions are a key issue within this priority area, with transitions such as the move from school to college presenting both challenges and opportunities for students.
Promoting Assessment and Feedback Practices for Student Success
About this initiative
This initiative establishes an Assessment and Feedback Hub for Maynooth University staff and develop an initial bank of tailored resources on assessment and feedback practices that promote student success. The Hub will provide a central ‘go-to’ for staff, where they can find resources to support and enhance assessment and feedback practice. It will be an open, online space with structured navigation to enable staff to find specific supports or particular topics. It will be designed so that it can continuously develop and grow over time into a comprehensive Assessment and Feedback Hub sustainable beyond the timeframe of the initiative. The initiative will involve a collaborative team with representation from senior management, staff and student representatives from each of the faculties and teaching and learning. It will conduct a high-level review with student and staff to understand experiences and challenges of assessment in the current COVID-19 context and to identify key priority areas. Following a review of existing research and resources, this initiative will curate and develop a bank of evidence, guides and resources tailored to the Maynooth context topics such as assessment and feedback literacy, programmatic assessment, using rubrics and marking guides, and designing authentic assessment approaches. The resources will support staff in designing assessments that deepen engagement, learning and enable success.




