GEOLOGY | 17
Assessment and Feedback
Assessment and feedback are key parts of learning and teaching at Keele.
We use a variety of assessment methods to help you develop your
skills and to test your understanding of key concepts.
Assessment in Geology includes written
exams, laboratory notebooks, field
notebooks, maps, technical reports,
posters, spoken presentations, project
reports, field exercises, on-line tests, and
many other formats designed to help you
to develop and demonstrate your abilities.
The wide range of different types of
work we do in Geology is designed to be
valuable in your later career.
Most of the assessments that you
do from your second year onwards
contribute to your final degree mark (first
year assessments contribute just to the
module mark, but they are also used as
learning exercises for future work). In all
cases we will give you helpful feedback
on your work so that you can constantly
develop and improve. This feedback is a
central part of how we teach and how you
learn. You will get feedback in many ways
including discussions in practical and field
classes, comments added to the work
you hand in, conversations with tutors
after the work is marked, and many other
mechanisms appropriate to the particular
items of work you have completed.
In practical and fieldwork exercises,
for example, a quick discussion or
demonstration is often the most
immediate and effective form of feedback,
whereas for a technical report it might
be more appropriate to deliver feedback
electronically. Practical and field classes
are staffed by both academic staff and
postgraduate demonstrators to give you
access to instant feedback
on your work as you learn. Your overall
performance is discussed with your
personal tutor several times a year and
Geology staff members operate an ‘open
door’ policy which means you can just
come and discuss any issues any time
we are in our office.
keele.ac.uk/gge