Scaffolding teaching, learning and assessment in Higher Education

This paper reports the initial findings of a small scale initiative undertaken in a modern university in the United Kingdom to investigate the use of a scaffolded approach to teaching, learning and assessment. The design of a specific module was structured such that the mode of assessment; in this case a presentation, became a focus for each taught session, with each session being strategically scaffolded to increase individual student engagement. The findings demonstrate that such an approach served to impact on students’ ability to engage in self-regulated learning and to impact positively on the academic achievement of most students involved; however, for some students, the impact was ‘negative’. The paper concludes that although a scaffolded approach to teaching, learning and assessment is, in the main, conducive to deep learning and can potentially lead to improved academic achievement, consideration needs to be given to how and why particular modes of assessment are used to assess student achievement.