NEWS - Dr. Trakulphadetkrai won a Collaborative Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning from the University of Reading’s Institute of Education

On 12th September 2019, it was announced that Dr. Natthapoj Vincent Trakulphadetkrai (Lecturer in Primary Mathematics Education, University of Reading's Institute of Education) is a co-winner of the Collaborative Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning from the University of Reading's Institute of Education (IoE) for his role as Chair of the IoE's Teaching and Learning Group on Assessment Literacy. 

Comprising seven academic members of IoE staff, the group sets out to achieve two key goals: 1) to improve students’ assessment literacy; and 2) to encourage programme directors to ensure the clarity of their programme’s and module’s assessment criteria or rubric. Last year, the group produced two key important documents to address the two goals: 

• To address the first goal, the group produced the Glossary which contains definitions and examples of common assessment terms that students find somewhat confusing (e.g. ‘critical thinking’ and ‘analytical thinking’);
• To address the second goal, the group produced the Audit Report which presents our findings on the assessment literacy level of students across all programmes at my department, and recommendations on how the directors of these programmes could make the content of their assessment rubrics much clearer for their students.

This academic year, the work of the group has also been chosen by the University of Reading as one of its Teaching and Learning Impact case studies.

The group is interested in generating impact beyond the university level, and is keen to hear from colleagues at other universities if they are interested in replicating the group's work at their institutions. 

​On this recognition, Dr. Trakulphadetkrai commented that "It was fantastic to be recognised, alongside my colleagues and team members, for our collective efforts in trying to improve a very important aspect of our teaching and learning practice. As academics and hence markers, we are so familiar with these assessment criteria and terms that sometimes we do forget that not everyone (particularly students) shares this understanding level. Taking into account of students' voice to help ensure that our assessment rubrics are clear and not full of unnecessary terms is crucial in creating an inclusive learning environment. " 
​