The role of effective communication on students' emotional response to assessment: Written assignment brief

Abstract

The emotional aspect of assessment should not be ignored. Assessment permeates all aspects of higher education, and is central to students’ experiences. While it may not be possible, or even desirable, to remove all stress from assessment, the need to mitigate against confusion and misinterpretation is important. The written assignment brief is a key document in the assessment process, yet it has received little attention. A lack of clarity caused by poorly written or poorly explained assignment instructions means that students may not know what they are required to do. Some will argue that an overly prescriptive assignment brief reduces creativity and effectively results in “spoon-feeding” students. This article argues that an effective assignment brief builds students’ confidence and minimises anxiety, which reduces their cognitive load and promotes learning. The findings in this article are drawn from the qualitative stage of a mixed-methods PhD study conducted in the University of Limerick, which explored how written assignment briefs affected students’ understanding of the requirements, and students’ potential to perform effectively. One key finding was the impact of poor communication on the students’ experience of assessment; exacerbating emotions such as anxiety, stress, and panic. Providing students with examples, templates, and detailed assignment briefs were identified as beneficial in reducing negative emotions and cognitive load.

Keywords

• assignment brief
• emotions
• higher education
• communication
• cognitive load