Dispersed assessment: A novel approach to enhancing student engagement during and beyond Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent need to shift between face-to-face, online, and blended learning caused considerable disruption to student engagement and the workload of academics. Drawing on a Brand Management course (final year undergraduate) in a UK university, this study discusses the students' perception of, and reflection on, a novel method of assessment that we have termed dispersed assessment. This is defined as multiple credit-bearing tasks that are spread throughout the teaching period, are related to taught learning materials and sessions, assist in completing a related final assessment task, and are evidenced in the submission of the final task to limit additional burden on students and markers. Based on scholarly work on assessment and student engagement, we used Leximancer-assisted thematic analysis to examine the data from three focus groups and students' written reflections (n = 99). Findings show that dispersed assessment significantly enhanced student engagement, without overburdening students or increasing the marking workload. This novel method of assessment helped nurture learning communities, increase motivation, and reduce procrastination. Regarding policy, we recommend the implementation of dispersed assessment to encourage active and continuous student engagement and improve student experience. Practical examples are offered for the implementation of dispersed assessment using VLE technologies. © 2023 The Authors

Online Music Therapy Groups During COVID-19: Perspectives from NDIS Participants and Caregivers

Thematic analysis of short-answer questions resulted in three themes: 1) The online music therapy groups were a positive experience;2) The groups provide opportunities for social engagements;3) Positive and negative aspects of group design. Working in the context of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in Australia, music therapists and other allied health professionals have had to adapt service delivery to support NDIS participants to continue to work towards their goals during a time of global crisis. Group music therapy via telehealth has been found to be acceptable and positively received;evidence of psychosocial benefits and increased attendance has been reported for some clinical populations, including children with hearing loss (Fuller & McLeod, 2019), people with spinal cord injury (Tamplin et al., 2020), veterans (Vaudreuil et al., 2020) and people experiencing mental health challenges (Sasangohar et al., 2020). The initial aim of the groups was to offer an online program where they could connect with others, express their emotions about the pandemic, and to offer opportunities for building skills, including personal goals (such as individual communication skills), social connection, or musical skills.