Following feedback from you, together with the Students’ Union, we are increasing our adoption of anonymous marking across the University.

What is anonymous marking?

Anonymous marking is a system whereby your identity is not made known to your assessor (i.e., marker) at the time of marking, to reduce the risk of bias and increase impartiality when assessing your work.
Expanding university adoption of anonymous marking will further enhance the range of measures already in place to ensure fair assessments for students at Middlesex which include moderation processes of assessments, second marking and external examiner oversight.

How is anonymous marking being enhanced at Middlesex?

Anonymous marking will be used for assessments that contribute to your final mark for a module (summative assessments), wherever this is possible in terms of teaching and assessment approaches and practicality.
It is important to note that there are some cases where anonymous marking is not possible or practical.
In these cases, and like all other universities, we rely on moderation processes, second marking, and external examiner oversight to assure standards, impartiality, fairness and to reduce potential bias.

Examples of cases where anonymous marking might not be possible include:

1. Learning activities that do not contribute to your final grades (formative assessments). This is because informal feedback and reflection is essential in giving you the support you need to develop and prepare fully for your final marked assessments.
2. Where the assessor is also the supervisor and will therefore recognise the author by the unique title or focus of the work e.g. dissertations, projects, portfolios, reports etc.
3. Assessment topics that are individual (personal) or group-based (e.g. individual placement/work-based assessments, independent studies, group-work assessments etc.)
4. Assessments that rely on observation. For example: presentations, performance pieces, practice assessments, demonstrations, oral examinations, laboratory skills assessments and some clinical exams etc.

When is this happening?

We are moving forward with implementing anonymous marking this academic year, and embedding required procedures and information in module handbooks and on MyLearning to support full implementation in 2020/21, where possible.

I have a question; who can I contact?

If you have any further questions about how anonymous marking is being implemented in your programme, please contact your Programme Leader.

How can I make my voice heard on other matters?

You can see how student feedback has led to positive change on other topics on the Your Impact pages on UniHub.

Thanks,

Anas Badar – MDXSU President
James Kennedy – Interim Vice-Chancellor