Students are required to write an essay on specified or agreed topics within given parameters e.g., word count, use of different literature sources etc. Students are required to present their points in a structured, logical, and discursive manner.
Advantages & Challenges
Advantages
Challenges
Advantages
Encourages students to learn to structure a reasoned argument and to demonstrate the relationships between different lines of analysis.
Writing essays helps students improve their writing skills, including organisation, clarity, and expression of ideas. It also helps skills such as citing and referencing.
Essays offer flexibility in assessing a wide range of topics, concepts, and learning outcomes.
Essays provide students with opportunities for individual expression and creativity. They allow students to express their unique perspectives, insights, and interpretations of module material.
Challenges
It can raise issues of academic integrity, plagiarism, or academic misconduct – software such as Turnitin can help manage this issue. However, with the rise of generative AI these issues are more difficult to identify. This form of assessment may work best in an in-class or exam situation.
This form of assessment may disadvantage some students who have additional educational needs.
In an exam situation this assessment type may prioritise memorisation above research, analysis, and synthesis. It is important to identify what you are hoping to assess by using this type of assessment.
Assessing essays is time-consuming for lecturers, especially in large classes with numerous assignments. Reading, evaluating, and providing feedback on essays requires considerable time and effort, which may pose challenges in terms of workload management.
Tips for Use
Design essay prompts that prompt students to engage critically with course material, analyse complex concepts, and formulate well-supported arguments.
Consider getting students to draft an essay plan prior to commencing writing the essay. This would enable the opportunity to provide feedback in advance of the assessment.
Educate students about academic integrity and the importance of citing sources properly to avoid plagiarism. Clearly explain expectations regarding citation formats, use of quotations, and paraphrasing techniques.
