Student Assessment/Diagnostic Evaluation Software Package

Description

The University is sourcing a student assessment/diagnostic evaluation software package. The University of Bedfordshire has strategic priority (as defined in our APP) to address student retention, attainment and success. One of the institution's key approaches to this is to address students' abilities to write effective assessments and to support students' assessment journeys. We are seeking a supplier who can help students to understand how to improve their academic writing skills and to help our students' develop their academic voice. In responding to the requirements in sections A through I suppliers are required to focus their responses upon this approach. The successful supplier will need to fulfil this role by providing 24 hour day / 365 days a year with a fully scalable service which may see up to several hundred units worth of submissions in one day at peak times. In addition the University is looking to adopt standard diagnostic assessments for new students, these will augment our existing support services and support our understanding of our students' skills. The system may be expanded to all the University's 16,000 UK-based students, though the initial priority groups will be foundation and first year students (typically around 6-7,000 students). There are five high-level requirements for a potential system: firstly, that the system is externally hosted; secondly, that feedback is provided by a human assessor (rather than AI) - because we anticipate students will have questions which require a human evaluation; thirdly, that the system provides reporting mechanisms enabling the University to review progress of student engagement; fourthly, that the system and feedback provided to students will be via an online environment accessible via a range of devices; finally, that the feedback provided to students complements our existing assessment practices and does not seek to provide feedback relating to subject knowledge - which is firmly within the remit of our academic colleagues. This tender will be awarded against the University of Bedfordshire's Terms and Conditions.

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