PG Diploma Community Learning and Development

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT FEEDBACK SHEET

Course Title

Planning in Partnership with Communities

Course Code

ED502W

Student Name

Dawn Brown

Student ID Number/ User ID

51554139

Session

2015/2016

Date of Submission

08/12/15

Date of Marking

10/12/15

Course Tutor

Aileen Ackland

Cross Marker

Rachel Shanks

Date of Cross Marking

17/12/15

CGS Grade

D2

Your submission will be judged using the Common Grade Scale (CGS) descriptors and grades.
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/documents/registry/CGS_Code_of_Practice_on_Assessment.pdf)

Only two attempts are allowed.

Please note that the resubmission fee is 20. Apply, if applicable at

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/infohub/study/reassessment.php

C1

Specific Criteria and Feedback Comments

Met
Characteristics of a community analysed across a range of fields of
x
relevance to community development

Not Met

Comments:

Some analysis is evident particularly in the blog post, where there is good discussion of
demographics of participation; it is evident that you recognise that the people already
involved in the community planning process are an advantaged group and not
representative of all community members. You have identified income inequality as an
issue in Kemnay and acknowledge that the inequality of income is linked to other
inequalities, drawing upon your reading from some seminal work by Wilkinson and
Pickett and Arneil. The point you make in the blog about a service approach to
community is a significant point, but your argument needed to be developed further. I
am not sure how you relate this to the community planning process in Kemnay.
The analysis could have gone further for instance you might have analysed the lists of
things people liked about Kemnay, reflecting on what this told you about the concerns
of the people involved. This list is presented without analysis or being explicitly linked
to any of the other points you make about the community. You start with a definition of
social capital but dont really explore this concept critically in relation to the community
in Kemnay, even though you refer in passing to Putnams book, Bowling Alone.
C2

A range of sources used as evidence of community characteristics

x
Comments:

You use a range of information about the village to gain insights into the characteristics
of the community. Where you present statistics you reflect on what these might tell us
about the community. The information about the development of housing in the village
is interesting but I dont know what you think is significant about changes between
social housing and private housing development. When you present information
always try to develop this by asking, why is this relevant / important/significant? It is
evident that you are involving community members in reflection on their experiences of
living in Kemnay and identifying what is important to them. Although the facebook page
is not yet being used, you have established a mechanism for people to share images
and ideas to inform the planning process.

C3

Discussion of the links between characteristics in the community and x

experiences of quality of life
Comments:

You say Within Aberdeenshire, we are very fortunate to have a great standard of life
but what does this mean what criteria might different people use to determine this?
The second part of the blog is a bit disjointed and its relevance to the assignment task
is not clear. Here these are just your ideas and not clearly evidencing analysis of the
other sources of information.
The links between the characteristics and the experiences of quality of life are mainly
implicit, particularly in the discussion of demographics; it is clear however, that you
recognise that the experiences of some people who are active in the community are not
2

necessarily the experiences of all.

C4

A reflective account of the link between community characteristics

and the individuals practice, including collaborative practice

Comments:

The account of your practice is descriptive rather than reflective, Dawn. You describe
how you start with the people who are already engaged. In the light of your reflections
on the characteristics of these community members and the possible inequalities of life
experiences in the community, you needed to consider the limitations of this approach
and how you might work differently to inform the planning process more fully from other
perspectives. This is a significant weakness in the assignment that you do not use
the analysis and draw upon theoretical ideas to consider how you could strengthen the
planning in partnership with communities.

General Assessment Criteria:

Advanced knowledge, understanding and enhanced capacity must be demonstrated in work
which should exhibit the these qualities of postgraduate performance:
ability to address all parts of the task and to synthesise ideas and information

analysis that goes beyond description and demonstrates critical thinking

exploration of underlying assumptions, theories, perspectives and policy foundations

ability to make insightful links between theory and practice, to direct and support change
and development

impartiality and balance in argument and inference

sharpness and appropriateness of judgement when dealing with complex issues or

problems

clarity and coherence through the effective and critical selection and presentation of
information/data

accordance with academic writing conventions

Synthesis is
lacking
Some critical
thinking evident
Beginning
statistics
challenged for
assumptions of
homogeneity.
Beginning to
make insightful
links but not yet
using these to
identify change
to practice.

Beginning
recognition of
complexity.
Lack of
coherence in the
blog how does
the second part
link to the first?
Development of
ideas needs to
go further.
Continue to
work on
integrating
reading and
referencing.

General Comments on this Course Submission

The strengths in this assignment, Dawn, are that you are using statistics critically and recognising that
they do not tell the whole story. You are thinking about who is involved in planning and who is excluded
and beginning to ask why. You acknowledge the partiality of some perspectives. You have taken some
significant points from your reading and recognised their relevance to the specific context you are
working in.
Some things that did not add to you addressing the criteria:
The second part of the blog. It is not clear how this links to the first part. Although you are using a
framework from the New Economics Foundation report, this is unquestioned and the statements you
make under each heading are just your reported points of view without any examination of the
assumptions underlying them.
Reportage without analysis. For example you report what people told you was important to them but
this is not analysed or reflected upon in relation to the other information you have about the community.
You report about the shift in housing trends but dont reflect on what this might indicate.
The definition of social capital at the top suggests that you are going to analyse the community in
relation to this concept but you dont critically examine the concept or examine the community in relation
to ideas of networks of trust and reciprocity.
There is still insufficient reading evidenced. Only really the Arneil book and the Wilkinson Pickett text are
drawn upon effectively.
Make sure you reference everything carefully - for example you mention Putnams Bowling Alone but
dont provide the reference in text. The reference for the Hall chapter in Arneil does not conform to the
guidelines.
Comments on Student Next Steps Statement from Previous Course
There is no next steps statement. This should have been taken form the first assignment ( EP1) and
added to your submission sheet.
Next Steps
(Please remember to cut and paste these next steps and associated action into the front cover
accompanying the submission of your next course assignment).

Draw upon more reading for ideas and insights.

Ask why questions making sure you explicitly say why something you report is significant
Consider the so what question. Synthesise your insights and then consider, so what does this
mean for practice?

Thank you for submitting your online SCEF evaluations form. We value your constructive comments which
are vital to the development and improvement the learning experience of future participants.