Assessments

Jon Reades - j.reades@ucl.ac.uk

1st October 2025

The Assessments

1. Open-Book Exam (30%)
2. Group Work
   • Content (35%)
   • Code (25%)
3. Peer Evaluation (10%)

Assessment #1

What is it?

Timed, Open Book Exam

• Timed: once you start the assessment you will have a fixed amount of time in which to complete it; 1h 20m for most students, but students with relevant SORAs have 2 hours (please email me).
• Open Book: You may look at any resource you like, you may not ask another human being for assistance. You may use ChatGPT or another LLM but must report when you do.

When is it?

• Friday, 21 November 2025 from either 11am-11pm or 1pm-3pm¹

Where is it?

• You will access your questions through Moodle. You can write the code that you need to answer the question in JupyterLab or any other Python programming environment.

What is covered?

• Any concept up to and including Week 5 is ‘fair game’. The exam will consist of no more than 10 questions.²

1. This is the ‘window’ for doing the assessment. You can start any time after the window opens but must finish before the window closes.

2. So, roughly, that means about 12 minutes/question.

How is it graded?

• We will manually grade it in Moodle. There are roughly 960 answers so we may make some mistakes and you can flag these where it is clear this has happened.

Why should I report ChatGPT?

• The use of ChatGPT has no impact on your grade, we are primarily curious about how useful people are finding it and whether LLMs affect your understanding.

Assessment #2

Overview

The reproducible analysis and briefing will be developed as part of a group and has two components:

1. The content (35%, submitted as a PDF file): how do the answers written by the group engage with the set questions through a mix of literature, critical thinking, and data analysis?
2. The code (25%, submitted as a QMD file): how well does the group’s code transfer to a ‘clean’ environment on a different computer?

These are submitted separately to two separate submission areas. Only one person needs to submit on behalf of the group.

In-Class Feedback

Because the format is novel, and also entails using Quarto, starting in Week 7, groups will be randomly selected to present their (draft) answer to that week’s question in class.

• Formative feedback will be provided in class on the quality of the response.
• If the selected group has not prepared an answer then no formative feedback will be provided for that question.
• It is not necessary that you have iPython notebook/Quarto outputs to-hand, though it will clearly help quite a bit.

This is intended to ensure that: a) you are doing the thinking and reading to progress towards submission; and b) you are learning how to use Quarto.

Data

• Your base data set is: the InsideAirbnb 20250615 Listings.
• You will find reviews and calendar data for the same time period.
• You can also use any other relevant data available from the server, but this is not required.

Process

• Over Reading Week you should start a literature scan in order to identify relevant approaches, policies, and findings. The module bibliography might help get you started, but it is not exhaustive.
• Do not start trying to tackle the data analysis components of any of the questions until we have covered Pandas in Week 6.
• Do not start trying to work directly with Quarto until we have covered Text in Week 8. Use iPython to create a exploratory notebooks and then transfer only the necessary bits of code and commentary as you develop familiarity with Quarto.
• So from Week 9 you will want to be working primarily in Quarto to prepare the project submission, even as other members of the group/you continue to to use notebooks to test out ideas and undertake E(S)DA.

Resources

• A template has been provided. By default it generates both PDF and HTML output, but please only submit the PDF
• A reproducibility rubric explaining our expectations in greater detail.
• A briefing rubric explaining our expectations in greater detail.

Assessment #3

Overview

We know that people contribute differently to groups or, sometimes, not at all. This self- and peer-assessment seeks to quantify that contribution while also prompting you to reflect on what you contributed to your group and the wider dynamics of working as part of a team.

• You will self-assess your own contribution to the group through a brief narrative.
• You will then score everyone else’s self-assessment and provide short feedback.

This assessment should not take more than 30 minutes in total, but it has to be done in two parts.

When is it due?

• Part 1: Thursday, 11 December 2025 @ 10:00
• Part 2: Tuesday, 16 December 2025 @ 10:00

Where do I access it?

• You will use UCL’s IPAC tool accessed through Moodle.

How does it work?

• Complete a self-evaluation first.¹
• Come back after the group submission to complete the peer-evaluation.²

1. Yes, it’s due several days before the final submission because you should be working on it during term time!

2. This should take about 20-30 minutes max.

Time to Organise!

You are aiming for a group of four:

• If you are in a group of less than four you may be partnered with students in another practical session to make a ‘full strength’ group of up to five.
• In this case, you can ask to be reallocated to a mutually convenient practical session so that you are not penalised by being unable to work together.
• I would encourage you to start sitting and working together, and for one of you to set up and share a private GitHub repo for Assessment #2 (more on this in a second).

And remember: talk about how you want your group to work! See: Group Working talk.¹

1. Note: In my experience overly narrow specialisation does not work.

Check-In & Signup

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Questions?

References