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Spotlight on... Marieke Guy

10 November 2022

This week we meet Marieke Guy, Head of Digital Assessment within the Digital Education Team. Here, she chats to us about her love of Iceland and festivals, and the music she currently has on repeat.

Marieke Guy

What is your role and what does it involve?

I have recently taken on the role of Head of Digital Assessment within the Digital Education Team. In this capacity I lead the Digital Assessment Team and support the UCL-wide initiative to establish improved platforms and support for digital assessment.

How long have you been at UCL and what was your previous role?

I’ve been at UCL for just over a year. I started off as a Digital Assessment Advisor (DAA) for the faculties of Population Health, Life Sciences and MAPS. Prior to joining UCL I had digital roles at the University of Bath, University College of Estate Management, the Royal Agricultural University and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).

What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?

The Digital Assessment Advisors (DAA) have done an amazing job of working with the faculties to better understand their diverse assessment practices. This is an impressive undertaking – UCL is a big place, and different departments approach teaching, learning and assessment very differently. I feel like the knowledge we have gained over the last year is now starting to make a real impact on the ground. It will allow us to input in to platform enhancements and to target improvement activities such as developing assessment literacy and feedback practices, and dealing with challenges such as large cohorts, workload, ensuring academic integrity etc.

Tell us about a project you are working on now which is top of your to-do list

One of the main areas of my work is supporting the implementation of the Wiseflow platform as part of AssessmentUCL. At the moment, we are piloting the Wiseflow lockdown browser with the Pharmacy department. This could potentially be used as a way for us to offer in-person digital assessments. These will offer the benefits of digital assessments but also control over the online and physical environments available to students.

What is your favourite album, film and novel?

I’m a big festival and gig lover. There is just too much inspirational music out there to narrow it down, but at the moment I’ve been listening to Bonobo on a loop. Their songs are both relaxing and upbeat – perfect for after a long day at work. I love the film Harold and Maude. It’s all about living life to the max. The soundtrack is great too. I’ve recently finished The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead – it was a real eye opener.

What is your favourite joke (pre-watershed)?

Here’s an assessment joke:

Student A: I’ve invented a new word
Student B: What is it?
Student A: Plagiarism!

Who would be your dream dinner guests?

Bjork, Kate Raworth, Little Simz and Audrey Watters (who I actually did sit next to once at a conference dinner).

What advice would you give your younger self?

Not to worry so much. As philosopher Michel de Montaigne said: “There were many terrible things in my life and most of them never happened.” I’d also encourage myself to study more science, make more art and learn to play an instrument.

What would it surprise people to know about you?

I co-run my local Repair Café and local Clothes Swap Group. Actually, that probably wouldn’t surprise people…

What is your favourite place?

Iceland – the country, not the shop. It’s so beautiful.