In my previous post, I explored the distinction between assessment and assessing. Assessment is usually the fixed product, a grade, a test, an assignment. While assessing is the ongoing process of feedback, dialogue, and growth. I also raised the possibility that we might need different language altogether, such as narrative evaluation, to better describe this developmental process. But […]
Assessment & Feedback - Reflections & Provocations - Student Learning & Engagement
Assessing vs Assessment – Are They Really the Same?
In higher education, the terms assessing and assessment are often used as if they mean the same thing. At first glance, both relate to the act of “judging” student learning. However, a closer look reveals an important difference, one that influences how students experience learning and how educators design their […]
Assessment & Feedback - Innovation & Future of Higher Education
Narrative Evaluation: Feedback That Helps Students Grow
Assessment and feedback in higher education have long been dominated by grades, rubrics, and numerical scores. While these methods offer efficiency and standardisation, they often miss the deeper story of learning. A grade may indicate where a student’s work stands on a scale, but it rarely reveals how they arrived […]
Assessment & Feedback
Band-Aids Don’t Fix Bullet Holes: Academic Integrity and the Future of Assessment
The rapid advancement of digital tools has transformed higher education, offering students unprecedented access to information and new ways to “learn”. Yet alongside these benefits, institutions face a pressing challenge: maintaining academic integrity in an era where shortcuts and cognitive offloading are easier than ever to access. Concerns about plagiarism, […]
Assessment & Feedback - Reflections & Provocations - Student Learning & Engagement
The False Precision of Grades: What Are We Really Measuring?
For centuries, grading has been the dominant language of education. From Yale’s early descriptors in the 1700s to the familiar A–F scale, grades were never created to capture learning but to sort students. Despite their longevity, grades remain a blunt instrument, reducing the complexity of the student experience into a […]