Student Learning & Engagement:
Motivation
Equity & access
Student voice
Collaboration over competition
I was recently listening to The Grading Podcast when Marc Aronson, Dean of Academics at Cheshire Academy in Connecticut, described their practice, in which students undertake Final Demonstration of Learning (FDoL) activities. Listening to this, I couldn’t help but question: When, in a university course, do students truly demonstrate the course learning outcomes that define their degree? In…
Attendance policies have long been a point of contention in higher education. For some institutions, enforcing attendance is seen as a vital measure to ensure students remain engaged, connected, and on track. For others, such mandates are outdated remnants of schooling that prioritise compliance over genuine learning. At the centre of the debate lies a…
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 this distinction leads to a…
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 teaching. Assessment: The ProductWhen we…
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 single symbol. The critical question…