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 For others, such mandates are outdated remnants of schooling that prioritise compliance over genuine learning.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 […]
Why Are We Locking Students Into Early Judgments? Rethinking Point-in-Time Assessment
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]





