In higher education, we often talk about assessment, but what is usually meant is grading. The two have become so closely linked that we forget they serve very different purposes. When they blend together, it is learning that suffers. If we see assessment as the process of understanding where a […]
Academic Identity & Professional Learning - Assessment & Feedback - Teaching Practice
Who Are You When You Assess? Understanding Teacher Assessment Identity in Higher Education
Assessment in higher education is often treated as a technical skill. Something we learn by following templates, applying rubrics, and adhering to policies. However, beneath these processes lies something far more influential: our Teacher Assessment Identity, or TAI. This identity shapes how we interpret student work, design assessments, give feedback, […]
Academic Identity & Professional Learning - Assessment & Feedback - Innovation & Future of Higher Education - Reflections & Provocations - Student Learning & Engagement - Teaching Practice
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 […]
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 […]