Original essays written in seconds: how ‘transformers’ will change assessmentArtificial intelligence that generates original text will be both empowering and disruptive for students and higher education at large, say Mike Sharples and Rafael Pérez y PérezMike Sharples , Rafael Pérez y Pérez The Open University, Metropolitan Autonomous University
Three immediate changes academics can make to close awarding gapsTutors have a responsibility to identify and bridge attainment gaps in their programmes and must work proactively to bring about positive impact for their students Dean Fido, Louise WallaceUniversity of Derby
I’m a Columbia student, and I don’t want my grade inflatedNormalising failure could improve students’ mental health, give them the freedom to learn more effectively and make them more resilient all at once, says Jacob ClayJacob ClayColumbia University
THE Campus webinar: what’s the future of higher education assessment?A panel of teaching and learning experts from THE Campus+ institutions around the world discuss how can institutions create evaluations that are fair, robust and credibleTHE Campus teamTHE Campus
The good, the bad and the way forward: how UK universities should respond to REF resultsHow should UK universities respond if their REF results are good, bad or offer a mixed picture? New pro vice-chancellor for research Heather Widdows shares her adviceHeather WiddowsUniversity of Birmingham
Don’t let the REF tail wag the academic dogInstitutions should resist the temptation to use the REF as a tool for competition and self-promotion and, instead, approach the results in ways that support sector-wide efforts to improve research cultureMarcus MunafòUniversity of Bristol
Why you should write feedback to your students before they’ve submittedStarting at the end seems counterintuitive, but anticipating student strengths and weaknesses and automating your responses comes into its own for large cohortsAndy GraysonNottingham Trent University
Students are different, so why are you still teaching them all the same way?We know that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t really work. Adriana Plata-Marroquin and Leticia Castaño offer tips on implementing differentiated instructionAdriana Plata-Marroquin , Leticia Castaño Sánchez Monterrey Institute of Technology
Teaching history in the 2020s: how can Subject Benchmark Statements help? The QAA’s Subject Benchmark Statements can help guide the teaching of specific disciplines. Elaine Fulton explains how to use the recently updated statements to enhance history teaching in a decade fraught with challengesElaine FultonUniversity of Birmingham
A step-by-step guide to designing rubrics that will save hours of marking time Designing marking rubrics that provide guidance but with enough flexibility for students to demonstrate knowledge and skills in multiple ways is a difficult balancing act. Paul Moss explains how it can be done Paul MossThe University of Adelaide
A (very) simple solution to cheating If lecturers cannot eradicate cheating in exams, they should find ways to harness it to encourage deeper study while educating students about the risks of misconduct, explains Roy YingRoy YingThe Hang Seng University of Hong Kong
How to ensure effective quality assurance for digital teaching and learningHow university teaching staff can ensure that their digital teaching maintains the same quality as their on-campus face-to-face delivery, by Tim ThompsonTim ThompsonTeesside University
Making feedback effective for your students and efficient for youEffective feedback is vital to aid students’ learning and progress but must be managed in a way that is realistic for professors’ workloads. Loïc Plé shares his tipsLoïc PléIĒSEG School of Management
Democratic assessment: why, what, and howDivya Bheda shares five ways educators can embody democratic principles through their assessment practices to help students learn civic-minded values and behaviourDivya BhedaExamSoft
Strategies for the constructive use of varied assessment methodsLayal Hakim explains when and how to implement different types of assessment throughout a course in order to support learningLayal HakimUniversity of Exeter
Online exams are growing in popularity: how can they be fair and robust?Nicholas Harmer and Alison Hill share advice on using unique datasets to deter student collusion in online examsNicholas Harmer, Alison HillUniversity of Exeter
How to plan an online learning-friendly assessment Maribell Reyes explains how to create comprehensively designed learning assessment strategies for an online courseMaribell ReyesMonterrey Institute of Technology
Answering common questions about immersive experiencesNot sure about introducing extended reality? Gabriela Sánchez Castillo offers insights into developing immersive experiences that are useful for assessing real-world skillsGabriela Sánchez Castillo Monterrey Institute of Technology
How to structure a multiple choice question exam Anthony Evans explains how to arrange a multiple choice question exam to provide a fair evaluation of students’ understanding, aid their learning progress and minimise cheatingAnthony J EvansESCP Business School
Disruptive innovation in the classroom: making higher education more accessible to a large populationElizabeth Langran outlines three areas of university teaching where disruptive innovation should be actively encouraged to boost accessibility and engagement for wider student populationsElizabeth LangranMarymount University
How educators can help creatives cope with constructive criticismJohn Hitchings offers advice for giving helpful feedback and supporting students studying in a creative fieldJohn Hitchings Arden University
Creating worthwhile multiple choice questions for higher education assessmentMultiple choice questions are often frowned on as an assessment tool in higher education. But when well constructed, they offer a clear and transparent way of evaluating student progress, as Anthony Evans explainsAnthony J EvansESCP Business School
Using technology to revolutionise the way you evaluateEven amid the great shift online, assessment methods have often remained mired in the traditional system, says Monica Francesca ContrinoMonica Francesca Contrino Monterrey Institute of Technology
Inclusive pedagogy: using multimedia as a tool to enhance and transform assessmentRachel Challen outlines key steps to enhancing the design, direction and delivery of assessment using digital toolsRachel ChallenNottingham Trent University
Feedback rather than ranking: how to start ungrading in order to improve learningKatharine Johanesen explains how to replace traditional grading with self-assessment and feedback throughout a course in order to improve learning outcomesKatharine JohanesenJuniata College
Education and grades are often in direct conflict – it’s time for a messy divorceUniversities don’t do a very good job of credentialing, and the process actively harms students and their learning, so why do we persist? asks Danny OppenheimerDanny Oppenheimer Carnegie Mellon University
Recommendations for incorporating and guiding peer assessment in the classroom or online Claudia Hernández and Karla Banda offer practical advice on how to incorporate and direct productive peer assessment among studentsClaudia Janeth Hernández Cardona, Karla Margarita Banda MartínezMonterrey Institute of Technology
So, you want to take the grades out of teaching? A beginner’s guide to ungradingSusan D Blum shares her key recommendations for anyone wishing to remove grades from their teaching, in order to focus their students’ energies upon learning Susan D BlumUniversity of Notre Dame
How to make sure assessment practices are as authentic as possibleWe all want employers to be confident that students have the skills to do the job. And these skills still require assessment, it’s just done a little differently, says Paula ReillyPaula ReillyArden University
Turn the marking process on its head by using ‘reverse grading’Davita Günbay explains how reversing the narrative between ‘what I got’ and ‘what I was given’ can help learners engage and take responsibility for their learningDavita Günbay Near East University
Assessment design that supports authentic learning (and discourages cheating)Catherine Wehlburg shares tips for creating a learning environment and assessment design that encourages authentic learning and reduces the temptation to cheatCatherine WehlburgAthens State University
Equity, agency and transparency: making assessment work better for students and academics Carol Evans explains how to design assessment and feedback practices that are authentic and deepen students’ learning and confidence in the long term Carol EvansCardiff University, University of Southampton
Vivid language: teaching online students to assess writingAudra Spicer explains how online classes can provide opportunities to make student self-assessment visual, engaging, immediate and comprehensibleAudra SpicerColorado State University Global
Putting the case: campaigning documents as assessments on vocational degreesRuss Woodward looks at the merits and practicalities of using campaign-based assessments on vocational higher education coursesRussell WoodwardUniversity Centre, Grimsby: The TEC Partnership
How to deliver healthcare education in a hybrid worldHannah McGee explores solutions to address the unique challenges that universities face in preparing healthcare students for frontline rolesHannah McGeeRCSI, University of Medicine and Health Sciences
Fostering collaboration in staff training through a top-down and bottom-up approachGustavo Espinoza-Ramos explains how pairing top-down and bottom-up approaches to staff development can promote collaborative learning among university staff at all levelsGustavo Espinoza Ramos University of Westminster
Fear the zombie student apocalypse Andy Farnell argues that non-assessed courses could free universities, and the academic undead, from increasing spiritual depletion and a lifeless pursuit of certificatesAndy FarnellVisiting Professor
Now is the time to design a system in which all learning countsOur conventional, top-down approach fails to recognise that working adults often already possess many critical work skills, say Lisa McIntyre-Hite and Mackenzie Jackson Lisa McIntyre-Hite, Mackenzie JacksonGuild Education
If peer feedback was good enough for the Brontë sisters, it’s good enough for usThe shift online provides new ways to harness the power of peer feedback to improve writing skills, say Sherry Wynn Perdue, Pam Bromley, Mark Limbach and Jonathan OlshockSherry Wynn Perdue, Pam Bromley, Mark Limbach, Jonathan OlshockOakland University, Scripps College, Peerceptiv
Three lessons from exhibiting final-year projects onlineDechanuchit Katanyutaveetip describes three unexpected benefits he and his students discovered after they were forced to move the exhibition of their final-year projects onlineDechanuchit KatanyutaveetipSiam University
Self-directed learning is becoming the forgotten ingredient in HEIn the heady rush to extol the virtues of asynchronous learning, we are watering down the main element of students’ learning experience, says Linda KayeLinda KayeEdge Hill University
Making grading in university courses more reliableInconsistent or inaccurate grading can have serious real-world consequences for students. Paige Tsai and Danny Oppenheimer offer tips on how to recognise and fix the problemPaige Tsai, Danny Oppenheimer Harvard Business School, Carnegie Mellon University
Students as educators: the value of assessed blogs to showcase learningMatt Davies explains how assessed blogs help translate the thrill of interactive learning into tangible outcomes that enrich and showcase students’ knowledgeMatt DaviesUniversity of Chester
Online review exercises to improve student performance in large coursesOnline review exercises, used in combination with other learning activities, improve student engagement and learning performance in large online courses, Peng Cheng and Rui Ding explainPeng Cheng, Rui DingXi'an Jiaotong - Liverpool University
Are online exams better for student mental health?Traditional exams under tightly invigilated conditions are highly stressful for students, but online alternatives bring their own issues, says Michael PriestleyMichael PriestleyDurham University
Professors, stop pretending that you never cheatAcademics should drop the holier-than-thou attitude and look at cheating from a student’s perspective if we want to understand and eradicate it, says Hamish BinnsHamish BinnsSaint Louis University
Digital methods of formative assessment that boost learningDiana Laurillard presents strategies for effective formative assessment when teaching online Diana LaurillardUniversity College London
We ignore the administrative load caused by cheating at our perilThe switch online has brought renewed scrutiny of misconduct, but without adequate resources, the real losers are our students, says Amanda WhiteAmanda WhiteUniversity of Technology Sydney
Forget everything you think you know about online engagementThere’s much interest in how many times students access the VLE or complete online tasks, but that only provides part of the picture, says Linda KayeLinda KayeEdge Hill University
AI has been trumpeted as our saviour, but it’s complicatedTime saved by lecturers on marking assignments could indeed be used to enrich teaching, but unfortunately many silver linings have a cloud, says Harin SellahewaHarin SellahewaUniversity of Buckingham