University assessment and quality assurance

Strategies to improve university assessment for students and educators. Here, academics offer guidance on assessment design, covering formative, summative and diagnostic approaches, authentic assessment and how to give useful feedback. You will also find advice on exam preparation, ungrading, managing GenAI, preventing cheating and upholding academic integrity.

How to enhance the accuracy of GenAI models

Generative AI seems to offer ways to provide individualised feedback to large cohorts but can these models be relied on to give students accurate, relevant responses? Here are three approaches for educators to try

Nazim Ali, Sarah Aynsley, Linda Becker

Keele University, Bochum University of Applied Sciences

College student hiding face under book, exam stress

Beyond exam panic: rethinking the purpose of assessments

If students frame assessments in terms of stress, not learning, this raises the question: are universities evaluating students’ growth or simply their ability to perform under pressure?

Rahim Somani

University of Northern British Columbia

Tips for successful asynchronous teaching: supporting students, part two

As the most remote form of teaching, asynchronous courses require well-managed communication so students stay on-board and engaged – and understand all the requirements

Figen Mekik

Grand Valley State University

A young woman sits in front of a laptop, holding a smartphone and making notes on a pad

Rethink authentic assessment for the generative AI era

How can we integrate AI into authentic assessment? Consider inspiring a collaborative spirit, aligning technology with pedagogy and modelling a new mindset for your students

Nadya Shaznay Patel

Singapore Institute of Technology

Campus talks: the tricky relationship between assessment and learning

Hear three US academic experts discuss what role assessment should play in higher education and how it can be improved

Susan D. Blum, Catherine Wehlburg, Josh Eyler

University of Notre Dame, Athens State University, University of Mississippi

When essay feedback does more harm than good

Tired of asking for more scope, depth and flow with no improvement in students’ writing? Maybe the problem is not the students but your feedback

Alice Stinetorf

University of Southampton

Young Asian woman looking tired at laptop

‘We shouldn’t sleepwalk into a “tech knows best” approach to university teaching’

As GenAI is used by almost nine in 10 students, these practical strategies help educators to rethink assessment and integrate AI as a collaborative tool in academic work

Rebecca Mace, Viktoria Magne, Sarah Hooper, Sharon Vince

University of Worcester, University of West London

A teacher designing an infographic on her laptop

Canva and ChatGPT for feedback and academic support

Don’t bore your students with lengthy, written feedback. Here are ways to make it more visually appealing and how to use custom GPTs to offer extra academic support

Mariana Elizondo, Eunice Costilla Cruz

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Assessment or measurement?

Authentic assessments and measurements serve distinct purposes in understanding student success in higher education. Here’s why equating the two can undermine the depth and quality of student learning

Heather Strine-Patterson

Virginia Tech

A computer programming student working on her laptop

Authentic assessment design for computer programming master’s courses

A four-step plan for more meaningful assessment that incorporates AI-assisted evaluation, group discussions and presentations

Thomas Selig, Ling Wang

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

A young woman takes a deep breath at a laptop

Is authentic assessment leaving some students behind?

Does a more authentic assessment for some students mean an inauthentic experience for others? Here’s how to address this by adopting a student-focused lens

Sue Sharpe, Jennifer Z Sun

Australian National University, University of Sydney

A robot hand ticking check boxes on a piece of paper

Get students on board with AI for marking and feedback

AI can potentially augment feedback and marking, but we need to trial it first. Here is a blueprint for using enhanced feedback generation systems and gaining trust

Isabel Fischer

The University of Warwick

Unlocking minority students’ potential with an asset model approach

How can we tackle the gaps in attainment and outcomes between racialised ethnic minority and white students? This resource shares best practice based on running positive interventions for black and South Asian students

Hemisha Harji, Gemma Francis

Loughborough University

Improving assessments through industry collaboration

How to build and maintain industry relationships and coordinate effective project-based assessments for MBA students

Maninder Singh

Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Three alternative assessments that build managerial skills

Personal development discussions, presentations and peer coaching help build essential communication skills and emotional intelligence. These tips will make them effective

Michelle Civile, Alison Sydenham, Julie Pepper

The University of Exeter

Voice, agency and style: what goes missing when AI chats back

We need to teach that imperfect but authentic writing is more valuable than sentences that are polished on the surface, argue three US academics. Here, they share surprise findings from STEM and beyond

Qian Du, Daniel M. Gross, Patrick Hong

University of California, Irvine

People sat around a table slotting cogs together

How can we assess interdisciplinarity?

Effectively assessing interdisciplinarity involves encouraging students to ask the right questions and critically evaluating the quality of the knowledge created, explains Simon Scott

Simon Scott

University of Birmingham

A small toy robot works at a notebook with a laptop open

The evolution of assignments in the age of generative AI

Instead of cracking down on AI use for written assignments, we just need to make our assessment smarter

Miriam Wun

Singapore Institute of Technology

The power of effective feedback for early-career educators

How can assessors improve educators’ ability to give feedback that influences students’ motivation, engagement and achievement?

Jennie Fox

The University of Exeter

The AI genie is out of the bottle – now what?

Generative AI is here to stay, so let’s build AI literacy, incorporate AI into assessment and craft solid policies for its use

Aida Nuranova, Timothy Wawn

Nazarbayev University

Authentic assessment in postgraduate statistics courses

Using anonymous student data for assessment tasks enhances engagement with learning, fosters practical skill development and makes business and economics concepts more memorable

Temesgen Kifle

The University of Queensland

An academic using AI tools in her research

Here are seven AI tools you should be using for your teaching and research

AI can assist with idea generation, data analysis and mind-mapping, among others. Here are some tools that should be on any academic’s radar

Natalie K. D. Seedan

The University of the West Indies

The case for rewarding hard work in higher education

Taking a cue from copyright’s ‘sweat of the brow’, Ian Solway and Shan Wang argue that recognition of effort and resilience should not be lost in a rush to maximise learning efficiency

Shan Wang, Ian Solway

University of Southampton

Proofreading is a life skill – let’s treat it like one

Universities shouldn’t assume their students know what proofreading is and how to do it. Here’s how to create a more inclusive learning environment – by listening to students

Sandie Dann, Kit Messinger

Loughborough University

Assessing the GenAI process, not the output

A framework for building AI literacy in a literature-review-type assessment

Paul McDermott, Leoni Palmer , Rosemary Norton

The University of East Anglia

Students work together using a laptop and calculator

Three ways professional certifications can boost student outcomes

Professional certifications not only align students’ skills with real-world industry demands but can also lead to unexpected improvements in academic outcomes. Ekaterina Ipatova shares how her students responded to this innovative mode of assessment

Ekaterina Ipatova

University of Roehampton

As students become more ‘distant’, can feedback still hit the mark?

Whether they are behind a computer screen or behind bars, all students need support with making effective use of feedback – whether or not the process is a two-way street

Robert Nash, Kieran Balloo

National Institute of Teaching, The University of Southern Queensland

We have to rethink academic integrity in a ‘post-plagiarism era’

What is the future of plagiarism as a concept in the AI age and what are the implications for academic integrity? This resource seeks to answer these questions, among others

Karen Kenny

The University of Exeter

Will AI revolutionise marking?

Artificial intelligence has the potential to improve speed, consistency and detail in feedback for educators grading students’ assignments, writes Rohim Mohammed. Here he lists the pros and cons based on his experience

Rohim Mohammed

University College Birmingham

A pair of legs following an arrow on asphalt

Using directional reflection to stimulate students’ evaluative thinking

Many students struggle to understand and engage with the concepts and practices associated with reflection. This is where directional reflection comes in

Simon Brownhill

The University of Bristol

‘Generic prompts give students autonomy and flexibility to expand their ideas’

Leaving space for students to bring their prior knowledge and experience to a question can help with comprehension in STEM courses

Karen Ho, Douglas B. Clark

Mount Royal University, University of Calgary

Four ways to use gamification to engage your students in learning

What if learning was as addictive as gaming? Motivate your students and engage them to learn with these four teaching innovations

Lim Keong Teoh

University of Winchester

We use ChatGPT to give feedback on students’ abstracts

Teaching students whose first language is not English to write concise abstracts helps them develop their academic writing skills, but providing feedback on them can often be laborious. Here is how you can use ChatGPT to speed up the process

Yu Liu , Shuhao (Jeremy) Zhang

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

A woman working at a desk, viewed from above

Portfolio assessment may be the key to deeper learning

Portfolio assessment has proved to be an innovative way to track students' progress in economics classes, making learning deeper and more meaningful. Here’s how to do it

Belén Pagone, Cecilia Primogerio

Universidad Austral

A woman works on an essay, using her laptop and several books

The renaissance of the essay starts here

In the age of AI, has long-form writing in higher education reached a dead end? Martin Compton and Claire Gordon discuss the unique aspects of the essay and introduce a manifesto to revitalise it

Claire Gordon , Martin Compton

The London School of Economics and Political Science, King’s College London

person using laptop in front of blackboard

AI as a catalyst for assessment innovation

University educators have an opportunity to rethink their approach to assessment, so that artificial intelligence tools support student learning without compromising academic integrity

Zheng Feei Ma, Antony Hill

University of the West of England Bristol

Students working at their laptops in class

Using GenAI tools to refine EAP assessment

There are several tools available to help English for academic purposes assess students’ writing skills. Here is some guidance on how to use a selection of them

Rui Xu (Tiffany) , Mengqi Hu

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Online tests as a method of engagement in higher education

Continuous e-assessment helps students engage with course materials and reduce procrastination, and offers educators benefits such as automated marking

Panagiotis Giannarakis

University of Southampton

The Goldilocks effect: finding ‘just right’ in the AI era

When artificial intelligence is embedded into almost every tool students use, how can university educators find the line between misconduct and ethical use? A new approach to assessment is required, writes Kathryn MacCallum

Kathryn MacCallum

University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha

Frustrated student trying to understand her notes

How can we help students manage frustration and build resilience?

Help students not to become discouraged by poor exam results by instilling a growth mindset, helping them plan their time and encouraging self-reflection

Agustina Ortelli

Universidad Austral

A health professional checks a patient's lymph glands

Taking trust to the next level in healthcare assessment

When educating health professionals, the role of trust is paramount. Here’s how we can link entrustment with student consensus grading and programmatic assessment

James Thompson, Amanda Maddern

University of Adelaide

Open dialogue about AI in HE is the way forward

The assumption that instructors hold negative views on the use of any generative AI means that important conversations aren’t being had

Florian Stoeckel

The University of Exeter

Post-it notes showing smiling and frowning faces

Peer feedback: a burden for students or route to better academic writing?

Asking students to give anonymous feedback on each other’s work can not only result in better writing skills but also offer them opportunities to try new approaches and refine assessment tasks

Alison Daniell

University of Southampton

How to navigate the grey areas of AI ethics

With principles on AI’s use still evolving, universities must navigate a complex ethical landscape. Here are ways they can help shape responsible application of the tool

Lakshmi Goel

Al Akhawayn University

Use peer feedback to build engagement and belonging online

Giving feedback is a time-consuming and often frustrating part of teaching. What if educators handed the task to students? Here are the takeaways from an online business course

David Waller, Kaye Chan, Melissa Clarke

University of Technology Sydney

Ways to empower EAP students to give high-quality feedback

Helping English for academic purposes students provide better quality feedback to their peers can give them more autonomy and free up teachers’ time

Jingfei Zhang

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

A blueprint for programmatic assessment in healthcare courses

A shift from traditional to outcome- or competency-based programmatic assessment began before the pandemic and has gained momentum since. Here are some ways to work towards it

Sreejith G

Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Ten tips when instigating an assessment transformation programme

Higher education is facing pressure to reform assessment. But how to get started? Steve Briggs offers 10 tips

Steve Briggs

University of Bedfordshire

Lessons in chemistry: widening university students’ participation through storytelling

Storytelling can bridge the gap between complex STEM content and student engagement – it gives learners a discovery-based approach and educators an inclusive teaching tool and means of assessment

Karen Ho

Mount Royal University

young woman working at laptop with gavel in foreground

AI as tutor and critic: using tech to personalise education

Artificial intelligence can have practical applications for assessment in higher education, despite the focus on the threats it poses. Here are considerations when using AI to support teaching and generate feedback

Michael Butler

King’s College London

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