What is inclusive assessment?

Dr Liz Sage
Teaching Fellow in Teaching, Learning and Assessment in HE

Today's session

• What is inclusivity?
• Critically assessing assessment
• Embedding inclusive practice

Inclusivity in assessment

What we associate with inclusivity

Tensions

• Dumbing down
• Relaxing standards
• Positive discrimination
• Widen participation vs. academic judgement/standards

Reasonable adjustments or Inclusivity?

'designing . . . assessment methods so that students . . have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their learning against the same standards'
(Ashworth et al, 2010)

My BA averages
Essays: 74
Presentations: 70
Exams:63

Assessment assumptions

• Resources?
• Unassessed skills?
• Who does it benefit?
• Who does it disadvantage?
• Are these assumptions problematic?

Critically assessing asessement

Choices

• Multiple forms of assessment for students to select from
• Multiple forms with equal weighting across module
• Same assessment in different forms
• Negotiation with students

Planning

• Presentation of assessment
• Knowing your cohort
• Revisit the learning outcomes
• Recognise different forms of knowledge/ways of demonstrating learning
• Authenticity
• Ask more of HE institutions

Gain insight.
Get inventive.
Start including.