Neil Currant’s lecture provided an insightful summary of research into assessment practices in higher education, with a particular focus on creative courses.

He discussed the hierarchical relationship between lecturers and students during assessments, noting that learning may not always be demonstrated during this time. Neil proposed giving students more responsibility and focusing on feedback to enhance genuine learning, avoiding the negative effects of prioritizing grades. The idea of returning to a pass/fail system was also briefly discussed to mitigate the excessive importance of grades on creative learning.

As a technician, I don’t feel like I assess in a structured way as academics do, and I found this conversation really interesting. Assessment can be used to take account of learning and develop students work, but it is often used as a standardized system that fits into a culture of attainment, credit, and awards. However, in the workshop, a compassionate evaluation or feedback is the only style of assessment I ever make, and I always see students work improve either immediately, or over time as they start to value their skills more highly.

For me, the lecture raised some thought-provoking questions about assessment practices in higher education. It highlighted the need for assessment to be compassionate and responsive to the diverse modes of learning, and for students to be given more responsibility and focus on feedback rather than grades. It is essential to recognise the impact of assessment procedures on student learning and to adopt a more holistic approach to assessment that supports and fosters creativity, risk-taking, and conceptual thinking.