“Will this be on the test?” Student empowerment and/in assessments

Date: Thursday 30 January
Time: 15:00-16:30 o’clock
Language: English
Work form: Workshop
Registration: This workshop is part of the Teaching and Learning Inspiration Days, you can register here.

Our current academic system is becoming increasingly dominated by a strong emphasis on grading, known in Dutch as the “cijfercultuur.” While assessments are necessary to ensure students meet the learning outcomes of courses and programs, this overwhelming focus on grades both creates a significant workload for teachers and also reduces students to passive learners, more concerned with “scoring” than with engaging deeply with the material. This grade-centered approach risks stifling the creativity, curiosity, and intellectual freedom that higher education is meant to inspire.

In this session, we aim to discuss whether empowering students in their own assessment process could offer a more balanced and enriching approach. Could shifting the focus from grades to more student-empowered assessments spark deeper engagement and a more meaningful learning experience, while simultaneously reducing workload for teachers? Together with participants, we will explore the potential benefits and challenges of such an approach. What are the advantages and drawbacks of giving students a more active role in shaping their assessments? What creative assessment ideas are already being implemented, and what best practices can we learn from? And particularly, how can interdisciplinary insights help us rethink assessments and foster a more inspiring academic culture?

Curious? Join this session hosted by members of the T@UU council.

Marijn van Ellen