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.

By Eliza.Compton, 29 September, 2025

Assessment tasks that support human skills

Head made of cogs and jigsaw puzzle piece
Assignments that focus on exploration, analysis and authenticity offer a road map for university assessment that incorporates AI while retaining its rigour and human elements
Reading time
4minutes
By kiera.obrien, 22 September, 2025

Turn AI from a magic box into a tool to be interrogated

A toy robot sits on a stack of books
Instead of ‘ban it or embrace it’, the AI Collaboration Toolkit offers a way for educators to frame AI as a collaborator, with ethical guard rails built in and an emphasis on the student’s thinking. Here’s how it works
Reading time
5minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 15 September, 2025

Old-fashioned methods to circumvent student overuse of AI? Maybe

Female college students working together in class
Higher education teaching faculty are exploring the use of old-school teaching and testing methods to prevent students from using artificial intelligence during exams and for homework. Is this a good idea? Cayce Myers takes a deep dive
Reading time
4minutes
By Laura.Duckett, 27 August, 2025

How IOs transform assessment – and how to implement them

A student speaking to a teacher in a bright office decorated wiht plants
Interactive orals shift testing from memorisation to meaningful dialogue, reducing anxiety and building confidence in diverse learners. Read how they increase inclusivity and how to implement them across disciplines
By Eliza.Compton, 18 August, 2025

How industry partnerships and digital credentials can close the skills gap

Hand holding mortar board, digital credentials
Industry-focused credentials allow candidates to highlight skill sets to potential employers and enable individuals who may not have access to traditional higher educational pathways to display skills acquired over time. Here are examples of how these can work
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 16 August, 2025

Managing student risk AI-version

Deciding between AI and human intelligence
Could a safe space to experiment with using artificial intelligence to complete an assessment offer students a path to both deeper learning and AI proficiency?
Reading time
4minutes
By kiera.obrien, 6 August, 2025

Discussion forums: the key to AI-proof assessment?

Brightly-coloured speech bubbles and avatars
Providing a supportive learning culture for students will make them less likely to cheat – and discussion forums, with a few tweaks, may be the way to do it
Reading time
5minutes
University assessment and quality assurance