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 , 1 April, 2026

When plans meet people: navigating the friction of group assessment

Students sitting in a circle on the floor with laptops

Not all group work runs smoothly but educators can deal with disruptions more effectively if they have time- and situation-sensitive moves in their teaching repertoire. Here, Sarah Sholl and Stephen Yorkstone offer advice to stop group assessment falling apart

Reading time

5minutes

By kiera.obrien , 23 March, 2026

Using GenAI avatars to assess empathy: how it works in practice

A student and an old man chat in a virtual surrounding

Could GenAI offer a new way to assess communication skills? Here’s what happened when a university team built an avatar

Reading time

5minutes

By kiera.obrien , 20 March, 2026

GenAI as a teaching colleague in assessment: a case study

An illustration of AI helping a student work

GenAI can be a useful tool in assessment – if used intentionally. Find out what an intelligent dashboard can do for your students’ relationship to GenAI

Reading time

3minutes

By kiera.obrien , 13 March, 2026

Ten tips for embedding retrieval practice in university teaching

A student sits in front of a laptop, covered in Post-It notes

Despite the benefits of retrieval practice, students still tend to opt for more passive strategies. Here’s how to embed retrieval in your classroom to show them its power

Reading time

5minutes

By Laura.Duckett , 25 February, 2026

What happens when we reframe accessibility as belonging?

Students huddling between aisles in a library

When we treat accessibility as a core design principle, it strengthens learning for all students and supports staff in creating learning environments where difference is expected rather than managed, writes Angela Fitzgerald

By kiera.obrien , 19 February, 2026

How business schools can produce globally minded graduates

Make internationalisation a core part of the student experience, rather than an optional extra, by embedding it into the curriculum

Reading time

4minutes

By Laura.Duckett , 12 February, 2026

Conversations with bots: teaching students how – and when – to use GenAI for academic writing

A four-step process teaches students how to use GenAI tools to brainstorm ideas, understand and act on feedback and edit their essays in line with assessment rubrics

Reading time

4minutes

By Eliza.Compton , 10 February, 2026

How storytelling can turn international students into the most powerful voices in the room

Flight attendant demonstrating safety procedures against blue background

Turning presentations into a visual storytelling task allows international students to demonstrate their learning through elements such as sound, visuals, silence and pacing rather than just language

Reading time

4minutes

By Laura.Duckett , 5 February, 2026

Beyond bans: AI-resilient and creative HE assessment design

To sustain academic integrity in an AI-present learning environment, educators must redesign assessment to foreground judgement, context and creative ownership, says Jasmine Mohsen

Reading time

5minutes

By kiera.obrien , 5 February, 2026

A practical tool for valid assessments in the GenAI-enabled university

A man sitting at a laptop concentrates hard on a document

An assessment flowchart can help guide educators through the delicate balance of whether or not to allow GenAI in their assignment design. Here’s how it works

Reading time

4minutes

University assessment and quality assurance