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 kiera.obrien , 25 September, 2026

How to become a better teacher

There is more to teaching than simply delivering content. Anggi Maisarah explains what she’s learned from her students and her advice for better teaching

Reading time

3minutes

By kiera.obrien , 22 September, 2026

The balancing act involved in teaching a class of mixed-ability students

An illustration of a figure balancing on a tightrope

Have you faced a situation where half of your class are subject-matter experts, and the other half are absolute beginners? Find practical strategies for bringing novices up to speed while keeping experts motivated

Reading time

4minutes

By kiera.obrien , 18 September, 2026

Listen up: why audio assessment needs better design

Without intention, an assessment based on podcasting can end up confusing students. Here’s why intention is key

Reading time

5minutes

By Eliza.Compton , 18 September, 2026

If a chatbot can pass your assignment, you are grading the wrong thing

Asian female financial student doing calculations

Any task whose assessed object is a final number or tidy conclusions is not measuring students’ thinking, writes Lucas Long. He shares three ways to put the reasoning back at the centre of learning

Reading time

4minutes

By kiera.obrien , 15 September, 2026

Why first-year courses should be pass/fail – and how to make the case at your institution

An unenthused student receives a test back in the classroom

First-year students suffer from disproportionate levels of stress. But there’s one structural fix that costs almost nothing: pass/fail assessment in year one. Find six steps to implement change

By Eliza.Compton , 11 September, 2026

AI’s fluent answers hide bias. Here’s how to teach students to see it

Illustration of robot hands holding a resume

AI advice arrives confident and efficient, which is why students don’t always notice what it assumes or when they stop deciding for themselves. Kamila Miller offers four classroom practices that make bias and dependence visible

Reading time

5minutes

By Eliza.Compton , 8 September, 2026

Assessing students’ academic writing when AI can produce a first draft

When finished text no longer reliably indicates students’ ability to produce structured formal prose, educators can ask them to show more of their writing and judgement process

Reading time

5minutes

By Eliza.Compton , 5 September, 2026

To stop students procrastinating, collaborate with them

Young male student looking at phone while putting off study

To help students start academic work on time, educators can use an approach that both guides them and pushes them to manage their own journeys

By Eliza.Compton , 29 August, 2026

The understanding gap – and how AI can help university educators close it

Students often fall behind long before assessments reveal it. Identifying gaps in understanding during teaching – and using AI for just-in-time support – could transform learning, writes Zabin Visram

Reading time

4minutes

By Eliza.Compton , 22 August, 2026

How to supervise a student systematic review without losing a semester

A systematic review can fit inside a degree but only if the supervisor sizes the question to the calendar before the student starts searching

Reading time

4minutes

University assessment and quality assurance