AssessWell Plate: Creating a Modern, Balanced Assessment Diet for Students and Staff

Assessing students can be difficult for higher education teachers, as many are not often trained in assessment design, leading to a reliance on types of assessment they experienced in their own education, not necessarily the most effective types to encourage and measure learning.

This poster presents a transformative framework for assessment design in higher education, inspired by the familiar “EatWell plate” concept (a graphical representation of a balanced diet shown as occupied space on a plate by certain food groups). Recognizing the limitations of traditional assessment methods such as exams, essay writing and presentations, which we liken to unhealthy fats (important, but overconsumption causes significant problems), protein (essential, but only beneficial at certain levels) and dairy (provides structure, but again, overconsumption causes significant problems) respectively, this innovative approach aims to cultivate a more holistic assessment diet.

Our simplistic yet intuitive framework encourages instructors to move away from restrictive, repetitive assessment practices to a range of artifacts more authentic to post-graduation challenges, symbolised here as fruit and veg (diversity brings balance for a healthy body and mind) and practicals that allow the demonstration of important non-conceptual skills, depicted as carbohydrates (good energy source with short-lived benefits warranting careful selection).

This framework fosters deeper and more authentic learning experiences. We call for the promotion of a positive assessment culture, depicted as healthy fats and oils, such as through demystifying the hidden curriculum, and the provision of regular, timely and useful feedback which is depicted as water.

This comprehensive approach to assessment contributes to the understanding and practice of SoTL by offering a forward-thinking framework that prioritizes student engagement, skill development, and meaningful learning outcomes. By emphasizing what assessment practices could be rather than what they currently are, the AssessWell Plate challenges existing norms, encouraging instructors to reimagine their assessment design approaches. Through focuses on authenticity, diversity, and inclusivity, this framework extends current SoTL knowledge and practices of more effective and equitable assessment strategies in higher education.