Designing assessment with student cognition in mind

This presentation documents a multi-disciplinary teaching and learning project that focused on designing assessment to develop and measure students' cognitive and metacognitive capabilities. It also documents classroom experiences that best promote the development of skills captured in thinking-focused assessment.

Focusing on students' cognitive development enables students to deepen their disciplinary knowledge and assists them to undertake further activities cognitively through knowledge (including making new knowledge). This approach assists in developing the necessary intellectual virtues of open-mindedness and resilience to tackle the 'hard questions' as future knowledge-makers. Assessment for student cognition is an essential antidote to Generative AI and is relevant to all educators, Learning Designers, or teaching support staff members.

This seminar will feature members of the The University of Queensland (UQ) Critical Thinking Project team, collaborators representing multiple UQ faculties, and Learning Designers from ITaLI who will speak for 35 minutes before a 15 minute Q&A.

Session participants will: 

• learn how to use cognitive verbs and the values of inquiry with precision and intentionality in designing assessment across a range of assessment formats (e.g. research essays, projects, quizzes, examinations, practicals, etc.) 
• use data on outcomes from using this form of assessment and classroom practice approach across disciplinary contexts 
• how this approach to assessment design aligns with UQ's emerging policies and practices around student learning and the student experience 
• learn about the benefits to learning design 
• how this kind of assessment design mitigates the threat of Generative AI 
• how to use this approach to assessment to meaningfully deliver on UQ's graduate attributes. 

Presenters:

• Professor Deborah Brown 
• Dr Peter Ellerton 
• Dr Yael Lebovitch
• participants from the Teaching Innovation Grants (TIG) and Enhancing Assessment through Critical Thinking.