27. A quiet hope: Enhancing institution-wide inclusive assessment practices

This chapter explores the multifaceted role of assessment in Higher Education—as a tool for evidencing learning, promoting student autonomy, and preparing learners for the workplace. Traditional assessment approaches often fall short of addressing the diverse needs of today’s student body, particularly those from non-traditional backgrounds. In response, this chapter advocates for inclusive assessment practices that actively engage learners and provide equitable opportunities to demonstrate achievement. Drawing on staff feedback indicating a demand for professional development in this area, the authors describe the design and implementation of a Digital Badge course. This resource offers staff conceptual and practical insights into inclusive assessment, supported by discipline-specific and cross-disciplinary case studies, and hands-on tools for redesigning assessment practices. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the project’s next phase—delivering the course and collecting participant feedback—while encouraging staff to engage in scholarship of teaching and learning to evaluate the impact of their assessments on inclusive assessment principles.