From Teacher-Centred to Student-Partnered: Advancing Inclusive Assessment through Rubric Co-Construction

This chapter explores how co-constructing assessment rubrics can help to foster inclusive, learner-centred assessment practices in higher education. Through a review of recent literature and three institutional case studies, it showcases how co-creating assessment rubrics can support student learning. This was achieved through a unique faculty development initiative at Munster Technological University (MTU). The Re-imagining Assessment and Feedback Together (RAFT2) initiative provides a scaffolded model for transforming practice institutionally. The RAFT initiative operates as a year-long, institutionally supported action research cycle, structured across two semesters: the first focused on problematising assessment in partnership with students, and the second on implementing and evaluating a responsive intervention (O’Mahony, 2026). The selected case studies suggest that rubric co-construction can support assessment literacy, student agency and more inclusive communication of assessment criteria, particularly when students are meaningfully involved in the design process. The chapter argues that co-creation in assessment not only improves assessment clarity but also promotes cultures of collaboration, trust and equity.