CO-DESIGNING AN INNOVATIVE ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR HIGHER EDUCATION: METHODS, CHALLENGES, AND INSIGHTS FROM PARTICIPATORY DESIGN

There are many challenges when it comes to assessment in design education and technical study programs. Some of these challenges come from reduced public funding and increased marketisation (Bretag et al., 2019), the rise in new technologies that impact the student’s way of responding to assignments (Cotton et al., 2023), and students’ demand for fair assessment (Sambell et al.,1997). To address these challenges, we aimed to assist educators in creating and innovating assessment methods. We developed an assessment framework and a physical tool, drawing on the work of Topping (1998), Pittaway & Edwards (2012), Wenninger (2019), and Babatunde et al. (2021). While the framework is still in progress, the tool has undergone numerous iterations and successful prototype trials. The development of this tool began in the spring of 2023, following the method outlined by Spinuzzi (2005). Over a hundred international educators have tested various prototypes. Our development process included the following steps: 1) Idea generation 2) Development of dimensions for assessments 3) Testing on users (educators) 4) Revision and implementation of feedback of the tool 5) Testing on more users (educators) 6) Prototyping