Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ: How inclusive can visual assessment approaches really be?

Some students find visual and oral assessment an easier way of demonstrating learning outcomes but it can present difficulties for students with certain impairments. The following links provide generic support for developing accessible assessments.

http://www.open.ac.uk/inclusiveteaching/pages/inclusive-teaching/developing-an-assessment-strategy.php

http://www.shu.ac.uk/services/lti/accessibleassessments/

However, it is generally accepted that all students will require plenty of practice in preparing and presenting visual assessments. As a means of providing an alternative approach to assessment there are numerous case studies and projects that provide good practice. The Space project developed and researched alternative forms of assessment as a way of facilitating a more inclusive approach.

http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/pages/view.asp?page=10494

FAQ: What can we actually assess?

Visual communication assessments can stand alone or be within written, oral or online assessments tasks. These assess the ability of students to encapsulate their ideas and to express their knowledge, understanding and ideas in creative, succinct ways. They can also play a part in preparing students for participation in formal presentations and professional settings such as conferences. When students confine their ideas to a visual context they are forced to think deeply about the important information they want to communicate.

Visual approaches have tended to be linked with creativity. Creativity in itself is difficult to define but highly valued by staff and students and employers.

Criteria for assessment are rarely conceived in a theoretical framework such as Biggs’ SOLO taxonomy (Biggs& Collis 1982), where students working at the highest level (Extended Abstract) are expected to show imagination and go beyond what has been given. This lack of a framework makes the highly prized notion of ‘creativity’ difficult to define and subject to variations in interpretation.