Assessment by engagement: building confidence and autonomy in the first year

Abstract

Assessment plays a pivotal role in shaping first-year university students’ engagement and academic development. Despite widespread recognition of the benefits of innovative approaches, traditional summative assessment practices continue to dominate the sector, often failing to meet the diverse needs of students. This paper explores student experiences of Assessment by Engagement, an approach that prioritises equity, personalisation, and collaboration. Assessment by Engagement combines continuous summative assessment with embedded dialogic feedback and co-creation of assessment tasks, enabling students to become active participants in their learning and assessment. Through thematic analysis of interviews with students at a post-1992 UK Higher Education Institution, this study examines how Assessment by Engagement influences student engagement, confidence, and autonomy. The findings highlight three key themes in student experiences: continuous assessment enhances engagement; embedded feedback cultivates confidence; and co-creation can foster autonomy. These insights suggest that Assessment by Engagement offers an equity-driven alternative to traditional assessment models by deepening student engagement and fostering inclusive and responsive learning environments for diverse cohorts